A groundbreaking study conducted by researchers at Click Labs in Canada has revealed a connection between blood sugar levels and voice pitch, paving the way for future innovations to help type 2 diabetes patients monitor their blood sugar levels painlessly.
Voice Reveals Health Insights
Previous research has shown that physiological changes in voice can indicate health conditions, such as high blood pressure and heart rate, which affect vocal characteristics. While evidence is limited, there is promising data suggesting that blood sugar levels also impact voice. Additionally, conditions like type 2 diabetes and cystic fibrosis, which feature irregular blood sugar levels, may affect vocal quality.
One prevalent hypothesis suggests that high blood sugar levels impact the elasticity of vocal cords, leading to changes in their vibration frequency. The vocal cords, or vocal folds, are two bands of smooth muscle tissue in the larynx that vibrate as air passes through them from the lungs to produce sound.
Monitoring Blood Sugar for Better Control
Blood glucose is a primary energy source for the human body, obtained from carbohydrate consumption. In healthy individuals, the body precisely regulates blood sugar levels. Prolonged periods of hypoglycemia (low glucose) or hyperglycemia (high glucose) can indicate metabolic disorders like diabetes.
Current methods for monitoring blood sugar, such as fingerstick tests and continuous glucose monitors, are painful and come with various challenges, including discomfort, dependence on devices, and associated costs.
Early detection through non-invasive and accessible methods, such as analyzing voice changes, could significantly improve blood sugar monitoring and management.
Study Findings
The researchers’ study, published in Scientific Reports on August 28, examined how blood sugar levels affect voice frequency in 505 participants, including those with and without diabetes.
Participants were provided with continuous glucose monitors and recorded their voices multiple times daily for two weeks. Analysis revealed a correlation where increases in glucose levels were associated with an increase in fundamental voice frequency.
Jacy Kauffman, the lead author and scientist at Click Labs, stated, “By demonstrating a significant positive correlation between blood sugar levels and fundamental voice frequency, our study provides a compelling case for further research into using voice to predict and monitor blood sugar levels.”
Kauffman added, according to EurekAlert, “While current blood sugar monitoring methods are often painful and uncomfortable, monitoring through voice could be as easy as talking to a smartphone, potentially revolutionizing care for the 463 million people worldwide living with type 2 diabetes.”
