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Non invasive glucose monitors (scam)

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Chester5

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Sounds odd but a friends GP has recommended a clip on glucose monitor.
No finger pricks and not a constant glucose monitor, like Dexcom or libre.
Has anyone had any experience of these?
I am interested purely from. A research point of view and adding to my knowledge base.
It looks like the may be using near infrared light.
Thanks.
 
There is no evidence of these working at all - do not buy - it's a scam - there are numerous adverts for these doing the rounds - check this thread which has Diabetes UK response

everydayupsanddowns

Thread 'Fake Facebook Adverts Using Diabetes UK Branding'

There are a number of fraudulent advertisements for products which are being advertised on social media platforms, particularly Facebook, and are using the Diabetes UK logo, and the NHS logo without permission.

These include various ‘non-invasive’ glucose measuring devices, ‘detox bracelets’, ‘glucose watches’ and similar, which do not work and are not fit for purpose

Diabetes UK says:
“Unfortunately, Diabetes UK is aware that there are some misleading adverts circulating on social media where the Diabetes UK name is being falsely used to advertise ‘Fat burning and blood sugar...​
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  • Oh No!
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I'm curious as to how a GP would recommend one? If it's not a CGM or Libre, and not a finger pricking one... Do you have the name of it or any additional information? As Matt has mentioned, there have been a lot of scam devices rolled out, claiming they're endorsed by the NHS and Diabetes UK, but they're not. I would hope that a GP hasn't fallen for the scam too?
 
See also this thread for more discussion on these fake monitors.
There was also a thread which I now can’t find, where someone had ordered one of the clip on ones, and been sent a pulse oxymeter, not the same thing at all!
H

Thread 'Glucose testing (non invasive scam products)'

Has anyone tried the new pain free finger monitors for glucose testing, and how have you found them? I’m interested in getting one as it would be less to carry around, I.e. testing strips and monitors etc.
 
If your friends GP has actually recommended one of these things, then the GP needs to be told to get themselves properly informed before somebody taking their advice does themselves some serious harm.

They do not provide accurate blood glucose levels and cannot be used in a medical context.
 
Ieva DUK said:
I'm curious as to how a GP would recommend one? If it's not a CGM or Libre, and not a finger pricking one... Do you have the name of it or any additional information? As Matt has mentioned, there have been a lot of scam devices rolled out, claiming they're endorsed by the NHS and Diabetes UK, but they're not. I would hope that a GP hasn't fallen for the scam too?
Click to expand...
I will update on the model when I get another chance to speak to them .
 
Chester5 said:
Sounds odd but a friends GP has recommended a clip on glucose monitor.
No finger pricks and not a constant glucose monitor, like Dexcom or libre.
Has anyone had any experience of these?
I am interested purely from. A research point of view and adding to my knowledge base.
It looks like the may be using near infrared light.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
These are of no use to track BG levels
 
I’ve updated the thread title @Chester5 because there are lots of fraudulent adverts circulating at the moment (several of which are even using the DUK logo to confuse people, and completely without permission).

Please do get your friend to speak to their GP and refer them to this response from Diabetes UK:

DUK statements regarding non-invasive glucose monitoring products:
  • There is currently no regulation for this technology to be tested for accuracy in the same way that glucose sensors (CGM and Flash) are.
  • Where accuracy data is available and from customer reviews, this technology does not currently provide accurate enough data (especially for anyone living with type 1 diabetes)
  • People should continue to use the blood glucose monitoring equipment supplied by their diabetes teams.
  • If an individual with type 2 diabetes is considering purchasing one as a guide, they should discuss this with their diabetes healthcare professional. We should also make them aware of this GOV.UK webpage - Know what you're buying! which has information to help people buy medicines and medical devices online safely. Please note – this is not an endorsement of buying medicines/medical devices online – it is information on what people should look out for and check when looking at these products online
  • We would not recommend purchasing as a gift for a friend with diabetes
 
See also this link to a response by the FDA in America

Eddy Edson

Thread 'FDA: Do Not Use Smartwatches or Smart Rings to Measure Blood Glucose Levels'

www.fda.gov

Smartwatches, Rings Claiming to Measure Glucose are not FDA-Authorized

Do Not Use Smartwatches or Smart Rings to Measure Blood Glucose
www.fda.gov www.fda.gov

...
  • Do not buy or use smartwatches or smart rings that claim to measure blood glucose levels. These devices may be sold through online marketplaces or directly from the seller.
  • Be aware that the safety and effectiveness of these devices have not been reviewed by FDA, and the use of these devices could result in inaccurate measurements of blood glucose levels.
...

Device...​

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everydayupsanddowns said:
Please do get your friend to speak to their GP and refer them to this response from Diabetes UK:
Click to expand...

It's possible this GP may have seen details of one of the new devices that may receive FDA approval this year or next.

From what I read, near-infrared (NIR) is an established monitoring technology in other fields; it is only a matter of time before non-invasive, continuous NIR glucometers are on the market; probably worn on a wrist strap. I want one!
 
JITR said:
It's possible this GP may have seen details of one of the new devices that may receive FDA approval this year or next.

From what I read, near-infrared (NIR) is an established monitoring technology in other fields; it is only a matter of time before non-invasive, continuous NIR glucometers are on the market; probably worn on a wrist strap. I want one!
Click to expand...

Yes that is possible. But there are currently no non-invasive glucose measuring devices on the market that have robust research data and approval.

At the same time there are lots of scam adverts and scam products which are duping people into buying ineffective and potentially harmful devices.

We’ve been seeing the number of enquiries about these products increase steadily over the years. And it’s currently a torrent. 😡:(😱
 
JITR said:
It's possible this GP may have seen details of one of the new devices that may receive FDA approval this year or next.

From what I read, near-infrared (NIR) is an established monitoring technology in other fields; it is only a matter of time before non-invasive, continuous NIR glucometers are on the market; probably worn on a wrist strap. I want one!
Click to expand...
Reminded of cherry/prune stone counting saying:

this year, next year, sometime, never.......
 
I don't particularly understand the attraction of these when CGM works so well and is only very minimally invasive.
 
silentsquirrel said:
this year, next year, sometime, never.......
Click to expand...

Yes the unfortunately non-invasive device being nearly ready is as familiar as The Cure being only 10 years away.
 
JITR said:
It's possible this GP may have seen details of one of the new devices that may receive FDA approval this year or next.

From what I read, near-infrared (NIR) is an established monitoring technology in other fields; it is only a matter of time before non-invasive, continuous NIR glucometers are on the market; probably worn on a wrist strap. I want one!
Click to expand...

In order for such things to work, somebody, somewhere has to demonstrate that something in the skin changes its response to electromagnetic radiation in some range or other solely and exclusively due to changes in blood glucose. Good luck with that is what I say.

I also repeat my earlier observations and suggest in reading about this sort of thing is not to mistake over the over enthusiasm designed to attract investment with real progress in the technology.

I used to work on fuel cell development. Remember them? If you look at the stuff put out 20-25 years ago, you would expect our everyday lives to be dominated by their presence by now. It never happened.

The same will happen with small nuclear reactors and hydrogen. Easy to talk about, easy to make promises, easy to paint beautiful pictures of a better future, but very, very hard to do.
 
OTOH - how long ago was it that Tandem started telling us their teeny little pump would be available 'soon' - before it actually appeared? 10 years or longer?
 
Agree @trophywench --- sometimes things do happen as predicted but more things disappear when the initial enthusiasm gets tempered by practical realities.
 
JITR said:
From what I read, near-infrared (NIR) is an established monitoring technology in other fields; it is only a matter of time before non-invasive, continuous NIR glucometers are on the market; probably worn on a wrist strap. I want one!
Click to expand...
Docb said:
In order for such things to work, somebody, somewhere has to demonstrate that something in the skin changes its response to electromagnetic radiation in some range or other solely and exclusively due to changes in blood glucose. Good luck with that is what I say.
Click to expand...
'What I read' included the image below from this article; not mentioned as not to hand at the time:

NIR_PPG_Results__05-26-2025_01.jpg
Measured PPG signals with BGL estimation for 3 different subjects having reference a BGL of 79, 115, and 318 mg/dL, respectively.

This image shows the basic features of the PPG waveforms:
PPG_Waveform_Features_05-26-2025_02.jpg

Note about NIR and PPG (NIR Photoplethysmography) extracted from the article:
NIR spectrometry can be utilized to estimate glucose levels in the blood. This technology is low-cost and simple but suffers from scattering, and the lower bandwidth has a poor correlation with glucose in the blood. Another approach is to acquire PPG signals using NIR waves of specific bandwidths for blood glucose estimation [24,25]. PPG is an optical technique which detects volumetric changes in blood circulation. The PPG voltage signals are proportional to the quantity of blood flowing through the blood vessels. The changes in blood flow are seen as a waveform. The features obtained from these PPG signals are incorporated into machine learning algorithms to predict BGL. This technique has shown a better correlation with blood glucose.
 

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