Constant blood sugar monitoring most effective method, study says

Blood sugar monitors that use constant measurement rather than requiring diabetics to prick their fingers several times a day are better at helping them control glucose, according to a study published Monday.

The researchers, reporting their results in the New England Journal of Medicine and presenting them to the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Rome, tested three brands of continuous glucose monitors from Medtronic, DexCom and Abbott Laboratories. They found that 30 percent of people using the monitors were able to reduce their blood sugar levels to below 7, which is considered the desired level. Among those using the traditional finger-pricking method, that number of 7 percent.

The study received funding from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. It looked at 322 diabetics randomly given continuous monitoring devices or instructed to continue using the finger-pricking method.