Blood-Sugar 'Hacks' Are Latest Health Craze

"What do a Hollywood starlet, an Olympic gold medalist and a Harvard longevity researcher have in common? All of them follow an influencer who has kicked off a health craze known as the Glucose Goddess Method.

More of a philosophy than a diet, the Glucose Goddess approach consists of "hacks" meant to minimize blood-sugar spikes. Proponents say that following its guidance can help people think more clearly, have more energy and reduce cravings. Crucially, the method isn't about losing weight, says its creator, a French biochemist named Jessie Inchauspe. Followers don't need to cut out carbs or count points. Instead, they're advised to consider food groups and the order in which they consume them.

"I'm just taking studies done by scientists across the world and bringing them to the forefront," said Inchauspe, 31.

Glucose has become the new gluten -- a medical sensitivity turned nutritional obsession for the masses. As the diabetes drug Ozempic has upended the old ways of thinking about food, willpower and weight loss, it has also put a spotlight on the importance of regulating blood sugar beyond the treatment of diabetes. That has fueled interest in glucose-management products, from supplements to continuous glucose monitors (CGMs). Health personalities like Inchauspe are spreading the word.

Her so-called hacks include starting meals with vegetables, eating a savory breakfast and putting "clothes" -- protein, fat or fiber -- on carbs. She also recommends drinking a tablespoon of diluted vinegar a day; consumed before a sweet treat or carb-heavy meal, she said, it can minimize a glucose spike.

Inchauspe has spun the tenets of her method into a Glucose Goddess empire that follows a familiar diet-industry playbook. She has two bestselling books, an Instagram account with 3.2 million followers, an online certification course ($2,499), a recipe club ($4.99 a month) and, in the coming weeks, a video podcast and a supplement ($65 a bottle).

"Honestly, this stuff is not that revolutionary," Inchauspe said. She's just found an appealing way to market existing research for the social-media age.

Her interest in holistic nutrition came after breaking her back at the age of 19. She studied biochemistry at Georgetown University, where she got her master's, and then joined the DNA-testing company 23andMe. There, she raised her hand to participate in a company study that used CGMs, medical devices developed for diabetics. They are adhesive and contain a tiny needle that goes just beneath the skin.

Inchauspe, who isn't diabetic, saw a correlation between her glucose spikes and mental health. "It's like a combination of brain fog, anxiety, feeling out of your body."

The revelation "completely changed my life," she said.

She built an app to chart data from her CGM to illustrate for others how foods and behaviors affected her. She absorbed a huge body of research to try to make sense of the numbers. In 2019, she started sharing her findings on Instagram.

Six months in, she quit her job to focus on Glucose Goddess full-time. On her account, she shares charts showing how eating a bowl of red-lentil pasta (big spike) compares to having red lentils on their own (no spike), or how snacking on chocolate cake (another big spike) compares to eating it after a large chicken salad (no spike). The information is based on CGM data and meant to illustrate existing research.

Inchauspe's books "Glucose Revolution" and "The Glucose Goddess Method" have sold over 400,000 copies in the U.S., according to publisher Simon & Schuster. She said her first advance helped finance her glucose empire. Her legion of Instagram followers includes Gwyneth Paltrow, Rita Ora, Lily James, Orlando Bloom and Karlie Kloss.

This comes at a time when people are increasingly putting their trust in influencers for information about health, regardless of credentials, and making purchases based on their recommendations.

Laura Bellows, associate professor of Nutritional Science at Cornell University, said some of the studies on blood-glucose levels cited to support Inchauspe's hacks are based on small sample sizes, and their findings may not apply to a broader population. Bellows said some of the hacks are widely accepted by nutritionists, such as having protein and fat with carbs, while others may overstate what is known about their effectiveness, like the benefits of vinegar. "I would much rather people pay attention to how they feel and how their body is reacting," she said.

Inchauspe has been embraced by popular health personalities. Harvard longevity researcher David Sinclair blurbed her first book. Dr. Mark Hyman, who has been beating the drum about blood sugar for many years, had her on his podcast.

"We're having a cultural zeitgeist shift where sugar is definitely understood to be something that we should be reducing or balancing in our diet," said Dr. Hyman. But he said, peoples' responses to these food hacks may vary.

Some of Inchauspe's advice is up for debate. She tells followers that all sugar is created equal from a molecular standpoint and that she'd rather drink Diet Coke than orange juice. But nutritional experts point out that artificial sweeteners can be harmful in other ways.

Inchauspe has been criticized for her use of CGMs and began distancing herself from the devices.

Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn said she had been implementing Inchauspe's hacks for well over a year before testing a CGM to see the data for herself. She saw how changes to the order of what she ate, like having a salad or greens before something sweet, affected her energy.

"I used to get tired after meals," Vonn said. Now, she said, that doesn't happen." [1]

I also get tired of lifting a spoon. Since I'm not an Olympian, nobody cares. Drinking vinegar every day can aggravate gastritis in those who have it (many in Eastern Europe).

1. Blood-Sugar 'Hacks' Are Latest Health Craze. O'Brien, Sara Ashley.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 29 Jan 2024: A.11.