According to Bloomberg, Apple previously worked on developing an app to help people monitor blood sugar levels and manage their health better.
The app targeted individuals in the pre-diabetes stage, requiring Apple employees to prove their pre-diabetes status by entering blood test results, monitoring sugar levels using “various devices available in the market,” and tracking changes related to food quality through the app.
The pre-diabetes stage is when blood sugar levels exceed the normal range, increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes. Currently, there is no definitive cure for this disease, but pre-diabetes can be reversed and normal blood sugar levels restored by following a healthy diet, exercising, and losing excess weight.
The app aimed to show the impact of food choices, such as the effect of carbohydrate-rich meals, on sugar levels, as well as exploring how adding proteins to food can help lower elevated sugar levels.
The report indicated that the app was part of an exploratory study to identify tools that Apple could develop based on blood sugar data. However, it appears that Apple temporarily halted work on this project to focus on other health benefits, with the potential to utilize the research findings in future products.
Amid this direction, Apple is exploring this field, having invested in developing technology for measuring sugar without puncturing the skin for about 15 years. Its ambitious plans may take years for that technology to become commercially viable in its smartwatch.
This development comes at a time when the popularity of sugar monitoring devices is increasing, with companies like Dexcom and Abbott launching Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) devices targeting type 2 diabetes patients and non-diabetic individuals, in addition to the widespread use of traditional blood sugar monitoring devices with the conventional prick mechanism.
