Google’s Wearables Will Track Insulin Resistance in Category First

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(Bloomberg) — Alphabet Inc.’s Google is bringing a new set of health features to its wearables, including one that tracks insulin resistance over time, marking a first for consumer tech companies that are working to eventually crack comprehensive blood-sugar monitoring.

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The new tool, announced Wednesday, does not continuously monitor or show glucose levels, which would mark a major breakthrough. Instead, Google is tracking physiological factors that it considers indicators of how hard the human body is working to produce energy from food. To gauge the level of effort, Google combines artificial intelligence with other sensors, including an accelerometer, barometer, and ones for heart rate and skin temperature.

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The Google Health app will notify users if there are signs their insulin resistance has shifted, at which point they may consider lifestyle changes or consult a physician. Untreated, high insulin resistance can lead to conditions such as prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes. 

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The company’s other new health features track shifts in blood pressure trends and nighttime breathing patterns. Google is combining the new tools and older ones into a set of tools called Health Guardian, which is designed to help users understand subtle physiological trends and take proactive lifestyle steps. The features, which will launch at a later date, were announced alongside Google’s new Pixel smartphones at an event in New York. The company said they will initially debut on the Pixel Watch 5 and Fitbit Air before coming to other devices.

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Many tech companies are considering ways to add blood-sugar tracking to their consumer wearables and fitness apps. Whoop Inc. is exploring adding data from blood sugar monitors. Smart ring pioneer Oura Health Oy received a $75 million investment from medical device firm Dexcom Inc. in 2024 to facilitate data sharing and cross-selling between the two brands. And Apple Inc. has tested a blood-sugar app for people with prediabetes. More broadly, the industry has been shifting toward wearables that use continuous data tracking to identify possible health trends, reducing the need for users to manually enter information.

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Google’s goal is to highlight the invisible stress the body is experiencing, not to diagnose, treat or directly measure glucose, according to Francis Ho, Google’s lead Pixel Watch product manager. Users can also connect their continuous glucose monitor through the Health Connect app. “Generally, these shifts in your insulin resistance levels are very subtle,” Ho said in an interview. “Most adults don’t really think to monitor this but if left untreated, it can evolve into these more serious conditions,” he said, adding that lifestyle changes can have positive impacts on one’s overall health and insulin resistance.The insulin feature was developed with training data from more than 100,000 individuals to correlate subtle physiological shifts.  Users can use the AI coach, which is included in the paid version of the Google Health app, to ask more in-depth questions about the results.

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The features will be available on the new Pixel Watch 5, which was also unveiled at the Wednesday event. It’s available in two sizes: a 41-millimeter Wi-Fi version starting at $399 and an equivalent 45-millimeter model for $429. It also includes improved GPS, faster speeds, more processing power and 50% more memory, according to Google. A fitness feature offering step-by-step strength-training guidance will be added after the initial launch. The watch is being offered in several colors, including “canyon,” “fog” and “olive.” A Stephen Curry edition will be available for $579 on Sept. 3.