So far, the Apple Watch is not able to determine the wearer’s blood sugar – even though Apple has been working on this feature internally for years. Now the company is said to have at least internally tested an app that, even without such a sensor, can help people prevent a prediabetes condition from turning into real type 2 diabetes. However, it remains unclear whether it will ever be made public.
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Storing food, understanding connections
The test is said to have run until this year and included selected people who had already been diagnosed with prediabetes through a blood test. In addition to the app, they also used regular blood glucose meters available on the market in order to then log the values - together with the food consumed – in the app. The background idea was to show people how certain foods affect blood sugar the financial news agency Bloombergwho spoke to sources at Apple.
For example, if a user ate pasta and then noticed an increase in blood sugar, they could be informed that it would be better to switch to a high-protein diet. The experiments were intended, among other things, to help explore ways in which blood glucose data could be incorporated into a future Apple Health product. At the moment, the central health application does not have any “food logging” option – in contrast to competing products.
A long-term project
Even if Apple doesn’t manage to give the Apple Watch an accurate sensor, the company could at least integrate third-party offerings – there have long been sensors that can be permanently attached to the body.
However, the company is said to have now made progress with its attempts to implement non-invasive glucose monitoring. Apple had its first projects here 15 years ago. However, it could still take years before commercialization. The current app project was only indirectly connected to the blood sugar monitoring project, according to Bloomberg. It is conceivable that Apple initially only displays glucose deviations and warns of prediabetes status, but does not pass on exact measurement values.
(bsc)
