An investigation of non-invasive methods for glucose monitoring

Scientists estimate that about 10% of people in the U.S. have diabetes. In order to prevent further health complications such as nerve damage, heart disease, and stroke, people with diabetes must regularly check their blood glucose concentration. The most common way to measure a person’s blood glucose value is to prick their finger with a lancing device and measure the glucose concentration of the blood that comes out. Although using a lancing device is the most common method of measuring blood glucose, there are also methods that don’t require the subject to be pricked. This non-invasive method of measuring blood glucose values uses near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR). An NIR LED is placed on the fingertip of the subject and the blood glucose concentration is measured based on the intensity of the light that is received by an infrared light detecting sensor. The amount of light that is received directly relates to the blood glucose concentration of the person who is measuring themselves