Bold claim: Garmin is moving toward non-invasive, long-term metabolic health tracking, not just athletic metrics. But here’s where it gets controversial… a new patent suggests your smartwatch could estimate HbA1c without a blood test, potentially changing how we monitor diabetes risk and metabolic health.
Garmin has strengthened its research into metabolic health with a recently published patent for non-invasive HbA1c estimation. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office filing (granted in early February) outlines a system that uses the optical sensors on a Garmin watch to gauge glycated hemoglobin, a key indicator of average blood sugar levels over the past several months.
Unlike existing continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) that track real-time glucose changes, Garmin’s approach targets long-term metabolic trends. It relies on light-based spectroscopy to analyze blood composition directly through the skin, rather than requiring a finger prick or implanted sensor.
The proposed method employs a multi-wavelength photoplethysmography (PPG) array. By emitting several specific light wavelengths, the sensors would distinguish between oxygenated, deoxygenated, and glycated hemoglobin based on how each type absorbs and reflects light.
Processed through advanced algorithms, the system would interpret AC-to-DC signal ratios to compute an HbA1c percentage, providing an estimate of a user’s average blood sugar over time.
Additionally, the patent indicates the sensor array could concurrently determine both fractional and functional blood oxygen saturation, presenting a richer view of blood chemistry than standard SpO2 readings.
A shift toward medical-grade features
Following a related Garmin patent from the previous year, Garmin appears to be signaling a strategic shift toward more medical-grade diagnostics. Historically known for athletic metrics, Garmin’s development of a non-invasive HbA1c tool could broaden appeal to people managing pre-diabetes, metabolic syndrome, or general metabolic health.
By targeting HbA1c rather than real-time glucose—an area notoriously tricky to measure accurately through the skin—Garmin may have found a more feasible optical route to metabolic monitoring.
While a patent does not guarantee an immediate product feature, it confirms Garmin is building a hardware foundation that could eventually empower devices like the Fenix or Venu series to function as proactive metabolic health trackers and early warning systems.
Would you welcome a non-invasive HbA1c feature on a consumer smartwatch, or do you worry about accuracy, data privacy, and medical implications? Share your thoughts in the comments.
