Study to prove the effectiveness of diabetes app

With a few changes to diet and lifestyle, a lot can be achieved – this is how the Lübeck-based company Perfood describes the goal of its app called Glucura. To achieve this, users record all food and drink they consume throughout the day in the app. The app analyzes the user's eating habits and individual blood sugar responses and, based on this, suggests modifications to their diet. The app also makes suggestions for physical activity.

A clinical study with 320 participants with type 2 diabetes was to investigate whether such an intervention helps to avoid blood sugar spikes and achieve more stable and better values overall. The results are now available. According to Perfood, the efficacy found is in a range that is otherwise only achieved through medication. On average, study participants achieved a lower long-term blood sugar value (HbA1c) and lost an average of 4.7 kilograms within half a year.

In people with a healthy metabolism, the HbA1c value is below 5.7 percent. A value of 5.7 to 6.4 percent indicates an increased risk of diabetes; from 6.5 percent, the diagnosis is: diabetes mellitus. Study participants were able to lower their value by an average of 0.8 percent with the app.

Understanding blood sugar better

The basic idea of the app is based on the fact that sugary and carbohydrate-containing foods lead to different reactions in different people. While potatoes cause a particularly strong increase in blood sugar levels in one person, it might be rice or pasta for another.

For people with diabetes, it is helpful to know their personal triggers for particularly strong blood sugar increases in order to eat suitable alternatives instead of these foods in the future and thus achieve more stable values. According to the manufacturer, the study revealed an impressive example of this: for one participant, chocolate cake caused a lower blood sugar increase than apple cake.

Users of the app receive a blood glucose sensor once for continuous monitoring of values during the first 14 days. During this phase, the app creates a "metabolic profile" of the user using AI, reports Perfood founder and CEO Dominik Burziwoda. Based on this, the app can also make predictions for the user's individual blood sugar response when consuming certain foods after the sensor has expired.

Apps on prescription

Glucura is a so-called Digital Health Application (Digitale Gesundheitsanwendung), or DiGA for short. With the entry into force of the Digital Care Act (DVG) at the end of 2019, apps of this type were integrated into healthcare. Since then, insured persons have been entitled to be supplied with DiGA. If doctors or psychotherapists prescribe a DiGA, health insurance companies reimburse the costs for its use.

To be approved as a DiGA, apps undergo a review process at the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM). All reimbursable digital health applications are listed in the BfArM's DiGA directory. Currently, the directory contains four apps for patients with diabetes. Glucura is suitable for patients with type 2 diabetes. The app is available for iOS from version 14.0 and Google Android from version 8.0.

(wpl)