When it comes to health, Serena Williams’ top word is “longevity.”
The 44-year-old tennis star opened up about her experience with GLP-1 drugs in August after partnering with healthcare company Ro. She is also partnering with Abbott’s Lingo, a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) that tracks glucose in interstitial fluid.
After quitting tennis, she became obsessed with healthy eating and living. She has been using Lingo since its launch in the US in September 2024. Tracking my health data has helped me make more informed food choices and forget about the word “diet.”
More than 80% of people with prediabetes don’t know they have diabetes because they often have no symptoms. However, it is very common. More than one in three adults in the United States has prediabetes. Although prediabetes can be reversed, complications of diabetes are usually not reversible, so prevention and appropriate management are essential.
This is an issue that hits close to home for Williams, who has a family history of diabetes. Lingo’s mission is to help people understand how their bodies respond to different dietary choices. This may reveal early signs that are worth paying attention to.
CGM for non-diabetics is gaining momentum as a new wellness trend, but not everyone in the health field is so bullish about the prospects for CGM for everyone. But Williams says preventative medicine is all about finding balance, even if you’re closer to one end of the spectrum.
“Are you kidding me? I’m unbalanced. I’m definitely an extremist,” Williams said by phone from Florida. “But I want what’s best for me, and I think other people do too.”
She and her husband, Alexis Ohanian (an investor in Ro), have two children, Olympia, 7, and Adira, 2, and she wants to keep them as healthy as possible.
“Who wouldn’t want to live longer? After all, that’s what it’s all about,” she added.
What is CGM?
A CGM is a small sensor placed under the skin on your arm that sends data to your smartphone and provides insight into your blood sugar levels. This is a tool that diabetics may use and can also be connected to an insulin pump (Lingo is not used to manage diseases including diabetes and cannot be connected to an insulin pump).
Some nutrition experts say CGMs may be beneficial for non-diabetics by encouraging them to make healthier food choices and prevent chronic disease. However, some people with diabetes feel that this health trend trivializes their experience, especially since many patients do not have access to these life-saving devices due to cost.
Dr. Robert Schmerling, a senior faculty editor at Harvard Health Publishing at Harvard Medical School, previously told USA TODAY that he believes continuous glucose monitoring is marketing ahead of science. For example, he says, research doesn’t support CGM being as effective if you don’t have diabetes.
But people like Williams who use CGMs may still find them valuable. Some CGM users who are not diabetic are now aware that they are experiencing hypoglycemia or symptoms of hypoglycemia and are able to receive appropriate treatment sooner.
Jameela Jamil slams Serena Williams over weight loss drug ad
Serena Williams is under fire after a partnership promoting the GLP-1 weight loss drug, with actor and activist Jameela Jamil leading the backlash.
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How GLP-1 and Lingo fit into Williams’ overall health picture
When announcing her partnership with Law, Williams revealed that she lost 31 pounds using the GLP-1 drug Zepbound. Zepbound is a type of drug typically prescribed for diabetes and is now also used for weight management.
“My story about Ro and GLP-1 is that I did everything to get healthy, but I never got there,” she explains. She believes fad diets are a thing of the past, given the technology people now have access to.
“I think fad diets were great because that was the only thing available at the time,” she says. “Everyone was still trying their best to stay healthy, but this (Lingo) is something that actually works. You can make decisions in real time.” The Lingo app also sends her reminders to take a walk or do 10 squats.
She says that taking GLP-1 has made her feel better than ever and that using Lingo has been a great help in monitoring her health throughout this journey.
“Every kind of thing has its positives and negatives, and you have to decide if that’s what you want,” she says.
“My life was all about health”
Williams, who won 23 Grand Slam titles, spent her life optimizing her performance. And while she’s bringing that mindset to motherhood, part of the focus has shifted to her child’s nutrition.
“As athletes, health is our life,” she says. “And as a mom, I pay close attention to how I prepare my meals.”
Williams cooks for her children five to six days a week and wants to teach them healthy eating habits.
“Lingo helped me understand what I was eating,” she added. “I just take that education throughout my life and transfer it to what I’m learning for my kids.”
Contributions: David Oliver, Adriana Rodriguez
