Apple Watch Blood Glucose Team Gains New Lead

[Gudi]

that doesn't work the way you think it does... are you a medical doctor with a specialty in diabetes? if not, please refrain from giving medical advice, thanks

I’m something better than the average know-nothing doctor, I’m a patient who lost 20 kilograms this year after finally understanding how harmful carbohydrates really are and avoiding them like the plague. T2D is acquired by the diet we all eat with our normal processed supermarket foods. Mankind as a whole must go back to eating at the frequency and the kind of food that was available when our genetic code was developed two millennia ago. The last 200 years of modernity brought very unhealthy lifestyle changes. Eventually everybody needs to educate themselves how the body really works. We can’t expect our doctor to fix us with an injection of insulin or ozempic. Health doesn’t come in shots. Our ancestors didn’t survive by measuring blood sugar with their watches. At best monitoring can be an addition to a healthy lifestyle.

 

[kkee]

I bought my wife one years ago, she loved it. I never thought I'd find any use for it.

She bought me one that Christmas. I was neither over- or under-whelmed. Didn't think I'd use it and love it the way she did immediately.

The thing about the Apple Watch is that it's the sneakiest bit of tech. I use the thing ALL THE TIME. But not in ways that I can describe in a way that makes it seem important even to me! 🤣

If I forgot it at home (ha, fat chance!), I'd go back for it. And I'm well past the beginner phase where closing the rings and getting achievements occupies any of my headspace.

It's just so damn useful. From Siri, to timers, to glanceable leave-the-phone-in-the-pocket moments (the weather, texts, my calendars), to navigation on the wrist (with subtly different taps for left and right as you're nearing your turn), to workouts. Holy heck the fun with workouts... And paying! I haven't had to pull anything out of my pocket to pay in YEARS. Oh man if I thought on it for an hour, I'd keep finding more and more things.

Edit: Oh wait, I just remembered the number of times I've been busy/dirty/hands-full and have been able to reply to a text or answer a phone call (using my nose to tap!) without a free hand...These are things that sound crazy, but are actually crazy convenient!

Edit 2: Oh and how can I forget the sleep tracking!! That's a feature I look at almost every morning. Holy smokes was my idea of how much sleep I was getting off of what I was really getting. And having that knowledge and history of the last few days of sleep (often deprivation) has really helped me tune and adjust activity for the physical/muscle stressors and aches until I force myself to get to bed and get under early for a couple nights.

All these things I go to my watch for instead of my phone. I *could* use my phone (edit: not for all of them!), but I just don't. 🤷‍♂️ It just nails that extreme convenience, such that using the phone for SO MANY things is just not a question. It's that seamless blend on the continuum of attention + interruption with Apple Watch > iPhone > Mac.

And I've seen this repeated when I got one for my sister. Then again when she got one for her husband who didn't want one.

It's just one of those surprisingly ineffable, 'when you know, you know' sort of things. 🤷‍♂️

Apple Watch is slowly replacing the importance of iPhone to me. I will still upgrade my iPhone but with longer 'in between' period. However, Apple Watch is something I would love to upgrade more often. Not only for the fact that I can use it to pay everything, and even without authentication for public transport, but it is also pack of convenience functions that really improve the quality of life. It is actually looking pretty fashionable these days to wear Apple Watch with casual/sporty look, and the fact that all the bands are interchangeable.

 

[svish]

The feature will still take some time for it to be available. But good to hear that Apple is committed to it

 

[apocalyarts]

If they get this to work they will sell these watches like they sell AirPods.

 

[Reason077]

Is accurate, non-invasive blood glucose monitoring even possible? These guys sound a bit like the Theranos of Apple Watch hardware teams...

 

[2Stepfan]

I suspect Apple is aiming to compete with less precise monitoring products such as the FreeStyle Libre, as mentioned in the thread, for health conscious non diabetics and pre diabetics. This could conceivably be released within a couple of years.

Full, precise monitoring at the level diabetics need is a significantly harder challenge, and a lot further away. Non invasive glucose monitoring is still one of the biggest unsolved problems in health technology.

 

[ThomasJL]

Out of the numerous products Apple has created since its founding in 1976, accurate non-invasive blood glucose monitoring would be one of their three most important for mankind (the other two being the Apple I in 1976, which was the single-handed invention of the personal computer by Steve Wozniak; and the Apple Lisa in 1983, which introduced the world to the Xerox PARC-developed mouse-driven GUI).

Tim Cook, being the profits-above-all-else mediocre MBA suit that he is, makes Apple hoard cash. Much more of that cash should be thrown at the Blood Glucose Team so they can develop their technologies faster and better.

 

[bernoulli]

If they pull this off, 99% of people do not understand what a game changer this is going to be and is prob. why Tim insists apple will be known as a health company by the end of his tenure.

While I agree that non-invasive blood glucose monitoring will be a huge technological step forward, it will not be relevant clinically for decades as even the minimally invasive continuous monitors we have now are not accurate enough.

I regularly treat patients with DKA or HHS in critical care who have continuous insulin monitoring and while they can be useful, often the readings are wildly inaccurate for the difference to be clinically significant.

Not an endocrinologist so it’s my opinion coming as a generalist but would predict that it would not be years but decades away from non-invasive glucose monitoring being approved as medical device for use.

 

[rippley5150]

As a type 1 diabetic this would be really cool, one less thing to poke myself with. I use the receiver with my Dexom G7 and have to charge that every 3 or 4 days. Any thoughts on the battery life of an AW with CGM built in? If it's constantly reading your glucose level and doing all the other things an AW can do I wonder how long it would last? It would be cool if they could get your glucose to power the watch lol I don't own an Aw but would pick up one of these in an instant.

 

[Reason077]

Out of the numerous products Apple has created since its founding in 1976, accurate non-invasive blood glucose monitoring would be one of their three most important for mankind (the other two being the Apple I in 1976, which was the single-handed invention of the personal computer by Steve Wozniak

The Apple I was innovative, and impressive, but it was hardly the first microprocessor-based personal computer. It was predated by several years by the Altair 8800, for example.

I'd argue the Apple II (1977) was really much more important - especially considering that unlike the Apple I, it was mass produced and sold in vastly greater numbers.

 

[Reason077]

Tim Cook, being the profits-above-all-else mediocre MBA suit that he is, makes Apple hoard cash. Much more of that cash should be thrown at the Blood Glucose Team so they can develop their technologies faster and better.

Well, "mythical man month" applies. Throwing more money at something does not necessarily make innovation happen any faster. Of course, if there's a startup out there that's already cracked it, then throwing some money at an acquisition could speed things along.

 

[guzhogi]

If/when this comes out, I think I'll get it. I got diagnosed with diabetes back in January, so very helpful.

 

[msackey]

I'll have to more carefully think through FDA device regulations ...

I started re-reading the general wellness product guidance from the FDA (and I've ready it many times but with a different issue and intent from what I'm reading it for now) and it's interesting to note that its definition of invasive for that guidance immediately puts a glucose monitoring device out of the realm of general wellness product if that device "penetrates or pierces the skin or mucous membranes of the body." This is good to be reminded as the definition of invasive for an investigational device is just a little different. https://www.fda.gov/media/90652/download .

All current CGM pierces the skin as far as I know. It would be interesting to see what technology Apple is aiming to develop/test. I think I've heard of using light refraction (similar to how optical heart rate monitors and pulse oximeters work) but that sounds rather difficult.

 

[fbr$]

An Apple Watch with blood glucose sensor would be an instant buy for me.

Sorry for going a little off-topic here, but this is really important. Changing the food you eat is the number one thing you need to do (please watch the "Glutenfree foods" chapter at 23min:51s, and see what corn/tapioca starch, rice/potato flour, do to your blood sugar):

 

[ThomasJL]

The Apple I was innovative, and impressive, but it was hardly the first microprocessor-based personal computer. It was predated by several years by the Altair 8800, for example.

I'd argue the Apple II (1977) was really much more important - especially considering that unlike the Apple I, it was mass produced and sold in vastly greater numbers.

The Apple I was the first personal computer as we know it.

 

[LlamaLarry]

Will definitely be pretty interesting

I use the receiver with my Dexom G7 and have to charge that every 3 or 4 days.

Do you work in a job where you can't carry your phone, but can carry your receiver? I hate the G6 receiver and put it right back in the box.

I'll instabuy my first AW the second it can access my G6 directly, even without waiting for direct glucose readings on the AW.

 

[wigby]

Sorry, Theranos was a scam from the start.

Sure but what about Walmart, Walgreens, CVS and Safeway? If Apple gets the OK from regulators rushing it through, they won't slow down the process.

 

[hurley999jb]

If they pull this off, 99% of people do not understand what a game changer this is going to be and is prob. why Tim insists apple will be known as a health company by the end of his tenure.

Completely agree. Potentially eliminating lancets and invasive ways of measuring glucose levels would be so impactful for so many.

 

[Mr. Jaybear]

It's not just diabetes. Continuous blood glucose monitoring is way better than heart rate monitoring for physical training.

And, you shouldn't need FDA clearance for that, but I understand that allowing it might well tempt diabetics into using it when they shouldn't rely on it.

It will require FDA clearance or approval.

 

[Reason077]

The Apple I was the first personal computer as we know it.

What made it fundamentally different to other kit computers that were available at the time? The Apple I's innovation was integrating composite video output and a keyboard interface into the base package, which were add-ons at the time in other models.

But it was still a fairly bare-bones kit computer. I'd argue the Apple I was not a complete personal computer like we know it today, but the Apple II - which added a case, integrated keyboard, power supply, etc, and an operating system and BASIC in ROM - was.

 

[JustAnExpat]

while the technology will become available in the next 4 or os years, I highly doubt Apple will make it available in the standard watch. it ill require full FDA approval as diabetics type 1 depend on correct data for insulin intake.
There is a market for CGM today, intrusive though with eg the Dexcom that in by itself is a billion dollar business. Apple will likely be offering a "special edition" at significantly higher cost.

I think if it happens it'll be "passive", like with temperature monitoring. You won't be able to bring up a precise blood sugar level, like you can with a test strip.

 

[JustAnExpat]

Tim Cook, being the profits-above-all-else mediocre MBA suit that he is, makes Apple hoard cash. Much more of that cash should be thrown at the Blood Glucose Team so they can develop their technologies faster and better.

Anyone who works in any type of technology project management knows that throwing more people at a project will make the project later. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mythical_Man-Month

 

[ThomasJL]

Anyone who works in any type of technology project management knows that throwing more people at a project will make the project later. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mythical_Man-Month

Throwing more cash at a project doesn't necessarily mean throwing more people at a project. It means allowing a project to have more resources. Resources can be things like technological resources, infrastructural resources, etc. Resource are not always human resources.

 

[jz0309]

I think if it happens it'll be "passive", like with temperature monitoring. You won't be able to bring up a precise blood sugar level, like you can with a test strip.

very well possible, just not going to be useful for those who already have Type 1/2 diabetes. And a deviation of what is commonly referred to as CGM today

 

[_Spinn_]

This would be an absolute game changer if they can pull this off. Blood pressure would be another great sensor to have.

With the new time in Daylight feature I could see Apple eventually introducing a UV sensor too - especially since the Health app already has a place to log the UV index.