Google adds insulin resistance and blood pressure trends to Fitbit Air and Edge

The features are part of Google’s Health Guardian suite of proactive safety tools for the Pixel Watch and Fitbit. They are available only to Google Health Premium users, a $100 annual subscription that includes Google’s AI health coach, advanced sleep tracking and a broader set of health-tracking features, according to ZDNet.

The insulin resistance feature does not measure insulin or glucose directly. Its algorithm analyzes heart rate, activity level, sleep and other metrics to show changes in metabolic health, ZDNet reported. The Fitbit also tracks blood pressure patterns without a cuff and monitors pulse while the user is asleep or awake, then provides insights at the end of the month. Eligible Fitbit Air and Edge users who have worn their device for five days or more will see this insight in the Health tab of the app.

Insulin resistance is a precursor to type 2 diabetes. The feature is designed to give users information about changes in insulin levels in a less invasive way, but it points to overall trends rather than providing a diagnosis. Unlike a continuous glucose monitor, which penetrates the skin and uses blood to gather metabolic data, the insulin resistance feature assesses biometric and metabolic patterns through a multimodal model. Google trained the model on data gathered by other wearables and compiled demographic data, according to its paper in Nature, as cited by ZDNet.

When the feature detects elevated insulin resistance patterns, it notifies the user to take additional action. Fitbit users can also connect an Abbott CGM to the Google Health app for additional glucose monitoring. By offering Health Guardian features on devices beyond its flagship Pixel Watch, Google is giving more users, including budget-conscious owners of the $100 and $180 Fitbit Air or Edge, the ability to track and stay ahead of common and serious health conditions.

ZDNet reported that the insulin resistance feature is far from the capabilities of a non-invasive CGM, but Google’s development of a multimodal model for tracking biometric responses to insulin activity suggests the company is getting closer to that reality. Non-invasive glucose monitoring has been a long-running goal for wearable technology companies, with Apple among those reported to have worked on the problem for years. Google’s deployment of insulin resistance trends to new Fitbit devices is one way it is advancing toward a CGM that uses algorithmic AI instead of needles and blood.