A groundbreaking study by researchers from Click Laboratories in Canada has revealed a link between blood sugar levels and voice tone, opening the door to future innovations that could help type 2 diabetes patients monitor their blood sugar painlessly.
Your voice tells us something about your health.
Previous research has found that there are detectable clues through physiological changes in the voice. High blood pressure and heart rate have been shown to affect voice characteristics. There is limited but promising evidence about the effect of blood sugar levels on the voice. In addition, there are indications that diseases such as type 2 diabetes or diabetes associated with cystic fibrosis, both of which are characterized by irregular blood sugar levels, can affect the voice.
The most common hypothesis for voice change suggests that high blood sugar affects the elasticity of the vocal cords, which in turn changes their frequency of vibration. The vocal cords (also called vocal folds) are two bands of smooth muscle tissue located in the larynx. The vocal cords vibrate as air from the lungs passes through them to produce sound.
Monitor blood sugar to control it
Blood sugar (glucose) is the primary energy source for the human body. It is obtained through the consumption of carbohydrates. In healthy individuals, the body controls blood sugar levels precisely, and prolonged periods of hypoglycemia (low glucose) or hyperglycemia (high glucose) can indicate metabolic diseases such as diabetes.
Current blood glucose monitoring methods, such as fingerstick tests and continuous blood glucose monitors, are painful and come with several limitations and drawbacks, including the discomfort or pain associated with fingersticks, the inconvenience of relying on monitoring devices, and the costs associated with purchasing these devices.
Early detection through painless and accessible methods, such as analyzing changes in voice, can greatly improve blood sugar monitoring and control.
the study
In the study, published in the journal Scientific Reports on August 28, researchers revealed how blood sugar levels affected the frequency of voice in 505 participants, some of whom did not have diabetes, some of whom were expected to develop diabetes, and the rest of whom already had type 2 diabetes.
Participants were fitted with continuous glucose monitors and had their voices recorded several times a day for two weeks. The analysis revealed a relationship, with increasing glucose levels in the glucose monitors corresponding to an increase in the fundamental frequency of the voice.
“By demonstrating a significant positive association between blood sugar levels and the fundamental frequency of sound, our study provides a compelling rationale for further research into the use of sound to predict and monitor blood sugar levels,” said lead author and CLIC Labs scientist Jaycee Kaufman.
“While current blood sugar monitoring methods are often painful and inconvenient, monitoring blood sugar through voice could be as easy as talking to a smartphone, potentially changing the game for the 463 million people worldwide living with type 2 diabetes,” he added, according to the EurekAlert website.