Personalized Nutrition for Healthy Living (PROTEIN-Study): Evaluation of a Mobile Application in Subjects with Type 2 Diabetes and Prediabetes

Introduction An inadequate diet and sedentary lifestyle are major contributors to the rise of non-communicable diseases. Individualized recommendations can lead to a healthier lifestyle. The scientific evidence for the effectiveness of health apps offering personalized recommendations is limited.

Objectives The aim is to investigate whether the use of a mobile App for personalized nutrition, incorporating information of wearables (continuous glucose monitoring and fitness tracker), improves lifestyle and metabolism in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) or prediabetes. Our primary outcome is to improve glucose time in range (TIR) by 5%. We also assessed the engagement and acceptance of the App.

Methods For this randomized trial, 20 participants used the PROTEIN-App and were allocated to two groups: (1) the starting group used the PROTEIN-App and wearables for 12 weeks, followed by a 6-weeks-period without the app, (2) the waiting group used the wearables for 6 weeks and afterwards incorporated the PROTEIN-App for 12 weeks.

Results TIR did not improve significantly in the whole cohort. When separating participants with T2D vs. prediabetes, the latter showed a significant improvement (14% p<0,05). Participants expressed satisfaction with the App although it was time consuming, difficult to use and to understand.

Conclusions The study suggests that personalized recommendations may improve diabetes control, but the App needs to be more intuitive and simplified to better promote healthier choices. Even the combination of mobile apps with a multidisciplinary team could be a contribution to the development of new non-pharmacological treatments for T2D and prediabetes.

Publication History

Article published online:
02 May 2023