Measuring blood sugar without jabbing with Apple Watch: it’s coming

The Apple Watch Series 9 is still too early, but Apple’s smartwatch is getting a great health feature. People with diabetes will soon be able to measure the glucose in the blood with an Apple Watch, without having to prick. This is done using infrared light.

Apple Watch with glucose sensor

Apple has reportedly been working on a glucose sensor for the Apple Watch for twelve years, but due to technical challenges, it has not yet been released. That seems closer now, because after reaching “major milestones,” Apple believes it can finally bring the glucose sensor to market.

Well-informed Apple insider Mark Gurman reports this via Bloomberg. His sources state that measuring without needles is now in a proof-of-concept phase. The technology is good enough to hit the market, but the hardware still needs to be scaled down to fit the Apple Watch. Now it is the size of an iPhone.

The glucose sensor is a great solution for people with diabetes. According to the Diabetes Fund, about 1.2 million people in the Netherlands are affected by this. Normally, when measuring blood sugar, it is necessary to prick, which releases a drop of blood.

Measure blood sugar without testing with Apple Watch

With the glucose meter of the Apple Watch, the rises or falls in blood sugar can be observed via an app. To make this possible, Apple is developing a so-called silicon photonics chip and a measurement process called “optical absorption spectroscopy.” The system sends laser beams to a place under the skin where there is moisture that contains sugar. The light that is reflected indicates how much sugar is in the liquid. Based on this, an algorithm calculates the blood glucose value.

Apple’s system not only helps people with diabetes to measure blood sugar, but also warns of prediabetes. This allows users to change their lifestyle in time to prevent type 2 diabetes. It is estimated that there are more than 1.1 million Dutch people with prediabetes.

Release

Despite the breakthrough, an Apple Watch with a glucose sensor is still a long time coming. According to Gurman, there are still ‘years of work ahead’. Incidentally, the Apple Watch already has many other health functions. Among other things, the gadget can detect heart rhythm disturbances, warn of low oxygen levels in the blood and recognize ovulation cycles.

Are you curious about which features will come to the next Apple Watch? Check out the article with Apple Watch Series 9 rumors.