Abbott unveils Lingo OTC continuous glucose monitor

Abbott has introduced its first over-the-counter continuous glucose monitoring system, the Lingo system.

The system is based on Abbott's FreeStyle Libre continuous glucose monitoring technology, which is now used by more than 6 million people with diabetes globally, the company said. It comes with a biosensor and a mobile app.

"There is a great deal of interest in tracking biomarkers that provide insights into one's health and wellness that were previously undetectable using the trackers available to consumers," said Olivier Ropars, divisional vice president of Abbott's Lingo business. "Glucose is a powerful signal of your body's unique response to food and lifestyle. Abbott's Lingo tracks your glucose 24/7, translating the data into insights and bridging the gap between traditional health care and preventative measures. Lingo empowers individuals to build new healthy habits and take control of their health and wellness."

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Lingo is available to consumers who are 18 years and older and not on insulin. It tracks glucose in real-time and provides personal insights and coaching to help people build healthy habits, retrain their metabolism and improve their overall well-being.

Abbott said that published research shows that limiting glucose spikes and improving overall management of glucose, both in the short term and over time, offer a number of health benefits for people who do not have diabetes. When equipped with real-time data and insights from a CGM, individuals can work towards these goals, experiencing benefits such as:

• Being proactive about future health: While both average and fasting glucose levels are important markers for health, glucose extremes and post-meal spikes might matter more. These specific metrics are risk factors for chronic health conditions such as insulin resistance, metabolic disease and heart disease. 
• Weight management: Research has shown that with insights from a CGM, individuals had better success adhering to low-glycemic and low-carb diets, both of which are effective approaches for weight loss — even without intentional calorie restriction. Using a CGM provides more real-time insights on glucose, an individual's unique response to foods and habits, prompting dietary changes that support steady glucose and can lead to improvements in metabolic health and weight.
• Improving sleep: Low-glycemic diets and habits that nourish steady glucose are associated with improvements in both sleep quality and length of sleep. And better sleep can support steady glucose the following day, empowering better choices to maintain steady glucose. Using a CGM can highlight food choices that minimize glucose spikes, providing a better understanding of glucose patterns that support sleep.
• Bettering mood: Research shows that a low-glycemic diet, which helps stabilize glucose, improves mood and can even lessen symptoms of depression. Using a CGM like Lingo can help provide a better understanding of an individual's glucose responses to food and encourage adherence to a low-glycemic diet, which may provide mental health benefits.

"Physical activity and nutrition are two major factors that impact glucose variability and while glucose spikes are normal, fewer spikes and crashes are associated with numerous short-term and long-term health benefits," said Fred St. Goar, cardiologist and medical director of El Camino Health Heart and Vascular Institute. "Understanding your body's glucose is key to managing your metabolism, so you can live healthier and better. CGMs are a powerful tool that I recommend to my patients to help them better understand what is going on inside their bodies, so they can take actional steps to improve mood, focus, energy, sleep, reduced cravings and improve their health outcomes."

The Lingo system combines a biosensor that is worn on the back of the arm for up to 14 days and continuously streams glucose data to the Lingo app on a smart phone – translating the body's reaction to food, exercise and life's daily stressors.   

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Key features of the Lingo experience:

• Glucose graph: A graph of glucose reactions updates in real time based on continuous readings from the Lingo biosensor.   
• Lingo Count: The body's glucose spikes are translated into one, easy-to-understand metric.
• Food and Activity Logging: Log meals and exercise for deeper insights. Sync Lingo with the Apple Health app to log workouts automatically. 
• Personal Insights: Tailored recommendations are based on foods logged, time of day and accrued Lingo Count. 
• Lingo Challenges: Create new habits and earn badges as challenges are completed and new healthy habits are built. 
• Lingo is available in three convenient options: 
• Learn (two weeks): Get an understanding of how your body responds to your daily food and exercise choices ($49, one biosensor worn for up to 14 days).
• Build (four weeks): Develop a deeper knowledge of your metabolism and experiment with habits designed to help improve metabolic health ($89, two biosensors, each biosensor worn for up to 14 days).
• Transform (12 weeks): Create consistent routines, improve your metabolism, and track your progress toward long-term goals with continuous accountability ($249, six biosensors, each biosensor worn for up to 14 days).