Gamification and Type 1 diabetes management? There's now an app for that

SAN FRANCISCO — MySugr Companion, one of Europe's leading and award-winning diabetes apps for iPhone, is now available for download in the U.S. App Store, the app developer announced Thursday.

Consumer technology has shown a new trend of monitoring fitness and well-being data in products like the Nike+ and Fitbit. "But Type 1 diabetics are the true champions of the quantified self-movement," commented mySugr advisory board member Tim Ferriss. 

"Currently, 371 million people around the world live with diabetes. Frequent blood-sugar monitoring and pattern analysis are key to optimal diabetes control, but the day-in-day-out monotony can lead even the most responsible patients to 'diabetes burnout,'" stated mySugr co-founder Fredrik Debong. "MySugr Companion transforms a manual chore into a fun, interactive game. As a team including several people with Type 1 diabetes, we're excited to be able to share our award-winning app with over 12 million Americans who manage their diabetes with insulin."

MySugr Companion is an FDA-approved diabetes management app that helps people with insulin-treated diabetes take control of their therapy through play. Taking a cue from the popularity of games among smartphone users of all ages, mySugr aims to make diabetes self-care less of a hassle and feel more like a game.

MySugr developed the app to provide motivation and positive feedback as users track their vital statistics. By turning diabetes self-management into a game, mySugr Companion helps people with diabetes to manage their therapy and stick with their program, while building up a data set to better understand how their body responds to specific foods, moods and activities. A recent study by researchers from the Medical University of Vienna and INSEAD Healthcare Management showed high and consistent retention among European mySugr Companion users, better than any other app in the health category.

"Anything that helps people with diabetes stay engaged with their self-management and reach their health goals is a step in the right direction. MySugr is a giant leap forward," noted Howard Zisser, director of clinical research and diabetes technology at the Sansum Diabetes Research Institute in Santa Barbara, Calif.

Two online videos spotlight the innovative mySugr app: http://vimeo.com/67724553 and http://vimeo.com/67717425.

Since its launch outside the U.S. in 2012, mySugr Companion has become the top diabetes management app in the Medical category of the App Store in 6 countries, including Germany, France and Italy, the company reported. 

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