To get to the bottom of this problem, I wrote an article a while ago about a new method that allows ordinary hobby athletes to watch their metabolism at work while running.
Some athletes put a sensor chip on their upper arm to measure their glucose levels, train more precisely and better understand their own body.
The fun is called »Continuous Glucose Monitoring« (CGM).
Actually, the sugar sensors were developed for people with diabetes;
for them the monitor is vital.
Athletes, on the other hand, expect a dramatic boost in performance.
Should such techno-doping perhaps even be banned in competition?
I spoke to sports doctors and professionals like Jan Frodeno.
But can the new method really keep what the manufacturers promise?
Curious and suspicious, I had a test kit sent to me and installed the chip on my upper left arm.
Finally Cyborg!
I was amazed: Suddenly I could see on my cell phone whether my muscles were getting enough sugar.
For example, if I ate a cookie, after about 20 minutes, I would see my muscle sugar skyrocket.
Fascinating, like looking under the hood of your own body.
The highlight of my self-experiment was the famous marathon in Boston.
I was miserable, I hadn't eaten enough, on the famous »Heartbreak Hill«, the hill of broken hearts, my sugar level was in the basement.
The remedy was simple: eat a banana, hold out for half an hour, and it was already better.
I recently summarized the results of my self-experiment in this field report.
Spoiler alert: I don't find the chip very helpful for competitions themselves.
But in everyday life I was always surprised by the sugar measurement.
For example, I found that after a thick plate of pasta, my tissue sugar shoots up quite violently, only to then drop rapidly.
Then the proverbial eating coma sets in.
On the other hand, a simple remedy helps: A little walk after eating, my sugar curve already looks nice and flat, the coma stays away.
The result of my experiment is the substantiation of an old saying: After eating you shouldn't rest, but take a thousand steps.
I can remember that too, I no longer need the chip for this.
By the way: As of today, SPIEGEL offers its own newsletter for such self-experiments and health tips from science and sport, in which we tell you honestly and entertainingly what's going on.
Have a look!
Heartfelt
Your Hilmar Schmundt
I also recommend you:
History:
An American scientist evaluated the long-secret interrogation protocols of the Spanish Inquisition.
His finding: the torturers practiced their craft with cold-blooded perfection and knew the limits of torture.
How unhealthy is the gas stove?
A debate has flared up in the US about the health risks of cooking with gas.
What's behind it - and what users of the technology should be aware of.
Unique private library in Westphalia:
A mining engineer hoarded around 70,000 books in his family home until his death and hardly spoke about them.
What to do with what is probably the largest private library in Germany?
How the belief in conspiracies influences the rejection of wind turbines:
More wind power should advance the energy transition.
But the construction of the plants often generates protests.
Psychologist Kevin Winter says what this has to do with belief in conspiracies and how countermeasures can be taken.
How Venus went from paradise to hell:
Venus is deadly hot - but what caused a super greenhouse effect there?
Was it due to gigantic volcanic eruptions, which are also conceivable here?
Several space probes will soon set off for the neighboring planet to solve the mystery - and to look for signs of life in acidic clouds.
New special unit:
The federal police want to use new investigators who can identify the wanted person in a crowd at lightning speed.
When your own smell is unbearable:
Some people are convinced that they have bad breath or constantly smell of sweat - even though those around them don't notice anything.
This can lead to social isolation and sometimes even suicide.
What helps those affected?
picture of the week
Good duck, good harvest:
This is the principle followed by a winery in South Africa not far from Cape Town, which uses an army of around 1000 runner ducks to reduce the use of pesticides and mineral fertilizers.
The ecological experiment on the 57-hectare site started with just three animals and can now be considered a success.
The ducks not only eat pests, especially snails, from the valuable vines.
As a side effect, they also spread valuable fertilizer with their droppings.
(Feedback & suggestions? )
