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Dexcom Stelo

9.2
Score / 10
Dexcom · Continuous Glucose Monitor

The first over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor in the US. A 15-day skin-worn sensor that turns a black-box variable — your glucose response to food, stress and sleep — into a graph you can act on.

Dexcom Stelo product photograph
Verdict

The lowest-friction way to turn glucose into an actionable metric. Non-diabetics should treat it as a 15–30 day learning tool, not a permanent wear.

  • Stelo is not sold in the UK. Lingo is the equivalent over-the-counter CGM here.
Price
Not sold in the UK — Abbott Lingo is the equivalent here, around £120/month
Subscription
None (device is single-use)
Battery
Sensor lifespan 15 days
Waterproof
Yes (shower/swim)

How it works

A small enzymatic electrode in interstitial fluid oxidises glucose to produce a current proportional to concentration. The transmitter streams readings to your phone via BLE every 15 minutes.

Sensors

  • Interstitial fluid glucose electrode (enzymatic)
  • Bluetooth Low Energy transmitter

Metrics tracked

  • Continuous glucose every 15 minutes
  • Time-in-range 70–140 mg/dL
  • Glucose spike & AUC per meal
  • Overnight glucose stability
  • Glycaemic variability (CV%)

Strengths & weaknesses

Strengths
  • Otc — no prescription needed for non-diabetics in the US
  • 15-day wear, waterproof, minimally invasive
  • Turns diet and exercise into an immediate feedback loop
  • Best-in-class sensor accuracy in the CGM space
Weaknesses
  • Not intended for insulin-dependent diabetics (see G7 for that)
  • 15-minute readings vs 1-minute on G7 — smoother, less real-time
  • Interstitial fluid lags blood glucose by 5–10 minutes

Who it's for

Best for
  • Metabolic-optimisation users identifying personal glycaemic responses
  • Anyone with pre-diabetes or a family history of type 2 diabetes
  • People chasing zone-2 fitness or GLP-1 protocol optimisation
Skip if
  • Type 1 diabetics needing dosing decisions from the device
  • Users unwilling to wear a visible sensor on the arm

Data quality

MARD (mean absolute relative difference) in the ~10% range vs venous blood glucose — best-in-class for consumer CGM. Interstitial lag makes rapid spikes appear ~5 minutes late.

Ecosystem & privacy

Native Stelo app; data export to Apple Health and Google Health Connect. Third-party integrations via Dexcom API and platforms like Levels, Nutrisense and Signos.

Glucose data stored in Dexcom cloud; can be exported as CSV. HIPAA-aligned handling.

References