New CONNECT trial data presented at the American Diabetes Association’s 2026 Scientific Sessions adds weight to the case for continuous glucose monitoring in adults with type 2 diabetes who are not using insulin.

In the randomized trial, adults using Dexcom G7 saw a greater A1C reduction than those receiving routine care with blood glucose meter testing. Dexcom reported an average 1.6% A1C reduction from a baseline mean of 8.8%, representing a 0.9 percentage point greater reduction than the control group. Participants using Dexcom G7 also spent about five additional hours per day in the target glucose range of 70 to 180 mg/dL.

That matters because fingerstick readings provide isolated snapshots. They can show an average, but they don’t show the shape of the day. A CGM shows what happens between readings, including overnight patterns, post-meal rises, exercise-related drops, and periods of sustained hyperglycemia that a morning and evening fingerstick can easily miss.

From my own experience using the Dexcom Stelo OTC CGM, that continuous view has been extremely useful. Two fingerstick readings per day gave me data points and an average, but the CGM showed the actual pattern. It helped turn glucose data from a number into context. Context is actionable. An average is not.

For people with type 2 diabetes who are active, or who are trying to understand how food, exercise, medication, sleep, and timing affect glucose, that context can matter. A full-feature CGM such as Dexcom G7 would add another layer of usefulness by providing alerts when glucose is trending out of range, especially during more active periods when lows or rapid changes may happen more often.

The CONNECT findings also point to a broader clinical question: whether CGMs should become more widely used in non-insulin-treated type 2 diabetes. Robert Gabbay, MD, PhD, noted that the trial helps bridge a clinical evidence gap for this population and reinforces the role of CGM in primary care settings.

Sources

Dexcom Press Release: Dexcom CONNECT Study: The Most Significant Clinical Study Demonstrating CGM Benefits for People with Type 2 Diabetes Not Using Insulin
LinkedIn Post: Robert Gabbay, MD, PhD
Fierce Biotech: ADA: Dexcom CGM shows benefit in non-insulin diabetes patients