Apple has taken another step towards its flagship healthcare project: a blood glucose monitoring app. A project that could change the lives of millions of people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes. A project that, according to Bloomberg, has led the company to test this year an application designed to help people with prediabetes manage their diet and make lifestyle changes. Although the project has been kept under a veil of great secrecy, it is expected that someday this technology will be integrated into Apple products.
An app to prevent diabetes in time
Apple’s test app aims to better understand the impact of diet on the blood sugar levels of its users. The application would allow, for example, users to record their glucose levels after eating certain foods and, from there, recommend specific dietary changes to avoid sugar spikes that could be delicate. This is especially relevant for people with prediabetes, who do not yet have type 2 diabetes but are at risk of developing it if they do not manage to make changes in their habits.
One of the examples given in the Bloomberg report illustrates well how the app could work. If a person consumed pasta for lunch and, after logging it, the application detected a significant increase in glucose levels, the system could suggest reducing carbohydrate intake or even replacing them with proteins to avoid those spikes. In practice, the app would help users visualize how different types of foods affect their sugar levels, proposing informed changes in their diet and, therefore, reducing the risk of developing diabetes.
A project shrouded in secrecy, but a known objective
Unlike other Apple health projects, such as sleep tracking or hearing health, the testing of this app was especially confidential. Participation in the project required employees to demonstrate their prediabetic status through blood tests. Those selected kept a detailed record of their glucose using various devices on the market, which still require a finger prick or insertion sensors.
According to Bloomberg, the company has paused the app itself for the moment, but Gurman’s sources claim that Apple is still working on the development of non-invasive monitoring technologies that could integrate the app’s design as part of its functions.
The Cupertino company has been researching non-invasive technologies to measure glucose levels for more than a decade, an effort that dates back to Steve Jobs himself. Although initially it seemed like an overly ambitious project, Apple has been making progress in its development and achieving significant milestones in recent years. As far as we know, this project is under the supervision of Apple’s hardware technologies team and has an investment of hundreds of millions of dollars.
The development of this technology has the potential to change the lives of people who suffer from diabetes or are at risk of developing it. A non-invasive sensor would allow users to measure their glucose continuously without the need for needles, something key for both comfort and long-term monitoring.
Although there are still no plans to launch the app on the market, the Apple Watch has already proven to be extremely accurate for heart rate tracking, fall detection, and more recently, blood oxygen analysis. The integration of non-invasive glucose monitoring technology will be, when it can happen, a decisive step in taking even better care of our health.
