Continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) are small wearable devices with the capacity to track changes to interstitial glucose concentrations in real-time. While these devices were initially designed to assist individuals with the management of diabetes, they have recently gained popularity in athletic populations as a potential tool to monitor fuelling during training and competition. 

However, because the regulation of blood glucose concentrations during exercise is complex, it remains unclear whether CGMs provide reliable data that is useful to the athlete and can enhance sports nutrition knowledge and practice. Moreover, the use of CGMs in sport presents comes with several caveats, including technical issues such as dislodging of sensors and synchronization problems, practical issues such as potential bans on their use, and challenges to data interpretation. This webinar will explore these issues as well as addressing how CGMs work and looking at how we can use some of the data they provide

Dr Jamie Whitfield (ASpS2) is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow who joined the Exercise and Nutrition Research Program in the Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research at Australian Catholic University in 2017. His research utilises a variety of research models to gain a better understanding of how nutrient availability alters skeletal muscle metabolism, and whether it can promote or inhibit training adaptation and, ultimately, human performance capacity. 

His goal is to take the theoretical knowledge of physiology gained during his PhD and translate this research to improve outcomes along the health spectrum – from pathology to performance. Over the last 10 years he has published 27 peer-reviewed articles including work on exercise and training responses of ~400 human research participants ranging from recreationally active individuals to elite, professional athletes. More specifically – since joining ACU he has led several research studies in collaboration with the Australian Institute of Sport evaluating the effects of nutritional and training (e.g., altitude) interventions in world class endurance athletes, including Olympic and World Championship medallists in the sport of track and field. His expertise in this area has resulted in a two invited book chapters on metabolic adaptations with training, and a contemporary review article on interventions for middle distance running performance commissioned by the governing body for track and field, World Athletics.