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Blood glucose affects voice pitch, with potential for diabetes monitoring

When blood sugar levels go high, so does voice pitch, according to a new study. It paves the way for detecting type 2 diabetes or monitoring diabetics’ blood sugars simply by talking into a smartphone and having AI analyze their speech.

For a long time, science has been working on accurately and effectively diagnosing type 2 diabetes, from checking blood levels of a specific protein to detecting the condition via a smartphone camera. All participants were fitted with a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) and instructed to record their voices in a quiet environment using a custom smartphone app up to six times daily for two weeks. The researchers also note an important caveat to their findings: vocal parameters, specifically voice pitch, can be affected by external factors such as emotional and psychological states, respiratory infections, and allergies.

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