FDA Warns Consumers Not to Use Smart Watches or Rings That Claim to Measure Blood Glucose Levels (2024)

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FDA Warns Consumers Not to Use Smart Watches or Rings That Claim to Measure Blood Glucose Levels? ›

FDA Warns Against Using Smartwatches or Smart Rings to Measure Blood Glucose Levels. The agency issued a statement reminding the public that it has not approved any such devices for this use. Your watch might be smart, but it's not smart enough to measure your blood glucose levels.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning late this week to advise consumers, caregivers, and health professionals about the risks of using smartwatches and smart rings to monitor glucose levels. Accurate glucose monitoring is essential for people living with diabetes.

Date Issued: February 21, 2024

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers, patients, caregivers, and health care providers of risks related to using smartwatches or smart rings that claim to measure blood glucose levels (blood sugar) without piercing the skin.

Watches or rings that claim to directly measure blood glucose levels via non-invasive tech are illegally marketed. Image credit: Shutterstock/Eviart. No, smartwatches cannot directly measure glucose levels.

Excessive use of smartwatches can have some side effects. Some of the most commonly known concerns include radiation, eye strain, and distraction. The Bluetooth and Wi-Fi signals emitted by smartwatches could be harmful to health, but there is currently no scientific evidence to support this claim.

US drug agency has an 'important' warning for smartwatch and smart ring users. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a strong warning recently advising consumers not to use smartwatches or wearable devices that claim to measure blood glucose levels without piercing the skin.

Can you use a smartwatch as a medical alert device? Yes, medical alert smartwatches connect to a 24/7 monitoring center during an emergency. Many medical alert watches have fall detection, GPS location tracking, step tracking, and even a weather app.

While the Apple Watch itself doesn't directly measure blood glucose levels, it can integrate with third-party continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices. This allows users to receive real-time blood glucose readings directly on their watch face, eliminating the need for constant finger pricks.

You Can Measure Blood Oxygen Saturation with a Smartwatch

Since these watches don't use medical-grade sensors, you still need to measure blood oxygen saturation information using a pulse oximeter.

I am free from the limiting belief that my smart watch knows better than my body's own intuition. I don't need it to tell me when to get up. My body lets me know when I have been sitting down for too long. I am free from the limiting beliefs that if those circles don't close, I didn't 'do well' today.

Why I stopped wearing Apple Watch? ›

I'm happier and healthier without it. I originally purchased a smartwatch to increase my step count and track my workouts. As it began to track more data, I spiraled into a world of obsessive checking and health anxiety. Since giving up my smartwatch, I've dramatically improved my physical and mental health.

According to research, the average EMF output of a smartwatch is approximately 0.01 to 0.1 watts per kilogram (W/kg) of body tissue, while the average EMF output of a smartphone is approximately 0.5 to 1.6 W/kg.

Samsung Galaxy Watch gets first-ever FDA clearance for sleep apnea detection. Later this year, your Galaxy Watch will be able to detect early symptoms of a dangerous condition.

The Galaxy Watch's sleep apnea feature has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration, the tech giant announced on Friday, in the latest sign that sleep is a big part of Samsung's health-tracking ambitions.

The irregular rhythm notification feature received 510(k) clearance from the FDA for users 22 years and older with no prior history of AFib.

FDA warns against smartwatches, rings that claim to measure blood sugar without needles. Smartwatches and rings that claim to measure blood sugar levels for medical purposes without piercing the skin could be dangerous and should be avoided, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned Wednesday.