The type 1 diabetes app FoodPrint has been shown to reduce rates of hypoglycemia in a new trial.
FoodPrint, the brainchild of Nutrino, Inc, lets users see how specific foods affect their blood glucose levels, while patterns and insights to help users improve their diabetes management.
The app also features a nutrient-oriented decision support system which allows users with continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) and insulin pumps to track their glucose response to food.
At the 77th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Associatio, researchers revealed findings of a new six-month pilot which showed the app helped lower incidences of hypoglycemia.
Nutrino monitored the blood glucose readings from a cohort of people with type 1 diabetes two weeks prior to the use of FoodPrint, and four weeks while using it.
While the average blood glucose levels before and after using the app were comparable, rates of hypoglycemia among those who reported a hypo two weeks before using the app were reduced by 18 per cent at the end of the four weeks.
Participants who did not use the app experienced no significant change in the rate of hypoglycemia, a finding which, according to Ram Weiss, Pediatric endocrinologist at Hadassah Medical Center, “represents an important step forward in the management of type 1 diabetes”.
Nutrino says the app can help prevent hypoglycemia by informing users which foods send their blood glucose levels out of range. Users can track carbohydrate in FoodPrint, but also much more. For example, the app educates users about the macronutrient content of the food they eat which helps them to match insulin as a result.
Brenda Ramey, a patient who participated in the beta program of FoodPrint, said at the conference: “Being able to see how insulin and food affect my sugar was key. As a diabetic I have always injected insulin, or had it dosed through my pump, but I can’t really see how it’s working.”
“With the Nutrino app, I can see my glucose and my insulin. Being able to see the FoodPrint and how insulin and sugar affect my body gives me an overall picture of what my diabetes is doing. And that everything I do affects it.”
