DA Gadgets 
Apple
Inc.,
seeking
to
make
further
inroads
in
health
care,
tested
an
app
this
year
to
help
people
with
prediabetes
manage
their
food
intake
and
make
lifestyle
changes,
according
to
people
with
knowledge
of
the
matter.
The
company
tested
the
service
on
select
employees
earlier
this
year,
part
of
its
broader
push
into
blood-sugar
features,
according
to
the
people,
who
asked
not
to
be
identified
because
the
work
is
secret.
Though
Apple
doesn’t
have
plans
to
release
the
app,
the
company
may
eventually
integrate
the
technology
into
future
health
products,
including
a
noninvasive
glucose
tracker
that
it’s
been
developing
for
more
than
a
decade.
The
employees
involved
in
the
test
needed
to
validate
that
they
were
prediabetic
with
a
blood
test.
That
means
they
don’t
currently
have
diabetes
but
may
be
at
risk
of
developing
the
Type
2
version
of
the
disease.
As
part
of
the
test,
they
actively
monitored
their
blood
sugar
via
various
devices
available
on
the
market
and
then
logged
glucose-level
changes
in
response
to
food
intake.
The
idea
behind
the
system
is
to
show
consumers
how
certain
foods
can
affect
blood
sugar
—
with
the
hope
of
inspiring
changes
that
could
ward
off
diabetes.
For
instance,
if
users
logged
that
they
ate
pasta
for
lunch
and
that
their
blood
sugar
spiked,
they
could
be
told
to
stop
eating
the
pasta
or
switch
to
protein.
The
study
was
intended
to
explore
the
possible
uses
for
blood-sugar
data
and
what
tools
the
company
could
potentially
create
for
consumers.
For
now,
though,
the
app
test
has
been
paused
to
let
Apple
focus
on
other
health
features.
A
company
spokesperson
declined
to
comment.
Makers
of
devices
that
treat
conditions
associated
with
diabetes
slid
after
the
report
was
published
Friday,
though
they
soon
rebounded.
Insulet
Corp.,
which
makes
insulin
pumps,
fell
as
much
as
4.7%.
Glucose
monitor
maker
Dexcom
Inc.
dropped
as
much
as
5.3%
before
bouncing
back,
and
Tandem
Diabetes
Care
Inc.
slid
as
much
as
3.4%.
Apple,
meanwhile,
rose
about
1%
to
$232.45.
The
work
indicates
that
glucose
tracking
and
food
logging
could
be
two
important
areas
of
expansion
for
Apple
in
the
future.
The
company’s
current
health
app
lacks
features
for
logging
meals,
a
contrast
with
rival
services.
The
research
could
also
lead
to
Apple
integrating
third-party
glucose
tracking
more
deeply
into
its
offerings.
The
research
wasn’t
directly
tied
to
Apple’s
longstanding
effort
to
build
a
no-prick
glucose
monitor,
but
it
could
ultimately
help
inform
how
the
company
handles
that
project.
The
noninvasive
checker
is
one
of
Apple’s
most
ambitious
health
initiatives.
The
idea
is
to
analyze
a
person’s
blood
without
pricking
the
skin
—
a
potentially
groundbreaking
advance
in
the
fight
against
diabetes.
Apple
often
uses
employee
studies
to
get
health
features
ready
for
public
launches.
It
took
a
similar
tack
with
its
hearing
aid
and
sleep
apnea
detection
features
for
AirPods
and
the
Apple
Watch.
The
Cupertino,
California-based
company
has
multiple
labs
on
its
campus
for
testing
health
features.
The
glucose
studies
were
highly
secretive
—
even
compared
with
Apple’s
previous
projects
—
and
employees
required
specific
vetting
from
managers
before
they
could
partake
in
the
program.
Several
medical
and
nondisclosure
agreements
were
also
required
to
participate.
Today,
glucose-testing
systems
typically
require
a
blood
sample,
often
through
a
finger
prick.
There
also
are
small
shoulder-worn
patches
from
Abbott
Laboratories
and
Dexcom
that
are
less
cumbersome
—
though
they
still
require
insertion
into
the
skin.
About
15
years
ago,
Apple
set
out
to
create
something
less
invasive.
The
project
—
dubbed
E5
—
was
so
under-the-radar
at
the
start
that
Apple
created
a
subsidiary
dubbed
Avolonte
Health
LLC
to
operate
it.
That
unit
was
eventually
moved
to
Apple’s
hardware
technologies
group
and
is
now
run
by
a
deputy
to
the
company’s
head
of
silicon
chips.
Last
year,
Bloomberg
News
reported
that
Apple
had
made
headway
on
the
project
and
believed
it
was
finally
on
track
to
eventually
commercialize
the
technology.
But
an
actual
product
is
still
years
away.
Before
the
company
can
shrink
down
the
sensor
enough
to
fit
in
a
smartwatch,
it
is
working
on
an
iPhone-sized
prototype.
And
even
with
that
format,
Apple
has
run
into
challenges
with
miniaturization
and
overheating.
The
system
uses
lasers
to
shoot
light
into
the
skin
and
determine
how
much
glucose
is
in
the
blood.
Though
Apple
hopes
to
eventually
provide
specific
blood-sugar
readings,
the
initial
version
will
likely
be
designed
to
just
notify
users
if
they
may
be
prediabetic.
Apple
is
taking
a
similar
strategy
with
new
sleep
apnea
notifications,
which
can
tell
smartwatch
wearers
if
they
may
have
the
condition.
An
upcoming
hypertension
detection
feature
will
work
in
much
the
same
way.
©
2024
Bloomberg
LP
(This
story
has
not
been
edited
by
NDTV
staff
and
is
auto-generated
from
a
syndicated
feed.)
