Patients with diabetes have to keep a close eye on their blood sugar, and new technology might make that a little easier.

Normally diabetics have to carry around a separate glucose meter with them at all times, in addition to their phone, but smartphones can now double as a life-saving diabetes monitoring device.

The Gmate app uses brand new technology to test blood sugar levels on your smartphone. It keeps track of all the results, and is even capable of emailing the results to your doctor.

James Winchester, who is diabetic, travels around the country demonstrating how to turn phones into blood glucose meters.

"Diabetics have to carry around a lot of stuff. The great thing about smart phone technology is it's one less thing they now have to carry," says Winchester.

Since your cell phone is basically a hand held computer, the app keeps track all your results, and charts out your blood sugar results over time. You can instantly email all these results to your doctor or family members.

Pediatric endocrinologist Kevin Kaiserman says this is just one of many advances that uses new technology to help people manage their diabetes.

"The greatest advantage is to help people gather, and be able to synthesize, analyze the information in a way that helps them not just have a single piece of information but to look for trends and analyze over time how their diabetes is being managed, where they can make adjustments to better manage their diabetes going forward," says Kaiserman.

Right now the Gmate only works with iPhone, not Android phones.

It's already in use in Europe and is currently pending FDA approval here in the USA.

(Information courtesy NBC News)