Abbott app uses food photos to forecast glucose impact before meals

Abbott is promoting Libre Assist, a generative AI feature that analyses meal photos and offers personalised guidance to people using its FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus glucose sensor.

Abbott is using a new food-focused diabetes campaign to promote its Libre Assist tool, a feature within the company’s Libre app that it says can estimate how a meal may affect glucose levels before a person eats it. The promotion centres on chef and television host Kardea Brown and her husband, Bryon Smith, who the company said was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at 38. Abbott said the feature works alongside its FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus sensor to give users real-time glucose information and meal-specific guidance.

The company claims the app can analyse a photo of food and suggest ways to reduce its potential impact on glucose. Abbott’s own product pages describe Libre Assist as a generative artificial intelligence feature that provides colour-coded predictions and personalised tips, then compares those predictions with actual readings after eating. The company also says the FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus sensor delivers minute-to-minute glucose readings for up to 15 days.

Brown, in a statement carried by the company, said her husband’s diagnosis did not mean the end of the foods they enjoy, but did require her to rethink recipes. Smith said the app allows him to photograph a meal and get an instant estimate of how it may affect him before he takes the first bite. He said the feature can also suggest healthier substitutions. Abbott framed the campaign as a way to show that people with type 2 diabetes can still eat familiar foods while making adjustments.

The broader context is that meal planning remains one of the most difficult parts of diabetes management, because glucose levels can be influenced by food, exercise, medication, stress and sleep, according to Abbott’s educational material. The company also says its systems are designed to help users spot trends and patterns over time. In the campaign materials, Brown recommends building balanced meals, checking labels for added sugar, increasing fibre, cooking with simpler methods and planning meals ahead of time.