Ultrahuman Metabolic Score explained
> How the Ultrahuman M1 and M2 CGM read interstitial glucose, and how Ultrahuman turns a day of readings into the Metabolic Score from average glucose, time in range, and glucose variability.
The Ultrahuman M1 Live and M2 Live read your glucose through the day and overnight using a continuous glucose monitor (CGM). That stream becomes the Metabolic Score, a single daily number for how steady your glucose held.
In this guide, we explain what goes into the score, what the research behind it shows, and how to read it.
- The M1 Live and M2 Live read glucose in the fluid just under your skin every few minutes.
- The Metabolic Score is a daily number from 0 to 100. A higher score means your glucose held steadier through the day.
- It's built from three things the sensor measures: your average glucose, how long you spent in a healthy range, and how much your glucose swung.
- Ultrahuman reads "in range" as 70 to 110 mg/dL, tighter than the clinical 70 to 180 band, because the goal is optimizing healthy metabolic function rather than managing a disease.
- Across roughly 66,000 members who chose to wear a CGM, scores fall into two clusters rather than one, with a median around 78.
How the M1 Live and M2 Live sensors work
Both use a continuous glucose sensor worn on the back of the upper arm. M1 Live runs on Abbott's FreeStyle Libre. M2 Live, the US version, runs on Abbott's over-the-counter Lingo sensor.
The sensor sits just under the skin in the interstitial fluid and samples every few minutes, and one application lasts about two weeks.
Ultrahuman builds the layer on top. It reads the raw signal, turns it into a clean continuous curve, and computes the score and insights you see in the app.
What goes into the Metabolic Score
The score condenses a day of glucose into one number from 0 to 100. It rests on three things the sensor measures directly.
- Average glucose: Your typical level across the day. A steady average inside the range the score uses is the goal, not simply the lowest number.
- Time in range: How much of the day your glucose stayed inside 70 to 110 mg/dL.
- Glucose variability: How much your glucose swung up and down. Smaller swings mean a steadier glucose profile.
What the research says about the Metabolic Score
The Metabolic Score has been tested against laboratory measures of glucose control in one published, peer-reviewed observational study. That study measured how the score lined up with blood markers, not whether changing the score changes your health.
Ultrahuman ran the study across nine diabetes clinics and hospitals in five Indian states, recruiting 105 adults aged 25 to 50: 53 with normal glucose control, 52 with prediabetes. All wore an M1 for 14 days while their scores were checked against the blood markers clinicians already trust.
The score held a steady gap between the two groups across all 14 days, and moved inversely with insulin resistance. As HOMA-IR went up, the score went down. In the prediabetes group it tracked the same way against HbA1c and an oral glucose tolerance test.
The limits are worth knowing too. Ultrahuman sponsored the study and all four authors work for the company. Fourteen days is a short window, and members could see their own glucose throughout, so some will have changed what they ate. Everyone recruited was Indian and aged between 25 and 50, and women were under-recruited. The correlations with insulin resistance sat around 0.4, which is a real relationship rather than a strong one. The authors describe the work as an initial foundation for further research.
The score leans the right way, but it doesn't stand in for a blood test.
What the data shows
Figure 1
Most members land in the high 70s to mid 80s, a second group in the low-to-mid 50s
Distribution of average Metabolic Scores across 66,489 Ultrahuman members
Most members land in the high 70s to mid 80s, a second group in the low-to-mid 50s
Source: Ultrahuman M1 data, n=66,489 members. Cohort excludes scores of 40 and below.
Across 66,489 members, Metabolic Scores cluster in the upper part of the scale. The median is 78, and half of all members fall between 64 and 85.
The busiest part of the range runs from the high 70s into the mid 80s. A second, smaller group sits in the low to mid 50s, with the thinnest part of the distribution between them in the mid 60s.
Both clusters come from the same self-selected group. Everyone here chose to buy a CGM and is already paying attention to their health. The shape reflects who wears one rather than the wider population.
How to read your Metabolic Score in the app
Your Metabolic Score sits at the top of the metabolic view. The day's average glucose, time in range and variability sit below it, with the live glucose curve under that.
One day is a day. The direction across two or three weeks is the part worth reading, because a single score moves with a late meal or a short night as much as with anything lasting.
For how the same sensor data scores individual foods, see your glucose response to food.
Read the original research
All Studies →This explainer is based on original research by the Ultrahuman Science team. Explore the full Studies repository.
Frequently asked questions
Is the M1 Live or M2 Live a blood test?
No. It reads glucose in the interstitial fluid just under your skin rather than in your blood. The two track closely. In a trial in adults with type 1 diabetes, readings differed from a fingerstick reference by about 13% on average. That is an average, so a single reading can sit further off. Agreement was weaker at low glucose, below 72 mg/dL, where the average difference was about 20%.
Does applying the sensor hurt, and how long does it last?
The filament is thin and sits just under the skin, so most people feel little or nothing when it goes on. A sensor lasts about two weeks before you replace it.
Can the Metabolic Score diagnose diabetes or prediabetes?
No. It's a wellness signal for understanding and improving your own glucose patterns. Diagnosis uses blood tests such as fasting glucose, HbA1c or an oral glucose tolerance test, ordered by a clinician.
Why does Ultrahuman use a 70 to 110 range instead of the clinical 70 to 180?
Because the goal is wellness optimization rather than disease management. The tighter band gives a sharper read on healthy metabolic function, whereas the wider clinical range would treat most of a healthy day as uniformly in range. This is not a clinical target or a diagnostic threshold.
Why doesn't my CGM reading match my fingerstick?
Mostly the lag. Glucose has to cross from your blood into the fluid the sensor reads, and measured directly in eight healthy adults, that crossing took 5 to 6 minutes. During a fast rise or fall the two can differ. When glucose is steady, they line up closely. Accuracy is also weakest on the first and last day of a sensor's wear, when glucose is low, and while it is changing quickly.
References
- Chaudhry M, Kumar M, Singhal V, Srinivasan B. Metabolic health tracking using Ultrahuman M1 continuous glucose monitoring platform in non- and pre-diabetic Indians: a multi-armed observational study. Scientific Reports 2024. PMID 38499685
- Vaughan N. Meta-analysis of a decade of studies assessing accuracy of Abbott FreeStyle Libre continuous glucose monitor. Diabetes Technology and Obesity Medicine 2025. DOI 10.1177/29986702251390418
- Olafsdottir AF et al. A clinical trial of the accuracy and treatment experience of the flash glucose monitor FreeStyle Libre in adults with type 1 diabetes. Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics 2017. PMID 28263665
- Basu A, Dube S, Slama M, et al. Time lag of glucose from intravascular to interstitial compartment in humans. Diabetes 2013. PMID 24009261
The Ultrahuman M1 Live and M2 Live are wellness tools for tracking and understanding your glucose patterns. They are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. For medical questions, consult a qualified clinician.
