• by Les Luchter , Staff Writer, Yesterday

In a new :45  video, Serena Williams calls Lingo “a game changer.” She explains how she uses Abbott’s 15-month-old over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor (CGM) to improve her overall well-being by gaining real-time insights into how her body reacts to food, movement and stress -- resulting in her making behavioral changes.

Unlike prescription CGMs, Lingo is not designed for diabetics, but rather for “people interested in improving their overall health and wellness,” with Abbott explaining that "glucose is a powerful signal of your body's unique response to food and lifestyle."

Lingo can be especially useful for people with a family history of diabetes, which Williams revealed as her reality in a recent USA Today interview.

I also have a family history of diabetes and have been diagnosed as “prediabetic,” with a tendency toward high glucose levels.

So I let Serena play influencer for me -- well, that and receiving a free trial offer from an Abbott spokesperson -- and just spent a week with a Lingo wearable attached to my upper right arm.

Despite a little pain on attachment (the instructions said this would be “painless,” of course), I received my first surprise on the first morning, when my breakfast of high-fiber cereal, almond milk and blueberries sent my glucose level spiking over normal levels. That also resulted in a suggestion that I do five to 10 minutes of calf raises, which quickly returned my glucose to normal

While my glucose level spiked after just about every meal, I learned that just adding some leafy greens to any meal would keep the spikes down.

You also track your movement and exercise activity in Lingo, along with sleep quality.

After a week, I garnered a median Lingo Count of 104, which was way over my target. A high Lingo Count means I go back and forth too much, rather than keeping on an even keel.

So why does any of this matter?

Glucose levels affect energy, hunger, mood and more, Abbott explains, noting that prediabetes impacts more than 98 million Americans, but 80% of them don’t know they have it. "And, with awareness and lifestyle changes, prediabetes can be managed or reversed.Lingo provides the insight needed to help people understand their glucose patterns in real time, empowering informed choices that support better metabolic health."

So I may well join Serena Williams as a regular Lingo wearer.

Williams’ endorsement coincided -- just coincidentally, though, Abbott assures me -- with Lingo’s new ability to work via an Android app as well as an iOS one.

In addition to her video and media interview,  Williams’ partnership with Lingo has also included at least one sponsored social media post. “I really want to be sure I’m building habits that support my metabolic health for the todays and the tomorrows,” she says in the post, while offering readers 15% off a four-week Lingo subscription, which normally costs $84. “I'm passionate about proactive health and raising awareness about prediabetes.”

Among the tennis legend’s other proactive health activities, she became a Ro GLP-1 advocate back in August.

Along with adding Android capabilities, Lingo has also been rapidly expanding its retail distribution. Launched in September 2024 via its own website (hellolingo.com), the brand added Amazon in February 2025, Walmart in October, and Walgreens this month.

Lingo does have a competitor in the CGM OTC space: Dexcom’s Stelo, which launched two weeks before Lingo in September 2024.