Smartwatch and ring that claim to measure blood sugar levels for medical purposes without penetrating the skin, may be dangerous and should be avoided, the US food and drug administration warned on Wednesday.
The agency stated that caution on any clock or ring regardless of the brand, which claims to measure blood sugar levels in a non -global way. The FDA said that it has not authorized any such equipment.
The agency’s notice does not apply to the smartwatch apps attached to the sensor, such as constant glucose monitoring systems that measure blood sugar directly.
Broadly 37 million Americans have diabetes. People with the disease are not able to effectively regulate their blood sugar as their bodies either do not make hormone enough for insulin or they have become resistant to insulin.
To manage the condition, they should regularly examine their blood sugar levels with a finger prick blood test or with a sensor that keeps needles under the skin for frequent monitoring of glucose levels.
Dr. of the American Diabetes Association. Robert Gabbe said that using unpublished smartwatch and smart ring devices can lead to wrong blood sugar measurement, with “potential disastrous” results, with “potential disastrous” results. This can cause patients to take the wrong dose of the drug, causing dangerous levels of blood sugar and possibly mental confusion, coma or even death.
Many companies are working on non -veg device to measure blood sugar, but no one has created an accurate and safe product to get FDA approval, Dr. David Clonoff said, who has done research on diabetes technology for 25 years.
The technique that allows smartwatch and ring to measure matrix such as heart rate and blood oxygen is not sufficient to measure blood sugar, Clonoff said, said Clonoff at San Mato, Sar Mato, California’s Cutter Health Mills-Peninsula Medical Center. Attempts to measure blood sugar in body fluids such as tears, sweat and saliva are not ready for prime time.
“It’s challenging, and I am confident that at some point will be at least one scientist or engineer to solve it,” Clonoff said.
Meanwhile, consumers who want to accurately measure their blood sugar can purchase FDA-Clear Blood Glucose Monitor at any pharmacy.
“It comes down to risk. If the FDA approves it, the risk is very small, ”he said. “If you use a product that is not cleaned by the FDA, the risk is very large much big.”