The Weirdest, Most Shocking Things You Can Learn About Your Body From A Blood Glucose Monitor with Josh Clemente
Ben Greenfield
Jan 10, 2026
Episode description
Full Show Notes: https://bengreenfieldlife.com/glucosesurprises
Josh Clemente, Founder and CEO of Levels, is a systems engineer and metabolic health enthusiast. At SpaceX, he led a team to develop life support systems that in May of 2020 began sustaining astronauts on trips to and from the International Space Station aboard Crew Dragon: the first privately developed human-rated orbital spacecraft in history. Josh has spent the past decade obsessed with extending the lives of those he loves by breaking down barriers to better, more accurate, and more frequent measurement of human health. He enjoys the outdoors, functional fitness training, technology, coffee, and restoring motorcycles.
Fun fact: Josh was homeschooled K–12 along with his 8 siblings by his legendary Mom.
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Mindsip insights from this episode:
Monitor HSCRP levels to manage blood sugar spikes
An inflammation marker (HSCRP) level above 3 mg/dL is strongly correlated with higher fasting insulin and longer-lasting blood sugar spikes after meals.
Understand low-carb diet's impact on blood glucose levels
Eating a very low-carb diet can paradoxically lead to a slightly higher average blood glucose because the body increases its own internal glucose production.
Leverage monitoring to enhance weight loss through the observer effect
Simply using a CGM and logging food is correlated with continuous weight loss, likely due to the Hawthorne effect, where behavior changes just from the act of being monitored.
Prioritize quality sleep to lower glucose levels
According to Levels' data, each additional hour of quality sleep can reduce your average glucose level by approximately 9 mg/dL the following day.
Understand hormonal influence on carb tolerance throughout menstrual cycle
Women are typically more insulin-sensitive and tolerate carbs better during the first half of their menstrual cycle (follicular phase) but become more insulin-resistant in the second half (luteal phase).
Manage caffeine intake to avoid insulin spikes
Caffeine not only raises blood sugar but can also cause a 60% higher insulin response to clear glucose, indicating it induces a temporary state of insulin resistance.
Utilize red light exposure to lower blood sugar levels
Exposing your body to specific red light wavelengths for 15-30 minutes has been shown to cause a significant drop in circulating blood sugar by up to 30%.
Adopt abundance mindset for personal health data management
We should treat personal health data with an 'abundance mindset', where continuous monitoring provides context and peace of mind, much like the thousands of sensors on a modern car or airplane.
Uncover alcohol's impact on blood sugar response
Alcohol can act as an 'invisibility cloak' for carbs, drastically lowering or even eliminating the blood sugar response to a meal, likely by forcing the liver to convert both into fat.
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