EP25 - Deep Dive chat on the science behind Lumen - Fat and Carb burn measurement
Resources & Links:
- Buy one: https://the5krunner.com/Lumen
- Detailed written review: https://the5krunner.com/2024/11/27/lumen-review-discount/
- Main Channel: https://the5krunner.com
My other channels: https://linktr.ee/the5krunner
—Credits: Content in this episode was generated using AI tools (NotebookLM) based on original content from @the5krunner, and other sources as cited.
#lumenmetabolismtrackerreview #lumen #lumenmetabolismreview #lumenreview #lumenhackyourmetabolismreviews #lumen #hackyourmetabolism #lumenmetabolismtracker #weightloss #metabolicflexibility #hackyourmetabolismandloseweight #lowcarb #breathanalyzer #healthandwellness
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
OK, let's unpack this. Has you ever wished like you had
a real time window into your ownmetabolism?
What if you could actually know,you know moment by moment,
whether your body is burning more fat or more carbs?
Well, today we're doing a deep dive into exactly that, a pretty
fascinating handheld device called Lumen.
We've sifted through quite a bitfor this one.
(00:21):
Research papers, validation studies, clinical trials, all
discussing lumen science and well, it's surprisingly broad
applications. Yeah.
And our mission today really is to explore how this device
works, but check out the sciencebehind it, see if it holds up
and then discover its potential uses, especially focusing on
areas like pre diabetes, BMI andalso Women's Health, which is
(00:42):
quite interesting. Right.
And the core idea basically is that Lumen measures your
metabolic fuel usage, what you're burning, right, by
looking at the CO2 in your breath.
So maybe before we jump into thedevice itself, let's just
quickly set the scene. What does metabolic fuel
utilisation even mean? Like how does our body choose
carbs versus fat? That's a great starting point.
The gold standard for measuring this, this sort of benchmark,
(01:04):
it's not something you typicallyhave at home.
It's called indirect calorimetry.
You often hear it called a metabolic cart.
A metabolic cart sounds serious.It is, yeah.
It's sophisticated stuff. It measures the CO2 you produce
VCO 2 and the oxygen you consumeVO2 just from your breathing and
the ratio between those two, VCO2 over VO2.
(01:24):
That gives you the respiratory exchange ratio or RER.
That RER number is really powerful.
It directly tells you the mix the percentage of carbs versus
fats your body's burning for energy right then.
OK, incredibly precise. Sounds like proper lab
equipment, but I'm guessing there's a catch.
Why don't we all have one? Exactly.
There's a reason while it is thegold standard for accuracy,
(01:45):
these metabolic carts have some pretty big limitations.
They're really expensive, the whole measurement process takes
a while, often up to 40 minutes for one good reading, and you
only find them in specific lab settings.
Plus you need someone with technical know how to run it and
make sense of the data. Definitely not an everyday tool.
Right. Makes sense.
And this is where Lumen comes in, positioning itself as this
(02:08):
innovative solution, right? Taking that lab insight and
putting it well in your hand. It's small, it's portable, and
it measures the percentage of CO2 in your exhaled breath.
That's. It it uses a CO2 sensor and also
a flow sensor. These work together to figure
out your CO2 production rate from just one breath manoeuvre.
Specifically, it's a controlled 10 second breath hold.
(02:29):
OK. So how does just measuring CO2
tell you about fat versus carbs?Well, the underlying idea is
pretty neat. You're resting oxygen
consumption tends to be relatively stable, right?
So assuming that's fairly constant, any changes you see in
the CO2 you're producing point towards a shift in your fuel
source. Basically, more CO2 means more
carbs being burned, less CO2 suggests more fat burning.
(02:51):
And the huge advantage is it's convenience, it's portable, and
you get that feedback instantly on a smartphone app.
OK, so it sounds plausible, but how well does it actually stack
up against that gold standard metabolic cart?
Was there a study on that? There was a key validation study
came out of San Francisco State University in 2021.
Their whole aim was to evaluate lumens validity head to head
(03:13):
against the metabolic cart. They had 33 healthy young
adults, average age around 23. They measured them at rest
twice, once after fasting overnight and then again after
they drank a solution with 150 grammes of glucose, basically a
Big Sugar hit. The key question Could lumen
reliably detect that shift towards burning carbs after the
(03:33):
glucose? Get it?
What did they find? Yes, it performed very well.
The results were quite clear. Both lumens percent O2 readings
and the metabolic carts RER significantly increased after
the glucose that was expected. Of course, both methods clearly
picked up the shift towards burning carbs.
Crucially, statistical analysis,specifically something called
reduced major excess regression,showed a strong agreement
(03:53):
between lumens percent O2 and the parts RER.
Strong agreement. Yeah.
So it works. It works for its intended
purpose. It's important to clarify
though. It showed strong agreement,
meaning Lumen is very effective for monitoring your own changes,
your individual metabolic responses over time.
That within subject consistency is key.
It's not necessarily designed tobe a direct, precise substitute
(04:17):
for comparing absolute metabolicrates between different people
in, say, a clinical trial setting where the metabolic cart
still reigns supreme for that kind of precision.
OK, so it's more about tracking my personal metabolic shifts
day-to-day rather than comparingmy exact RER number to someone
else's. Exactly.
That's the power. Right, and here's where it gets
really interesting. This means you can potentially
(04:38):
get lab level insights, if not exact lab level numbers right in
your own home. So what does this all mean for
you, the listener? Well, the power is in that real
time, personalised feedback. Think about it.
Having that kind of insight daily lets you see how your body
responds to specific meals, or your workout, or even how well
you slept. You're not just getting a single
snapshot from a lab visit, you're getting a continuous,
(05:00):
dynamic view of your own metabolic journey.
It lets you fine tune things dayby day.
OK. That makes sense.
And that leads us nicely into one of the really impactful
potential applications pre diabetes management.
Pre diabetes is incredibly common, huge risk factor for
type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease.
It's a big deal. And it's definitely an area
where catching things early, intervening effectively, can
(05:23):
make a massive difference. Absolutely, and there was a
pilot clinical trial on this from Tel Aviv Seraski Medical
Centre published in 2023. They specifically looked at
lumens effects on things like weight, body fat, waist size,
anthropometric and metabolic variables in adults who already
had pre diabetes. It was a 12 week study, single
arm, meaning just one group with27 participants.
(05:45):
They had specific criteria, age 2565, BMI between 27 and 40 and
importantly an HBA 1C that's thelong term blood sugar marker
between 5.7% and 6.4% putting them in the pre diabetes range.
And what did the intervention actually involve?
How do they use day-to-day? Right.
So each participant took a Lumenmeasurement every morning while
(06:05):
fasted. Based on that reading, the Lumen
app gave them personalised guidelines for their daily
macros, carbs, fat, protein. The guidance focused on complex
carbs, healthy fats, that sort of thing.
And they also had support from Lumen coaches remotely, helping
them stick to the plan over the 12 weeks.
OK, so daily measurements, personalised food guidance,
coaching. Did it work?
What were the results after 12 weeks?
(06:26):
These sound pretty compelling onpaper.
They really were quite striking for a pilot study.
They saw a significant decrease in body weight.
Average loss was almost 6 kilogrammes, which is about a
6.15% reduction from their starting weight.
Significant. Also a significant drop in
percentage body fat nearly 3% and waist circumference went
down by over six centimetres on average.
(06:47):
But maybe the most critical finding for this group, their
HBA 1C levels decreased significantly by 0.27%.
That's a meaningful improvement in blood sugar control.
And there were other positive changes to lower triglycerides,
lower systolic blood pressure. Wow, that's a That's a whole
suite of improvements in just 12weeks.
It really seems to connect to this idea of metabolic
(07:08):
flexibility. You.
Mentioned exactly, metabolic flexibility is the body's
ability to efficiently switch between burning carbs and fats.
If your body gets stuck preferentially bringing 1 fuel
like carbs even when it should be burning fat, that's often
linked to insulin resistance andproblems like pre diabetes.
What's fascinating here is how that personalised daily feedback
from Lumen guiding those macronutrient adjustments seem
(07:31):
to help improve metabolic control and flexibility.
It simplifies assessing it. So the lumen feedback help them
understand when their body was ready for carbs versus when it
might be better to focus on fats.
That seems to be the mechanism, yes.
It empowered them to tailor their diet to what their
metabolism was actually doing atthat moment, rather than
following generic advice. They could literally see the
(07:52):
impact of their food choices. Now we do need to be careful,
acknowledge the limitations. This was a pilot study.
Right, small number of people, only one group.
Exactly. Small sample size, single arm
design, so no control group for comparison, and relatively short
duration, just 12 weeks. So while these initial findings
are definitely promising, reallypromising, we absolutely need
(08:13):
larger randomised controlled trials to confirm these results
and really tease out Lumen's specific effect versus the
coaching and dietary changes alone.
OK so promising start but more research needed to be definitive
understood. If we broaden out from pre diet
connecting this to overall health body composition, how
does lumen relate to something like BMI or just general weight
(08:36):
management? Yeah, the insights definitely
extend beyond pre diabetes. Lumens own internal research
looking at their user data suggests a link.
People who demonstrate better metabolic flexibility of their
bodies, switch fuels easily, seem to process carbs more
efficiently, and are less likelyto store those carbs as fat.
That's really the core insight for weight management, isn't it?
(08:58):
It's not just about calories in,calories out, it's about what
your body does with those calories.
So it's about metabolic efficiency in a way.
You could put it that way, and their real world usage data
seems to support this. They found that Lumen users who
specifically selected the healthy weight loss track in the
app and who use the device more consistently, the highly engaged
users reported greater weight loss.
(09:20):
Some of those highly engaged users lost over 5% of their
initial body weight. That engagement piece is
interesting. It suggests that having the data
and acting on it is key. Absolutely.
It raises that important question for you, the listener.
How could understanding your ownbody's fuel use provide
actionable insights for your weight goals?
It could potentially shift the focus from just counting
(09:42):
calories to understanding the type of feel your body prefers
at different times and how to work with your metabolism, not
against it. OK, really interesting.
Now let's pivot to another area 1, where metabolism is
incredibly dynamic, but maybe less often discussed in this
context. Women's Health.
Yes, this is a fascinating application.
The menstrual cycle? Menopause.
(10:03):
These involve huge hormonal shifts that profoundly impact
metabolism. They really do, and
understanding these shifts is crucial.
There was a recent Lumen study from 2024 looking specifically
at exhaled CO2 patterns during the menstrual cycle and in
menopausal women. The aim was to see if Lumen
could shed light on these metabolic variations using their
large user database. It was a retrospective cohort
(10:24):
study analysing data from almost4000 women.
Some with regular cycles, human oraic and menopausal women both,
those using hormone replacement therapy, HRT and those not.
Wow. Nearly 4000 users.
That's a lot of data, yeah. What do they find for women with
regular cycles? Were there clear patterns?
Yes, very clear cyclical patterns in CO2 emerged.
(10:46):
They found CO2 levels were generally higher during the
menstrual phase, the estrogenic phase leading up to ovulation
and ovulation itself. This suggests increased
carbohydrate burning during those times.
Then CO2 levels tended to decrease during the post
ovulation luteal phase and the premenstrual phase.
This aligns with an expected increase in fat burning, likely
(11:07):
linked to the rise in progesterone during the
second-half of the cycle. And did this pattern hold up
even if cycles weren't exactly 28 days?
Apparently so. The overall pattern seemed
consistent even across differentcycle lengths from 23 to 35
days. Interestingly, while BMI was
positively linked to CO2 levels,higher BMI generally meant
higher CO2 Things like age and the specific cycle length
(11:29):
weren't major predictors of the CO2 level itself within the
cycle pattern. It really points to the hormones
as the main drivers of those cyclical metabolic shifts.
Fascinating. OK, and what about menopause?
That's an even bigger hormonal shift.
Right. And the study looked at that
too. The findings there were also
significant. They found statistically
significant higher CO2 levels inmenopausal women who are not
using HRT compared to those who are using HRT.
(11:51):
The HRT group showed lower CO2 levels.
Suggesting maybe HRT helps maintain a metabolic state
closer to pre menopause, perhapsrelated to progesterone.
That's the implication, yes. It suggests an association with
the significant changes in progesterone during menopause
and how HRT might influence that, impacting fuel
utilisation. It really highlights how CO2
(12:13):
monitoring, like with lumen, could potentially be a tool for
women to track their cycle non invasively and gain insight into
the metabolic changes happening during menopause.
It sounds incredibly powerful for personalised understanding,
but you mentioned it was retrospective using self
reported data. What are the caveats there?
Good point. Yes, like any retrospective
study using self reported data, there are limitations.
(12:35):
You have potential inaccuracies in reported cycle dates or HRT
status. Also, they didn't directly
measure hormone levels, so the link between hormones and CO2 is
an association based on known Physiology, not a direct
measurement in this study. Another limitation they noted
was the exclusion of most women using hormonal birth control
HBC, as only a small percentage of their users identified as HPC
(12:58):
users, so insights for that group are limited from this
particular study. OK, important context, but still
pretty unique insights. Absolutely.
Despite the limitations, it offers a really novel
perspective using large scale real world data on how
metabolism shifts during these key life stages for women.
It underscores just how personalised metabolism is, and
(13:19):
how a tool like Lumen could helpindividuals track and adapt to
their body's own natural rhythmsand changes.
Really drives home that personalised aspect.
It makes you think, doesn't it? If we'd had tools like this
readily available years ago, howmight they have changed things
for women navigating these transitions?
It's a powerful thought. It's about providing unique,
actionable information about Physiology that impacts daily
(13:40):
life, allowing for more informedchoices about nutrition activity
tailored to those specific life stages.
OK, so let's wrap up this deep dive.
It's been fascinating. We've seen how Lumen aims to
provide these real time metabolic insights.
We looked at its validation against the gold standard
metabolic cart, showing it's effective for tracking
individual changes in fuel use. We saw its potential impact in
(14:03):
pre diabetes, with promising results on weight, body fat, and
that crucial HBA 1C marker. In the pilot study, we connected
it to BMI and weight management,moving beyond just calories to
what your body is actually burning.
And finally, those really intriguing insights into Women's
Health tracking metabolic shiftsacross the menstrual cycle and
through menopause. Yeah, I think the big takeaway
(14:24):
is really the potential power ofhaving accessible real time
metabolic information. It opens the door to truly
personalised health strategies. It's moving this kind of
understanding out of the lab andpotentially into everyday life
for anyone wanting to optimise their health.
So here's a final thought to leave you with.
Imagine a world where understanding your body's daily
fuel preference is as simple as taking a breath.
(14:46):
How might knowing your metabolicstate right now, in real time,
actually empower your daily decisions about what you eat,
how you move your overall well-being?
How could it help you truly optimise your unique health
journey? Thank you so much for joining us
on this deep dive into Lumen.
OK, let's unpack this. Has you ever wished like you had
a real time window into your ownmetabolism?
What if you could actually know,you know moment by moment,
whether your body is burning more fat or more carbs?
Well, today we're doing a deep dive into exactly that, a pretty
fascinating handheld device called Lumen.
We've sifted through quite a bitfor this one.
(00:21):
Research papers, validation studies, clinical trials, all
discussing lumen science and well, it's surprisingly broad
applications. Yeah.
And our mission today really is to explore how this device
works, but check out the sciencebehind it, see if it holds up
and then discover its potential uses, especially focusing on
areas like pre diabetes, BMI andalso Women's Health, which is
(00:42):
quite interesting. Right.
And the core idea basically is that Lumen measures your
metabolic fuel usage, what you're burning, right, by
looking at the CO2 in your breath.
So maybe before we jump into thedevice itself, let's just
quickly set the scene. What does metabolic fuel
utilisation even mean? Like how does our body choose
carbs versus fat? That's a great starting point.
The gold standard for measuring this, this sort of benchmark,
(01:04):
it's not something you typicallyhave at home.
It's called indirect calorimetry.
You often hear it called a metabolic cart.
A metabolic cart sounds serious.It is, yeah.
It's sophisticated stuff. It measures the CO2 you produce
VCO 2 and the oxygen you consumeVO2 just from your breathing and
the ratio between those two, VCO2 over VO2.
(01:24):
That gives you the respiratory exchange ratio or RER.
That RER number is really powerful.
It directly tells you the mix the percentage of carbs versus
fats your body's burning for energy right then.
OK, incredibly precise. Sounds like proper lab
equipment, but I'm guessing there's a catch.
Why don't we all have one? Exactly.
There's a reason while it is thegold standard for accuracy,
(01:45):
these metabolic carts have some pretty big limitations.
They're really expensive, the whole measurement process takes
a while, often up to 40 minutes for one good reading, and you
only find them in specific lab settings.
Plus you need someone with technical know how to run it and
make sense of the data. Definitely not an everyday tool.
Right. Makes sense.
And this is where Lumen comes in, positioning itself as this
(02:08):
innovative solution, right? Taking that lab insight and
putting it well in your hand. It's small, it's portable, and
it measures the percentage of CO2 in your exhaled breath.
That's. It it uses a CO2 sensor and also
a flow sensor. These work together to figure
out your CO2 production rate from just one breath manoeuvre.
Specifically, it's a controlled 10 second breath hold.
(02:29):
OK. So how does just measuring CO2
tell you about fat versus carbs?Well, the underlying idea is
pretty neat. You're resting oxygen
consumption tends to be relatively stable, right?
So assuming that's fairly constant, any changes you see in
the CO2 you're producing point towards a shift in your fuel
source. Basically, more CO2 means more
carbs being burned, less CO2 suggests more fat burning.
(02:51):
And the huge advantage is it's convenience, it's portable, and
you get that feedback instantly on a smartphone app.
OK, so it sounds plausible, but how well does it actually stack
up against that gold standard metabolic cart?
Was there a study on that? There was a key validation study
came out of San Francisco State University in 2021.
Their whole aim was to evaluate lumens validity head to head
(03:13):
against the metabolic cart. They had 33 healthy young
adults, average age around 23. They measured them at rest
twice, once after fasting overnight and then again after
they drank a solution with 150 grammes of glucose, basically a
Big Sugar hit. The key question Could lumen
reliably detect that shift towards burning carbs after the
(03:33):
glucose? Get it?
What did they find? Yes, it performed very well.
The results were quite clear. Both lumens percent O2 readings
and the metabolic carts RER significantly increased after
the glucose that was expected. Of course, both methods clearly
picked up the shift towards burning carbs.
Crucially, statistical analysis,specifically something called
reduced major excess regression,showed a strong agreement
(03:53):
between lumens percent O2 and the parts RER.
Strong agreement. Yeah.
So it works. It works for its intended
purpose. It's important to clarify
though. It showed strong agreement,
meaning Lumen is very effective for monitoring your own changes,
your individual metabolic responses over time.
That within subject consistency is key.
It's not necessarily designed tobe a direct, precise substitute
(04:17):
for comparing absolute metabolicrates between different people
in, say, a clinical trial setting where the metabolic cart
still reigns supreme for that kind of precision.
OK, so it's more about tracking my personal metabolic shifts
day-to-day rather than comparingmy exact RER number to someone
else's. Exactly.
That's the power. Right, and here's where it gets
really interesting. This means you can potentially
(04:38):
get lab level insights, if not exact lab level numbers right in
your own home. So what does this all mean for
you, the listener? Well, the power is in that real
time, personalised feedback. Think about it.
Having that kind of insight daily lets you see how your body
responds to specific meals, or your workout, or even how well
you slept. You're not just getting a single
snapshot from a lab visit, you're getting a continuous,
(05:00):
dynamic view of your own metabolic journey.
It lets you fine tune things dayby day.
OK. That makes sense.
And that leads us nicely into one of the really impactful
potential applications pre diabetes management.
Pre diabetes is incredibly common, huge risk factor for
type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease.
It's a big deal. And it's definitely an area
where catching things early, intervening effectively, can
(05:23):
make a massive difference. Absolutely, and there was a
pilot clinical trial on this from Tel Aviv Seraski Medical
Centre published in 2023. They specifically looked at
lumens effects on things like weight, body fat, waist size,
anthropometric and metabolic variables in adults who already
had pre diabetes. It was a 12 week study, single
arm, meaning just one group with27 participants.
(05:45):
They had specific criteria, age 2565, BMI between 27 and 40 and
importantly an HBA 1C that's thelong term blood sugar marker
between 5.7% and 6.4% putting them in the pre diabetes range.
And what did the intervention actually involve?
How do they use day-to-day? Right.
So each participant took a Lumenmeasurement every morning while
(06:05):
fasted. Based on that reading, the Lumen
app gave them personalised guidelines for their daily
macros, carbs, fat, protein. The guidance focused on complex
carbs, healthy fats, that sort of thing.
And they also had support from Lumen coaches remotely, helping
them stick to the plan over the 12 weeks.
OK, so daily measurements, personalised food guidance,
coaching. Did it work?
What were the results after 12 weeks?
(06:26):
These sound pretty compelling onpaper.
They really were quite striking for a pilot study.
They saw a significant decrease in body weight.
Average loss was almost 6 kilogrammes, which is about a
6.15% reduction from their starting weight.
Significant. Also a significant drop in
percentage body fat nearly 3% and waist circumference went
down by over six centimetres on average.
(06:47):
But maybe the most critical finding for this group, their
HBA 1C levels decreased significantly by 0.27%.
That's a meaningful improvement in blood sugar control.
And there were other positive changes to lower triglycerides,
lower systolic blood pressure. Wow, that's a That's a whole
suite of improvements in just 12weeks.
It really seems to connect to this idea of metabolic
(07:08):
flexibility. You.
Mentioned exactly, metabolic flexibility is the body's
ability to efficiently switch between burning carbs and fats.
If your body gets stuck preferentially bringing 1 fuel
like carbs even when it should be burning fat, that's often
linked to insulin resistance andproblems like pre diabetes.
What's fascinating here is how that personalised daily feedback
from Lumen guiding those macronutrient adjustments seem
(07:31):
to help improve metabolic control and flexibility.
It simplifies assessing it. So the lumen feedback help them
understand when their body was ready for carbs versus when it
might be better to focus on fats.
That seems to be the mechanism, yes.
It empowered them to tailor their diet to what their
metabolism was actually doing atthat moment, rather than
following generic advice. They could literally see the
(07:52):
impact of their food choices. Now we do need to be careful,
acknowledge the limitations. This was a pilot study.
Right, small number of people, only one group.
Exactly. Small sample size, single arm
design, so no control group for comparison, and relatively short
duration, just 12 weeks. So while these initial findings
are definitely promising, reallypromising, we absolutely need
(08:13):
larger randomised controlled trials to confirm these results
and really tease out Lumen's specific effect versus the
coaching and dietary changes alone.
OK so promising start but more research needed to be definitive
understood. If we broaden out from pre diet
connecting this to overall health body composition, how
does lumen relate to something like BMI or just general weight
(08:36):
management? Yeah, the insights definitely
extend beyond pre diabetes. Lumens own internal research
looking at their user data suggests a link.
People who demonstrate better metabolic flexibility of their
bodies, switch fuels easily, seem to process carbs more
efficiently, and are less likelyto store those carbs as fat.
That's really the core insight for weight management, isn't it?
(08:58):
It's not just about calories in,calories out, it's about what
your body does with those calories.
So it's about metabolic efficiency in a way.
You could put it that way, and their real world usage data
seems to support this. They found that Lumen users who
specifically selected the healthy weight loss track in the
app and who use the device more consistently, the highly engaged
users reported greater weight loss.
(09:20):
Some of those highly engaged users lost over 5% of their
initial body weight. That engagement piece is
interesting. It suggests that having the data
and acting on it is key. Absolutely.
It raises that important question for you, the listener.
How could understanding your ownbody's fuel use provide
actionable insights for your weight goals?
It could potentially shift the focus from just counting
(09:42):
calories to understanding the type of feel your body prefers
at different times and how to work with your metabolism, not
against it. OK, really interesting.
Now let's pivot to another area 1, where metabolism is
incredibly dynamic, but maybe less often discussed in this
context. Women's Health.
Yes, this is a fascinating application.
The menstrual cycle? Menopause.
(10:03):
These involve huge hormonal shifts that profoundly impact
metabolism. They really do, and
understanding these shifts is crucial.
There was a recent Lumen study from 2024 looking specifically
at exhaled CO2 patterns during the menstrual cycle and in
menopausal women. The aim was to see if Lumen
could shed light on these metabolic variations using their
large user database. It was a retrospective cohort
(10:24):
study analysing data from almost4000 women.
Some with regular cycles, human oraic and menopausal women both,
those using hormone replacement therapy, HRT and those not.
Wow. Nearly 4000 users.
That's a lot of data, yeah. What do they find for women with
regular cycles? Were there clear patterns?
Yes, very clear cyclical patterns in CO2 emerged.
(10:46):
They found CO2 levels were generally higher during the
menstrual phase, the estrogenic phase leading up to ovulation
and ovulation itself. This suggests increased
carbohydrate burning during those times.
Then CO2 levels tended to decrease during the post
ovulation luteal phase and the premenstrual phase.
This aligns with an expected increase in fat burning, likely
(11:07):
linked to the rise in progesterone during the
second-half of the cycle. And did this pattern hold up
even if cycles weren't exactly 28 days?
Apparently so. The overall pattern seemed
consistent even across differentcycle lengths from 23 to 35
days. Interestingly, while BMI was
positively linked to CO2 levels,higher BMI generally meant
higher CO2 Things like age and the specific cycle length
(11:29):
weren't major predictors of the CO2 level itself within the
cycle pattern. It really points to the hormones
as the main drivers of those cyclical metabolic shifts.
Fascinating. OK, and what about menopause?
That's an even bigger hormonal shift.
Right. And the study looked at that
too. The findings there were also
significant. They found statistically
significant higher CO2 levels inmenopausal women who are not
using HRT compared to those who are using HRT.
(11:51):
The HRT group showed lower CO2 levels.
Suggesting maybe HRT helps maintain a metabolic state
closer to pre menopause, perhapsrelated to progesterone.
That's the implication, yes. It suggests an association with
the significant changes in progesterone during menopause
and how HRT might influence that, impacting fuel
utilisation. It really highlights how CO2
(12:13):
monitoring, like with lumen, could potentially be a tool for
women to track their cycle non invasively and gain insight into
the metabolic changes happening during menopause.
It sounds incredibly powerful for personalised understanding,
but you mentioned it was retrospective using self
reported data. What are the caveats there?
Good point. Yes, like any retrospective
study using self reported data, there are limitations.
(12:35):
You have potential inaccuracies in reported cycle dates or HRT
status. Also, they didn't directly
measure hormone levels, so the link between hormones and CO2 is
an association based on known Physiology, not a direct
measurement in this study. Another limitation they noted
was the exclusion of most women using hormonal birth control
HBC, as only a small percentage of their users identified as HPC
(12:58):
users, so insights for that group are limited from this
particular study. OK, important context, but still
pretty unique insights. Absolutely.
Despite the limitations, it offers a really novel
perspective using large scale real world data on how
metabolism shifts during these key life stages for women.
It underscores just how personalised metabolism is, and
(13:19):
how a tool like Lumen could helpindividuals track and adapt to
their body's own natural rhythmsand changes.
Really drives home that personalised aspect.
It makes you think, doesn't it? If we'd had tools like this
readily available years ago, howmight they have changed things
for women navigating these transitions?
It's a powerful thought. It's about providing unique,
actionable information about Physiology that impacts daily
(13:40):
life, allowing for more informedchoices about nutrition activity
tailored to those specific life stages.
OK, so let's wrap up this deep dive.
It's been fascinating. We've seen how Lumen aims to
provide these real time metabolic insights.
We looked at its validation against the gold standard
metabolic cart, showing it's effective for tracking
individual changes in fuel use. We saw its potential impact in
(14:03):
pre diabetes, with promising results on weight, body fat, and
that crucial HBA 1C marker. In the pilot study, we connected
it to BMI and weight management,moving beyond just calories to
what your body is actually burning.
And finally, those really intriguing insights into Women's
Health tracking metabolic shiftsacross the menstrual cycle and
through menopause. Yeah, I think the big takeaway
(14:24):
is really the potential power ofhaving accessible real time
metabolic information. It opens the door to truly
personalised health strategies. It's moving this kind of
understanding out of the lab andpotentially into everyday life
for anyone wanting to optimise their health.
So here's a final thought to leave you with.
Imagine a world where understanding your body's daily
fuel preference is as simple as taking a breath.
(14:46):
How might knowing your metabolicstate right now, in real time,
actually empower your daily decisions about what you eat,
how you move your overall well-being?
How could it help you truly optimise your unique health
journey? Thank you so much for joining us
on this deep dive into Lumen.
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