Better Diabetes Management, Diet and Lifestyle Changes can Result in a Significant Drop in HbA1c

When G was first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, he was confident he could self-manage.  He was familiar with the condition as his father had long-standing type 2 diabetes and his sister had gestational diabetes when she was pregnant.

But after struggling to get his blood glucose under control over the 4 years since he was diagnosed, things were starting to get him down.  G didn't understand why his blood glucose was still high when he thought he was doing everything right: he is mainly vegetarian, never ate sweets, didn't have sugar in his tea and yet his BG readings were still high.  

G was also anxious that he might end up like his father, who has various complications from long-standing diabetes.  How worrying and frustrating could things be?  

One approach was to deny that things were not fully controlled.  At one stage G even convinced himself that his glucometer was not working properly!

But in his heart G knew that he couldn’t put the blame on his glucometer – he had to do something about his own lifestyle.  The question was ‘what’?

Digital Health Solutions Can Assist Diabetes Patients For Better Blood Sugar Control by Tracking Key Indicators and Providing Feedback, Guidance and Support

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“My diabetes was not under control even though I felt that I was doing everything right. I was at a loss and stressed about it. I want to get it under control!"

Fortunately, SugoSure's comprehensive and clinically-validated digital health system was able to help G turn the corner.

The major culprit was G’s diet.  It wasn't until he started using SugoSure that G realised his food choices were not as healthy as he thought. As his wife and family live in India, he ate out a lot and felt this limited his ability to improve his diet.

Logging food and learning from feedback is a useful tool to improve your diabetic diet

Starting SugoSure was an eye opener for G.  He had to log his food through the app twice a week by either taking pictures or searching for the correct item in SugoSure’s 3000+ food item database.  That seemed like a hassle but once he started logging, G began to understand the value of the feedback this gave him - in particular SugoSure's blood glucose graphs and food diary.

His health coach helped him to interpret this data and provided further advice on diet, activity and other aspects of his lifestyle.  This support helped G make needed changes and at the same time helped rebuild G’s confidence.

"SugoSure has helped me understand the effect of diet and activity on my blood glucose and weight.  It has helped me take control of my diabetes."

Remote Monitoring of your diabetes by your doctor provides faster problem resolution and builds patient confidence

Another effect of SugoSure which G noticed was a change in the relationship with his doctor: "My doctor visits were more productive as we could easily identify my BG variability and discuss it at my appointments"

In addition to using SugoSure’s data to have more interactive consultations, G’s doctor also accessed his data in between visits to guide adjustments to medication.  G felt this more closely-monitored approach to diabetes care was another benefit of SugoSure.

How lifestyle improvements led to a major drop in HbA1c and better blood glucose control

In his first 3 months use of SugoSure G lost nearly 1kg and increased daily steps from around 5000 to 7500 while his diet showed significant improvement.  G’s HbA1c also dropped a full % point from 8.3% at the start to 7.3% after 3 months.

Based on SugoSure’s questionnaire-based scoring system, G had been quite distressed about his inability to bring his diabetes under control at the start.  After 3 months he showed a very significant drop in distress as a result of the education and support SugoSure provided.

Steady, sustained progress for lasting change

It is now 9 months since G started SugoSure and he has continued to make gradual steady progress.  He has continued to log his food (now including more detailed approaches such as post-meal monitoring) and has started working with a dietitian specialized in Indian foods.  He has managed to increase activity to an average of 10,000 steps daily and has steadily lost weight: he is now 7kg lighter than at the start of the Beta Test.  His latest HbA1c was 6.7% so he has also reached his target for glycaemic control.

"I am very happy that SugoSure has improved my health and diabetic control. My HbA1c has improved, my activity has increased, I am monitoring more and I have a healthier diet. I now know what I have to do.”