Diabetes is a serious and typically lifelong condition which causes your blood sugar levels to become too high. While it is not known exactly what causes type 1 diabetes, among type 2 patients this is often linked to factors such as being overweight and not exercising enough. However, it can also run in families.
While there is no cure for diabetes, there are treatments available to help ease symptoms.
As with any condition or illness the sooner you spot the symptoms of diabetes, the sooner you can seek medical help.
There are a number of well-known symptoms to look out for such as feeling thirsty, fatigue and needing to urinate more than usual.
However, scientists have discovered that another change in your body could be an unlikely symptom of diabetes.
Researchers from Canada suggested that a higher pitched voice could be a warning sign of the condition.
A new study, published in Scientific Reports journal, showed that as blood sugar levels rise, so does the frequency of a person’s voice.
This relationship was found to be true not just for people with diabetes but also for those with normal blood sugar levels.
Although the change is subtle – just a 0.02 Hz increase in pitch for every 1 mg/dL rise in blood glucose – it’s consistent enough to be detectable, Study Finds reports.
Therefore, if your blood sugar went from a normal fasting level of 80 mg/dL to 180 mg/dL after a meal, your voice pitch might increase by about two Hz.
While that’s a change too small for the human ear to notice but potentially detectable by sensitive audio analysis, the researchers said.
In a media release, Jaycee Kaufman – lead author of the study and a scientist at Klick Labs, said: “By establishing a significant positive association between glucose levels and fundamental frequency, our study provides compelling justification for more research on using voice to predict and monitor glucose levels.
“Whereas current glucose monitoring methods are often invasive and inconvenient, voice-based glucose monitoring could be as easy as talking into a smartphone, which could change the game for the estimated 463 million people around the world living with type 2 diabetes.”
Study participants included people with normal blood sugar, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes.
The relationship between voice pitch and glucose held across all these groups, though it was slightly weaker in those with diabetes.
Symptoms of diabetes to look out for, as listed by the NHS, include:
- Urinating more than usual
- Feeling thirsty all the time
- Feeling very tired
- Losing weight without trying to
- Itching around your penis or vagina, or repeatedly getting thrush
- Cuts or wounds taking longer to heal
- Blurred vision.
If you experience any symptoms of diabetes you should speak to your GP.
