How we record and calculate results

Sugar Test Lab publishes observed glucose readings from people wearing continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) after eating a specific food or drink. This page explains, in plain language, what our numbers mean and what they don't.

How an experiment is recorded

Each experiment is one person eating one food, in a described portion, while wearing a CGM. We record the glucose reading just before eating and readings at set times afterwards (typically 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120 minutes). Notes such as serving size and context are stored with the experiment.

What "baseline" means

Baseline is the glucose reading at the start of the experiment, immediately before eating (minute 0).

How glucose rise is calculated

Peak is the highest reading recorded during the experiment window. Glucose rise is peak minus baseline, in mg/dL. Time to peak is the number of minutes from the start to that highest reading. These values are calculated automatically from the raw readings — they are never typed in by hand.

How community averages are calculated

For a food, we average the baseline, peak and rise across all published experiments for that food, and show how many experiments the average is based on. When fewer than three experiments exist we say so and show the individual results rather than presenting a reliable average.

Why individual responses vary

The same food can produce very different responses in different people, or in the same person on different days. Portion, what else was eaten, sleep, stress, activity, timing and individual physiology all play a role. An average describes what was observed — it does not predict what will happen to you.

Observed data is not medical advice

Our results are observations, not clinical studies, and have not been independently scientifically validated. They are not intended to diagnose, treat or prevent any condition. Talk to a qualified healthcare professional about your own health.

How sample data is labeled

While the site is being built, some records are synthetic demonstration data. Every such record is marked with a visible "Sample data" label, is excluded from real community counts, and is kept out of search engine indexes.

Translations

Pages in other languages may be machine translated first. Machine translations are labeled internally and are not shown to search engines until a person has reviewed and published them.