Apple is creating a blood glucose monitor for the Apple Watch. And, the best part: it doesn’t require pricking, a real win to those fearful of needles and its ilk.
According to Bloomberg, people who have used Apple’s blood glucose monitor have said that it is still at the concept stage, and Apple is working hard at making upgrades.
“What Apple wants to do is it wants to create a system using chips, sensors, and software algorithms built into the Apple Watch to get a read on how much glucose you have in your blood without needing a blood sample,” Mark Gurman told Bloomberg.
Bloomberg also reported that Apple is working on optical spectroscopy and silicon photonics technology for the monitor.
“This means that the technology will use a chip that can output lasers into your skin…and sensors that could read the concentration of light in your skin to know how much glucose is there in order to get that reading,” Gurman said.
Bloomberg also reported that this new technology will alert those who are pre-diabetic, which might prevent Type 2 diabetes.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, diabetes affects how the body breaks down food. When food breaks down, the body releases insulin. Insulin is what releases sugar into the bloodstream. With diabetes, the body does not make enough insulin.
CDC also reports that Black adults are 60 percent more likely than non-Hispanic white adults to develop diabetes.
In 2021, Patti LaBelle testified before Congress, urging it to better advocate for people with diabetes. LaBelle, who has diabetes, worked on behalf of the #SeeDiabetes campaign.
“Diabetes is often invisible to everyone except those living with it—so we need to make it visible and help people access the care and technology they deserve,” LaBelle said.