Levels is a metabolic health startup selling continuous glucose monitor access, and its blog covers blood sugar, diet, and exercise.
HN links it mainly as the place to get a CGM without a prescription, noting the cost, invite codes and lack of insurance coverage.
Your write-up was well-constructed. Thanks!
I will add a few things just to raise awareness, if it hasn't been raised already. I apologize if I missed something in my reading.
I'm the kid whose diagnosis was at a time when we didn't have fingerstick glucometers, human synthetic insulin, or any of the myriad of modern medical approaches to ameliorating the effects of living with T1D. Five decades later I can offer some insight having survived that long with reasonably well-managed T1D while making mistakes with diet, exercise, and insulin and learning from those mistakes. I've also worked in medical devices and healthcare so it's not all n=1. I am the lucky diabetic, FWIW.
It's all about executive function in the end. And you can read below how the disease may impact executive function.
A diabetic beneath a certain threshold of blood glucose may seem to be operating in the lizard brain, particularly with respect to what may seem like an addiction when he eats an entire quart of ice cream in a single sitting, alone. To make matters worse, these thresholds, just like ISF and CR are dynamic, day-to-day. One day, the kid's functional with a BG of 60 and may feel and behave terribly with a BG of 80. This is hard to describe to someone who thinks that the whole thing is linear. Quite the converse. There are points where these changes can feel like falling off a cliff. Having had an IV of insulin once, I can tell you that the adrenalin rush is like falling off a cliff - nor far…
Levels | Backend, mobile, frontend developers | Remote (US-friendly timezones, please) | Full-time or Part-time
Levels is an early-stage startup working to improve people's metabolic health. Poor metabolic health is a risk factor for many diseases, and few people have the right tools to create positive feedback cycles with their diet and exercise. From our Beta pilot, we've seen massive value of using wearables, including continuous glucose monitors, to help behavioral change. Our customers are using Levels to stabilize their energy levels, lose weight, optimize athletic performance, and learn strategies to reduce risk of chronic disease.
We're a remote-first team (with people in New York, SF Bay Area, Los Angeles, Pennsylvania, Colombia, and Portland currently), and value a good quality of life and balance. Previously, folks in our team led (and sold) startups, worked at SpaceX/Google, and had medical practices.
We're looking for a couple people to join our team as we expand our product. We have hundreds of happy (paying) customers and many thousands on our waitlist, so have a lot to do. We're primarily looking for generalists who have experience somewhere in the React / React Native / node / TypeScript ecosystem (not all required, we'll shape the role to fit your interests/skills). We don't have a meetings-based culture, and you'll be able to structure your days however works best for you.
Full role description and a lot more about us:…
Since your stating that eating once a day is the same as eating once a day.
Would you have any sources for that claim?
Did you know there is allot of research going into the effects of intermittent fasting[0]?
If you would search for OMAD (one meal a day) on google or reddit you would see that that statement does not hold.
There are many changes because blood sugar will stay stable during the day.
Nor will there be insulin spikes.
There are health startups starting just for stable glucose levels and the health benefits by using continuous glucose monitors[1].
They already attracted many from the health and longevity communities.
It's also possible not to use their product by just eating once a day.
[0]https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/intermittent-fasting-what-is-it-and-how-does-it-work
[1]https://www.levelshealth.com/
Continuous glucose monitoring doesn't require a blood draw, but it isn't in a form that would work in a watch to my knowledge.
I expect that Apple and others are heavily invested in cracking glucose monitoring on a watch like this. That unlocks a lot of possibilities for diabetics and non-diabetics alike.
Levels is probably the closest thing to this right now: https://www.levelshealth.com/ - There are other continuous glucose monitors, but the "smart" integrations with fitness tracking, etc. seem novel to me.
I have a friend who is a doctor. He was using it himself & offered to write me an Rx.
I’m now doing it a second time, using the levels health app [0]. If you can make it to the front of their massive waiting list (and don’t mind paying their fee), it’s the easiest way to get one.
[0]: https://www.levelshealth.com
I got mine from Levels. They use the same sensor as mentioned in the article, and wrap it with their own app. Very easy to deal with. They are trying to limit demand so you need an invite code, but you can find one on Google in 5 minutes.
[1] https://www.levelshealth.com/