Researchers have discovered that a person’s voice becomes higher as their blood sugar levels rise, paving the way for a new non-invasive method to monitor type 2 diabetes.
- “As blood glucose levels increase, the fundamental frequency of a person’s voice also increases.” In other words, vocal pitch, defined by how high or low the voice is modulated, becomes slightly higher.
- The change is subtle: about a 0.02 Hertz increase in pitch for every 1 mg/dL increase in blood sugar. “That’s too small a change for the human ear to notice, but potentially detectable by sensitive audio analysis.”
- This research could pave the way for new, non-invasive methods of monitoring type 2 diabetes. Patients would be able to check their blood sugar levels simply by speaking into a smartphone, without the need for a finger prick or wearing sensors.
Could doctors soon be able to diagnose type 2 diabetes simply by having a chat with their patient? It’s not impossible, according to a new study published in the journal Scientific Reportswhich suggests a potential link between blood sugar levels, which are excessive in people with diabetes, and tone of voice.
Voice pitch increases as blood sugar levels rise
As part of their work, the researchers equipped 505 people – suffering from prediabetes, type 2 diabetes or without diabetes – with sensors that continuously measured their blood glucose levels. At the same time, they asked them to record voices up to six times a day for two weeks using a smartphone app. The aim was to compare and match the glucose levels with audio recordings taken almost simultaneously.
The experiment revealed that“As blood glucose levels increase, the fundamental frequency of a person’s voice also increases”we can read in a press release. In other words, the vocal pitch, defined by the more or less high or low modulation of the voice, becomes slightly higher. The relationship is “small but significant” between blood glucose levels and voice pitch in participants, across all groups, diabetic and non-diabetic.
A non-invasive method to monitor blood sugar
The change is subtle: about a 0.02 Hertz increase in pitch for every 1 mg/dL increase in blood glucose (milligrams of sugar per deciliter of blood). For example, if your blood glucose went from a normal fasting level of 80 mg/dL to 180 mg/dL after a meal, your pitch might increase by about 2 Hz. This could, the study suggests, be related to how glucose affects the vocal cords. Higher blood sugar can potentially cause changes in vocal cord tension or hydration, leading to an increase in pitch.
“It’s a change too small for the human ear to notice, but potentially detectable by sensitive audio analysis.”the researchers say. They say that using artificial intelligence, it only takes 6 to 10 seconds of audio to accurately diagnose blood sugar problems. The research could pave the way for new, non-invasive methods of monitoring type 2 diabetes. Patients would be able to check their blood sugar levels simply by speaking into a smartphone, without the need for a finger prick or sensors.
