The northeast glucose drift: Stratification of post-breakfast dysglycemia among predominantly Hispanic/Latino adults at-risk or with type 2 diabetes

BACKGROUND: There is minimal experience in continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) among underserved racial/ethnic minority populations with or at risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D), and therefore a lack of CGM-driven insight for these individuals. We analyzed breakfast-related CGM profiles of free-living, predominantly Hispanic/Latino individuals at-risk of T2D, with pre-T2D, or with non-insulin treated T2D. METHODS: Starting February 2019, 119 participants in Santa Barbara, CA, USA, (93 female, 87% Hispanic/Latino [predominantly Mexican-American], age 54·4 [±12·1] years), stratified by HbA(1c) levels into (i) at-risk of T2D, (ii) with pre-T2D, and (iii) with non-insulin treated T2D, wore blinded CGMs for two weeks. We compared valid CGM profiles from 106 of these participants representing glucose response to breakfast using four parameters. FINDINGS: A “northeast drift” was observed in breakfast glucose responses comparing at-risk to pre-T2D to T2D participants. T2D participants had a significantly higher pre-breakfast glucose level, glucose rise, glucose incremental area under the curve (all p < 0·0001), and time to glucose peak (p < 0·05) compared to pre-T2D and at-risk participants. After adjusting for demographic and clinical covariates, pre-breakfast glucose and time to peak (p < 0·0001) were significantly associated with HbA(1c). The model predicted HbA(1c) within (0·55 [Formula: see text] 0·67)% of true laboratory HbA(1c) values. INTERPRETATION: For predominantly Hispanic/Latino adults, the average two-week breakfast glucose response shows a progression of dysglycemia from at-risk of T2D to pre-T2D to T2D. CGM-based breakfast metrics have the potential to predict HbA(1c) levels and monitor diabetes progression. FUNDING: US Department of Agriculture (Grant #2018–33800–28404), a seed grant from the industry board fees of the NSF Engineering Research Center for Precise Advanced Technologies and Health Systems for Underserved Populations (PATHS-UP) (Award #1648451), and the Elsevier foundation.