Apple continues to explore the broad health sector, and has recently been testing a new app focused on diabetes. According to Mark Gurman, a renowned Apple analyst, although the app is not yet ready for launch, it is a step forward towards the integration of tools. blood glucose control on Apple devices.
This application could revolutionize the digital health market and help prevent serious illnesses. We tell you everything we know to date about this new Health app.
Control glucose level from the iPhone
Apple’s app has been put into the hands of select employees with prediabetes, a condition that often progresses to type 2 diabetes if preventative measures are not taken. Participants confirmed their diagnosis through a blood test and then began monitoring their glucose levels after each meal, using continuous glucose monitoring devices. The app showed them how what they decided to eat could directly influence your sugar levels in blood, providing valuable insight into how to improve your eating and lifestyle habits.
For example, a significant increase in glucose was observed after consuming carbohydrate-rich meals. This gave participants the opportunity to opt for alternatives more balanced in nutrients, such as proteins, to avoid reaching those glucose peaks. Apple’s idea is to intervene in this early phase of the disease could avoid millions of people develop type 2 diabetes, a chronic condition with serious long-term complications.
The Apple Watch will also detect sugar spikes
The importance of this test lies in the potential it could have for health technology on Apple devices. For years, Apple has been working on a form of non-invasive glucose monitoring for the Apple Watch, which would use optical absorption spectroscopy and lasers to measure glucose levels in the body. without the need for a puncture on the skin, which would make it much more comfortable and accessible to millions of people around the world.
However, this technology is still in a testing phase. Although there is a working prototype, its size is currently much larger than necessary to be integrated into an Apple Watch, so it will likely be a few years before we see this feature on a commercial device. Meanwhile, Apple could launch advanced glucose tracking and food logging tools in its Health app, with deeper integration with third-party glucose monitors.
Diabetes affects millions of people and, for the most part, could be prevented with lifestyle changes. An app that shows how what we eat impacts health helps prevent its progression. Apple, by testing non-invasive monitoring technologies, seeks to position itself in the prevention of chronic diseases. Its app in development could democratize access to preventive health, allowing users to effectively manage their prediabetes and reduce the risk of it worsening in the future.
