# Stubborn A1C numbers and what to do **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 2, 2023, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stubborn-a1c-numbers-and-what-to-do/980608 "2023-03-02T19:31:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2023, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stubborn-a1c-numbers-and-what-to-do/980608/41 "2023-03-04T08:30:26Z")
I would buy it, if it’s accurate. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2023, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stubborn-a1c-numbers-and-what-to-do/980608/42 "2023-03-04T14:18:26Z")
Me, too. My A1c is well below “medical need to monitor regularly”, but it’s been creeping up, and if i could get useful feedback on what affects my blood sugar, to help me keep it in the “it’s fine” range, it would be worth dealing with a watch that isn’t the watch i want in a lot of ways. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2023, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stubborn-a1c-numbers-and-what-to-do/980608/43 "2023-03-04T14:27:37Z")
I agree. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2023, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stubborn-a1c-numbers-and-what-to-do/980608/44 "2023-03-04T14:32:01Z")
There’s accurate enough for a fitness app and accurate enough for a medical device. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2023, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stubborn-a1c-numbers-and-what-to-do/980608/45 "2023-03-04T14:46:00Z")
An article discussing the criteria regarding “wellness” apps and software, and medical devices and accessories (the latter of which has an appropriately high regulatory burden). > **[When is a Health and Fitness App Not Just an App?](https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=c5297701-9b1b-4465-abaa-26a43ef704b1)** > > We explore the factors tech companies and app developers need to consider and the risks associated with being regulated as a software medical device… ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2023, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stubborn-a1c-numbers-and-what-to-do/980608/46 "2023-03-04T14:55:40Z")
Continuous monitoring without needing to poke holes in my skin would be more valuable to me than precision. And even if it occasionally hiccoughed and gave weird inaccurate results, if it was mostly accurate, i think it would be useful. So i guess I’m saying that a fitness app would likely have a huge market. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2023, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stubborn-a1c-numbers-and-what-to-do/980608/47 "2023-03-04T15:29:59Z")
Not disagreeing, although the issue between the wellness device and the medical device line is not the occasional obviously off numbers. It’s a level of proof and standard of what counts as “mostly accurate.” I have no doubt that “the worried well” is a huge market. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2023, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stubborn-a1c-numbers-and-what-to-do/980608/48 "2023-03-04T16:44:04Z")
Let’s hope they don’t make it a medical device. If they do, it will take ten more years to get to market and cost $5,000. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2023, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stubborn-a1c-numbers-and-what-to-do/980608/49 "2023-03-04T17:29:33Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > I have no doubt that “the worried well” is a huge market. So true. And this can result in the delivery of so much unnecessary care. But that’s a whole 'nuther thread. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2023, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stubborn-a1c-numbers-and-what-to-do/980608/50 "2023-03-04T18:35:58Z")
Done. > [@Has constant data hyper charged the worried well?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-constant-data-hyper-charged-the-worried-well/980726): > > From socks that monitor normal babies’ heart rates and oxygen level constantly in their sleep wearables that report and grade on sleep to movement to heart rate variability to who knows … the is an abundance of data now available to anyone with a few hundred bucks to spend. And it is not a hard sell to many. And I am sure that it can be helpful to some. But how often is this data noise that obscures more than signal or even information that misdirects more than helpful? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2023, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stubborn-a1c-numbers-and-what-to-do/980608/51 "2023-03-04T18:41:26Z")
Never been above 6.3, but a combination of Metformin (500 mg) and a low-total-carb diet (that’s Total carbs, not just Net carbs; I called it the What’s That Diet - Bread? Pizza? Pasta? Rice? Beans? Most fruit? Pancakes? Dessert? What’s That?) dropped it down to 5.7 - and I lost about 50 pounds and 15 points off my blood pressure as a result as well. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2023, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stubborn-a1c-numbers-and-what-to-do/980608/52 "2023-03-04T19:12:24Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Let’s hope they don’t make it a medical device. The Apple Watch already is a medical device: > **[Health Canada Approves Apple Watch ECG App, Hinting Launch Imminent • iPhone...](https://www.iphoneincanada.ca/2019/05/20/health-canada-approves-apple-watch-ecg/)** > > The ECG app for Apple Watch Series 4 has been approved by Health Canada. They couldn’t claim to detect Atrial Fibrillation without the approval. The functionality was disabled in Canada until HC gave the go ahead. Link from Apple: > **[ECG app and irregular heart rhythm notification available today on Apple Watch](https://www.apple.com/ca/newsroom/2019/07/ecg-app-and-irregular-heart-rhythm-notification-available-today-on-apple-watch/)** > > The ECG app on Apple Watch Series 4 marks a direct-to-consumer product that enables customers to take an electrocardiogram right from their wrist. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2023, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stubborn-a1c-numbers-and-what-to-do/980608/53 "2023-03-04T20:00:34Z")
That’s great, especially since I’m Canadian… But US FDA approval can take an inordinately long time and a huge expense for medical device approvals. To be fair, this really applies to startups, where the cost of FDA approval can be 3-4 times the cost of making the device itself. But the overall cost is not that high for a company like Apple - $30 million or so on average. A good summary of regulatory costs for medical devices: > **[StarFish-Whitepaper-Cost-to-Develop-Medical-Devices-July-2020.pdf](https://starfishmedical.com/assets/StarFish-Whitepaper-Cost-to-Develop-Medical-Devices-July-2020.pdf)** > > 992.70 KB [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stubborn-a1c-numbers-and-what-to-do/980608.md?page=2)