This content material initially appeared on On a regular basis Well being. Republished with permission.
By Lauren Bedosky
Medically Reviewed by Kacy Church, MD on November 2, 2022
Right here’s some excellent news: Turning to tech might help you achieve hitting your A1C objective, counting carbs, and shedding weight.
Analysis exhibits that utilizing a diabetes app can enhance your well being. For instance, a evaluate revealed on-line in March 2018 within the journal Diabetes, Weight problems, and Metabolism mixed the outcomes of 16 trials of kind 2 diabetes apps and located that, on common, those that used one noticed a 0.57 % drop in hemoglobin A1C, the typical of blood sugar ranges over the span of three months.
Moreover, a meta-analysis of 14 randomized managed trials revealed in March 2020 in Weight problems revealed that apps actually might help folks with kind 2 diabetes decrease their physique weight and waist circumference.
Lucille Hughes, CDCES, the proprietor of the company communications firm Inventive Teamwork Providers in Westbury, New York, has discovered that diabetes apps are useful for her sufferers. “My sufferers are extra in contact with their diabetes. They’re extra engaged with their diabetes, and that’s the last word objective,” she says.
Kristen F. Gradney, RDN, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, says, “[They] present nice monitoring that can assist you predict your A1C, and that’s necessary so you may make real-time modifications and enhance your outcomes.” Apps is usually a good solution to share the way you’re doing along with your healthcare staff, too, says Gradney, who makes a speciality of diabetes and can also be a senior director of healthcare facilities in colleges at Our Woman of the Lake Youngsters’s Well being.
The marketplace for diabetes and different well being apps has exploded. In accordance with a survey revealed in April 2019 in Frontiers in Endocrinology, about one-third of individuals with kind 2 diabetes and about half of folks with kind 1 diabetes stated they used apps to handle life with their situation. The survey included 1,052 respondents with kind 1 diabetes and 630 folks with kind 2 diabetes. The authors wrote that these apps have been linked with higher self-care and improved blood sugar management.
The advantages are clear. However with so many apps out there, how do you select one that’s best for you?
What to Search for in an App to Handle Diabetes
When you’re newly recognized, a licensed diabetes care and training specialist (CDCES) might help you prioritize areas to concentrate on and might suggest a easy app for simply that function, says Hughes. You can even entry a web site known as Danatech that features rigorous critiques of diabetes apps, and use this useful resource when speaking to a CDCES to determine helpful choices in your particular person well being.
You’ll wish to think about your total consolation stage with expertise. Many apps are wealthy with options, however for some folks, this may really feel overwhelming. However, should you’re the sort of one that loves information and expertise, one of many extra complete apps is likely to be a perfect means so that you can deal with diabetes administration.
Many diabetes units, from glucose meters to steady glucose screens (CGMs) and insulin pumps, include an built-in app that syncs the gadget to your telephone. These will most definitely work nicely along with your units, and your diabetes educator can present you the way they work.
Nonetheless, these decisions are only the start, and there are many different choices to discover. We’ve listed our prime picks for a number of varieties of apps, specializing in those who have quite a few and constant good critiques from customers and have been up to date lately. Many supply related options, so chances are you’ll wish to obtain a couple of and see that are best so that you can use.
The App Everybody Ought to Have
Medical ID
Android score: 4.7 stars
Free
Typically the best expertise is a very powerful. “Everybody ought to use both an app or telephone performance that may present medical data within the occasion of an emergency,” Gradney says. The Medical ID app does simply that. Create a medical profile that features any very important data that first responders would possibly have to know to deal with you in an emergency scenario (similar to allergy symptoms, blood kind, drugs, medical contacts), and make that data accessible from the lock display screen in your telephone (you are able to do this within the app). A medical profile is a part of the Well being app that comes normal on iPhones (that’s why there’s no score on the App Retailer), and it’s easy to arrange. You probably have an Android gadget, you’ll must obtain it from Google Play.
Apps to Monitor Meals and Train
MyFitnessPal
Apple score: 4.7
Android score: 4.3
Free, with in-app upgrades out there
MyFitnessPal is likely one of the hottest well being apps round. “[It] affords vital performance for monitoring, so that you’re in a position to find a number of merchandise with correct vitamin information,” Gradney says. With MyFitnessPal, you possibly can log many restaurant meals and even use a barcode scanner to rapidly lookup meals at a retailer or in your pantry. It additionally doubles as an train tracker, supplying you with house to log your bodily exercise and syncing with many exercise-tracking units. Improve to MyFitnessPal Premium and also you’ll unlock extra options, similar to a meals evaluation instrument that reveals which meals rank highest in vitamins you wish to regulate and guided health and vitamin plans to realize your objectives. (The present premium subscription worth is $19.99 per 30 days or $79.99 per 12 months, however you possibly can strive it free for one month.) An analogous choice is CalorieKing, which is free on Google Play and on the App Retailer (although it has decrease rankings).
Carb Supervisor
Apple score: 4.8
Android score: 4.7
Free, with in-app upgrades out there
This app tracks carbs, as nicely protein, fats, and energy, with a database of meals and a bar code scanner. You possibly can log your meals with images and voice memos. It allows you to set and monitor a weight reduction objective, in addition to log train, although syncing with health trackers requires an improve to the subscription service. Word that this app consists of options for these following a low-carbohydrate weight loss program, a ketogenic weight loss program, or intermittent fasting. Jeniece Ilkowitz, RN, CDCES, a analysis nurse at New York College Langone Well being in New York Metropolis, notes that these diets aren’t acceptable for everybody: Be cautious about taking dietary recommendation from an app, and test along with your main care physician, endocrinologist, RDN, or CDCES earlier than making modifications to your weight loss program.
The free model affords a meals diary, macro tracker, calorie counter, weight log (charting each weight reduction and physique mass index), and train tracker, however including the subscription service means that you can monitor blood glucose and insulin values. (The present subscription worth is $8.49 per 30 days or $39.99 per 12 months.)
Figwee Visible Meals Diary (Android)
Apple score: 4.7
Android score: 3.4
Free, with in-app upgrades out there
Are you aware what normal portion sizes appear like? Except you measure your meals, chances are high you’re logging inaccurate portion sizes. Figwee takes the guesswork out of monitoring your meals, and offers you a extra correct sense of your consumption, by permitting you to view images of incremental portion sizes. Simply seek for the meals you wish to log, choose the photograph that matches what you ate, and transfer the slider on the photograph up or down to regulate the portion till you see the correct quantity. Then faucet so as to add it to your meals diary.
You’ll additionally see vitamin information (energy, fats, carbs, ldl cholesterol, and so forth.) for the portion you ate. “This might help many sufferers after they’re out consuming in a restaurant to know what number of carbohydrates they’re consuming based mostly on what’s been served,” says the Miami-based registered dietitian Amy Kimberlain, CDCES, a nationwide spokesperson for the Academy of Diet and Dietetics.
Improve to the paid model for extra options, like an exercise tracker, customized meals builder (should you can’t discover your meals of their database), desktop integration, and 0 adverts. (The present subscription price is $7.99 per 30 days.)
Calorie Counter by FatSecret
Apple score: 4.7
Android score: 4.6
Free, with in-app upgrades out there
The food-tracking app from FatSecret is the one which Kimberlain makes use of most frequently together with her sufferers. “I don’t suggest the identify, however the functionality is why I take advantage of it,” she says. It lets you monitor your meals (use a barcode scanner, enter meals manually, or snap a photograph), train, and weight, and share that information along with your healthcare supplier with a hyperlink by way of electronic mail. “[Then] I could make feedback and options based mostly on what’s entered,” Kimberlain says. The app additionally features a journal characteristic so you possibly can preserve tabs in your progress, in addition to a recipe library with loads of wholesome meal concepts.
For much more options, like superior meal planning and dietitian-crafted meal plans to swimsuit a wide range of weight loss program preferences, improve to the premium model for $6.99 per 30 days.
Apps to Monitor Blood Glucose
mySugr
Apple score: 4.7 stars
Android score: 4.4 stars
Free, with in-app upgrades out there
With a cheeky tagline (“We make diabetes suck much less”) and a cute cartoon monster to greet you within the app, mySugr nearly makes logging your diabetes information enjoyable. “It’s aesthetically pleasing [and] straightforward to make use of, and has helpful options like a three-month overview of your final blood glucose ranges that can assist you monitor how your A1C is likely to be,” Gradney says. You can even enter and monitor meds, meals, and carb consumption, and it syncs with the Apple Well being app to gather bodily exercise and step information factors. What’s extra, should you use a CGM, relying on the mannequin, you might be able to hyperlink it to the app to higher monitor blood glucose developments (for a payment).
Improve to the professional subscription and you’ll calculate insulin doses, corrections, and meal photographs, in addition to set reminders to test and log blood sugar ranges. ”You can even obtain and ship stories on to your medical doctors or diabetes educators,” Gradney says. (The present professional subscription prices $2.99 a month or $27.99 a 12 months.)
Health2Sync
Apple score: 4.7
Android score: 4.7
Free, with in-app upgrades out there
You possibly can manually enter your blood glucose values or purchase a particular cable to add your glucometer readings to the app. For each glucose entry, add notes about drugs, temper, train, and meals (you possibly can even add a photograph of your meal for a fast file), after which monitor your developments over the course of the day and long run. This app additionally has options for monitoring blood stress, weight, and A1C. Improve to a premium membership ($2.99 per 30 days) for personalised month-to-month stories, instructional content material, and extra.
DiabetesConnect
Apple score: 4.7
Android score: 4.4
Free, with in-app upgrades out there
On this easy app, you possibly can file your blood sugar, meals, insulin, and drugs. If there’s a characteristic within the app you don’t want, you possibly can swap it off to maintain the interface as clear as doable. The app syncs throughout a number of units and creates clear graphs and stories so you possibly can see the large image of your information. If simplicity is your objective, this can be the precise app for you.
OneTouch Reveal
Apple score: 4.8
Android score: 3.4
Free
This diabetes administration app pairs with the OneTouch Verio Flex and the OneTouch Verio Mirror blood glucose meter to trace your readings over time. The app will notify you about any recurring patterns (instances when your blood glucose is simply too excessive or too low) so to take motion, and it pulls your information into 14-, 30-, and 90-day summaries which you could share along with your physician or diabetes educator. OneTouch Reveal additionally integrates with the Apple Well being app, so you possibly can monitor your blood glucose, steps, weight, coronary heart price, and extra multi function place.
Apps That Do It All
These apps manage all of your information, from blood glucose to weight loss program and train. Placing all that data in a single place could also be handy, however these apps are typically dearer — not less than if you wish to entry all their options.
Glucose Buddy
Apple score: 4.8
Android score: 4.0
Free, with in-app upgrades out there
Like different glucose trackers, Glucose Buddy allows you to enter blood glucose, remedy, and meals, and monitor developments over time. Nevertheless it additionally consists of an intensive meals database, and it allows you to scan barcodes to seize vitamin data from meals merchandise. It syncs to the Dexcom steady blood glucose monitoring system, in addition to the Apple Well being app to trace your steps and different bodily exercise. All that information might be exported to printable stories you possibly can convey to your medical visits. It additionally features a 12-week diabetes training plan that options five-minute classes that can assist you higher handle your diabetes. You’ll have to subscribe to the premium model to entry the A1C calculator and do away with the adverts. (The present premium price is $14.99 per 30 days or $39.99 per 12 months.)
Diabetes Tracker by MyNetDiary (Apple)
MyNetDiary’s Diabetes and Eating regimen Tracker (Android)
Apple score: 4.7
Android score: 4.5
$9.99
You’ll discover nearly every thing you would possibly wish to monitor on this app: blood glucose, insulin, remedy, meals, water consumption, and bodily exercise. It comes with a built-in barcode scanner and a meals database to tally up your nutrient consumption. Additionally included is a GPS tracker to log distances for strolling, operating, or bicycling.
It should remind you to test your blood sugar, and it offers you abstract stories that can assist you perceive the relationships between blood sugar, weight loss program, and train. Add the app’s subscription for a couple of premium options, together with syncing with health trackers and sensible scales. (The present subscription price is $8.99 per 30 days or $59.99 per 12 months.)
Diabetes:M
Apple score: 4.6
Android score: 3.5
Free, with in-app upgrades out there
On prime of monitoring your blood glucose and meals (with a vitamin database and barcode scanner), the Diabetes:M app will calculate insulin boluses for you. By the Apple Well being app, Diabetes:M will sync with different units, together with glucose meters, Fitbit, Garmin, and plenty of others. You’ll have to pay further for the subscription to entry the complete meals database, obtain stories, and do away with the adverts. (The present subscription price is $4.99 per 30 days or $49.99 per 12 months.)
One Drop
Apple score: 4.5
Android score: 3.7
Free, with in-app upgrades out there
Not solely does the free One Drop app monitor your blood glucose, drugs, meals (search the library, scan barcodes, or construct and save your favourite meals), weight, blood stress, and exercise, it additionally affords a Bluetooth-enabled glucose meter that sends readings on to the app. Plus, you possibly can order check strips proper from the app when wanted.
One Drop features a useful teaching element (for a payment), too, Kimberlain says. Pay for a membership to get well being forecasting insights that predict your future blood sugar ranges, and get matched with a private coach who can reply your questions, present suggestions, and supply encouragement. You’ll additionally obtain an interactive transformation plan with useful infographics, quizzes, articles, dedication pledges, and prompts designed to encourage wholesome habits. (The present subscription price is $19.99 per 30 days.)
Noom
Apple score: 4.7
Android score: 3.5
Free, with in-app upgrades out there
Noom goals to assist customers shed extra pounds by utilizing training and conduct change to create wholesome habits. (In accordance with Noom, customers lose 15.5 kilos over 16 weeks on common.)
The app itself is free, however a month-to-month program begins at $44.99.
By every day classes and quizzes, Noom teaches you how one can create wholesome, sustainable habits that in the end result in weight reduction. “I like that it affords some behavioral assist to actually modify behaviors that could be unfavourable,” Gradney says. Noom could also be dear, nevertheless it affords extra assist than your typical weight reduction app. For one factor, you’re partnered on-line with a reside particular person (your coach) who’s skilled that can assist you change unhelpful pondering patterns that result in unhealthy behaviors. You’re additionally added to a training group made up of different Noom customers so you possibly can share wins and challenges and ask for recommendation.
The app affords a meals tracker (with suggestions in your meals decisions), weight log, recipes, interactive challenges, informative articles, in addition to the flexibility to log your blood glucose and blood stress (you’re taking readings individually and manually enter these readings into the app).
Different Diabetes Apps Price Contemplating
Beat Diabetes
Android score: 5.0
Free
Created by a staff of medical professionals, this app is good for anybody with diabetes — particularly those that have been lately recognized. It affords ideas for understanding and managing diabetes, like lists of the very best and worst meals for diabetes, recommendation on controlling blood sugar ranges, descriptions of potential diabetes problems to look at for, and an summary of the newest therapy methods. The one draw back: It’s not at present out there to iPhone customers.
Bezzy T2D
Apple score: 4.7
Android score: 4.4
Free
Dwelling with diabetes might be isolating. So, should you’re trying to join with a group of individuals residing with kind 2 diabetes, give this social app a strive, says Erin Palinski-Wade, RD, CDCES, of Sparta, New Jersey, the creator of 2 Day Diabetes Eating regimen. “There are group discussions, reside occasions, and a library of sources and ideas that can assist you with any query you might need,” she says. And the very best half? It’s free!
To Higher Handle Diabetes, Make Know-how Work for You
As you discover diabetes apps, understand that your objective is to search out the expertise resolution that will likely be match for you, Ilkowitz emphasizes. It ought to assist make your life simpler, no more difficult. Discover apps which can be straightforward to make use of, sync seamlessly along with your units, and offer you helpful data.
Additionally, know that whereas apps might be extremely beneficial instruments, they will’t — and shouldn’t attempt to — exchange individualized medical recommendation. “It’s nonetheless not an individual. It’s nonetheless not the staff,” says Ilkowitz. She advises strolling by way of your apps along with your licensed diabetes educator to make sure they’re acceptable instruments for you and that you simply’re utilizing them accurately.
Further reporting by Alice Callahan.
