Abbott’s blood sugar sensor for people without diabetes is now on sale

Blood sugar tracking is officially a mainstream wellness topic. Abbott announced Thursday that its over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor, Lingo, is now available for sale in the U.S. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared it for adults who don’t use insulin and want information about how their diet and daily life affect their blood sugar.

Lingo’s price starts at $49 for a two-week sensor and increases based on the length of the plan. You can use your FSA or HSA dollars to purchase it. Lingo is now available in the UK.

Last month, Dexcom, another diabetes technology company, announced that its over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor called Stelo is now available for purchase. Stelo was approved by the FDA for people with diabetes who don’t need insulin and any other adults who want more information about how the foods they eat affect their glucose levels. It costs $99 for a pack of two sensors, which is a one-month supply. As with Lingo, you can use your FSA and HSA money to buy it.

While people with diabetes need to monitor blood sugar levels to ensure their body has the right amount to stay safe, blood sugar is everyone’s main form of energy. How the body uses blood sugar is also a measure of metabolic health, a term still being defined by the medical community that describes how the body uses energy and a person’s risk for health problems like heart disease.

However, accurately monitoring blood sugar — or even pinpointing what it means to be “metabolically healthy” — is tricky. What we eat, the type of exercise we’ve done recently, and even the stress we’re under can all affect glucose levels. And consumer wearables like smartwatches and smart rings can’t measure blood glucose, although there are some counterfeit devices on the market that haven’t been approved by the FDA.

This means the world of blood sugar has been the domain of diabetes tech companies like Dexcom and Abbott, which already have sensors and technology (continuous glucose monitors) that many people with diabetes use every day. And leading diabetes tech companies have also been laying the groundwork for making metabolic health more mainstream. Abbott’s two over-the-counter CGMS are based on its popular FreeStyle Libre sensor technology, while Dexcom’s over-the-counter Stelo follows the popular G6 and G7 CGM technology for people who use insulin.

Here’s what we know about the new over-the-counter CGMs, plus insights from a company working on a new, noninvasive way to measure blood sugar.

Read more: The FDA wants to remind you that your smartwatch can’t measure blood sugar yet

Over-the-counter CGMs are now officially available. Who needs one?

Dexcom’s Stelo is now available. It was designed for people with type 2 diabetes and prediabetes, so they can see how different foods, sleep habits, stressful events, and other factors affect glucose levels. It’s also been approved by the FDA for any adult who wants to “better understand how diet and exercise can affect blood sugar levels.”

Abbott’s Lingo, which was first announced at CES 2022 alongside plans for a full line of biosensors that track more than just glucose, is also available for purchase. The FDA cleared another Abbott glucose monitor made specifically for people with type 2 diabetes earlier this summer, though it is not currently available.

CGMs are worn on the back of the arm and look like a small bandage. When they are placed, a small sensor placed slightly under the skin reads the blood glucose information and sends it to an associated app, allowing you to track your blood sugar information throughout the day and take note of any trends. Some CGMs have already been used to “biohack” glucose levels by people who want to know how their body responds to food or what affects their glucose levels. Companies like Nutrisense market themselves more as a consumer device, but they do require a doctor’s prescription, which is managed through their websites.

However, the question of “who really needs this?” remains. As Dr.Robert H. Shmerling wrote in an article for Harvard Health Publishing that CGMs can cost several thousand dollars a year and that companies that market their use to the general public can reap huge benefits in an area of ​​health that, as yet, lacks the research to support it outside of diabetes management. In its press release, Abbott noted that research found that only 12 percent of American adults are considered “metabolically healthy,” but glucose measurements are only one of a few factors used to rate metabolic health.