AI-Powered App Assisting Users in Managing Diabetes and Obesity
With advances in technology and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), a new app, Twin Health, is revolutionizing the way individuals manage their health conditions, such as diabetes and obesity. The app, using AI technology, logs meals and predicts the user’s blood sugar response to particular foods. It also provides personalized recommendations throughout the day, such as adjusting portion size, suggesting different food combinations, or advocating for a walk post a meal.
These recommendations are not mandatory, and users can either accept or ignore them based on their preferences. The app, cleverly learning from user’s choices, adapts over time. In addition, users can also interact with human coaches if they have specific health-related queries.
Real-Life Success Story: Buckley’s Journey
One of the many success stories of Twin Health is that of Buckley, who has successfully made healthier choices, such as swapping out frozen, prepackaged breakfast sandwiches for homemade breakfast burritos with low-carb, high-fiber wraps, thanks to the app. His soda drinking habit has been replaced with walking several miles a day. Buckley said, “When I first started the program, I could barely make it a mile before my back was hurting, my knee was hurting. Now I’m doing six and a half miles every morning.”
Buckley also appreciates the instant feedback from the app and the ability to track his biometric data over time. He has noticed a downward trend in his body fat percentage and blood pressure, which has motivated him to stay consistent with his healthy lifestyle. Buckley reached his initial weight goal of 300 pounds and is now around 275. After being on blood pressure medication for decades, his doctor recently suggested a lower dose.
Clinical Trial Proves Efficacy
When Twin Health approached the Cleveland Clinic’s health plan about using its program, staff endocrinologist Kevin Pantalone was initially skeptical. After conducting a study himself, he found that most Americans struggle to get the recommended amount of weekly physical activity and have difficulty sticking to a healthy diet.
Pantalone and his colleagues recruited 150 participants with type 2 diabetes, randomly assigning 100 people to the Twin program and the rest to a control group. On average, participants were 58 years old with obesity and had a blood glucose level, or A1C, of 7.2 percent. A level of 6.5 percent or higher indicates diabetes. The goal of the trial was to see if participants could reach an A1C of less than 6.5 percent with fewer medications.
After 12 months, 71 percent of the study participants using the Twin app achieved that blood sugar level with fewer medications, whereas only 2 percent of people in the control group did. The people using Twin also lost more weight—8.6 percent of their body weight versus 4.6 percent in the control group.
These results, published in the New England Journal of Medicine Catalyst last year, underscore the potential of AI-powered health management tools like Twin Health in helping patients manage their health conditions effectively.
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