Exercise plays a vital role in preventing and managing diabetes, but there is very little published research on the subject.
To provide a lasting legacy for the mHealth Grand Tour, we worked with Professor Mike Trenell from Newcastle University, one of the leading experts in diabetes and exercise, to answer important questions, through a first-of-its kind live observational study was undertaken during the ride.
Professor Mike Trenell worked with people taking part in the tour, from elite athletes with Type 1 diabetes to people without diabetes.
The research team equipped volunteer riders with Garmin bike computers to track performance and a heart rate monitor to track heart rate throughout the tour. The volunteers were also be given state of the art continuous glucose monitoring systems (CGMs) to look at how blood sugar levels change in athletes with and without diabetes.
Of course, with this being the mHealth Grand Tour, the data was transmitted automatically and wirelessly over the Orange mobile network, so the athletes could focus on their performance.
Professor Mike and his team explored:
- How riding affects blood sugar levels during the day and at night
- How different athletes manage their diabetes (insulin and glucose)
- How high-performance athletes with Type 1 diabetes manage their diabetes compared with non-competitive athletes with Type 1 diabetes
- How people with diabetes can teach athletes without diabetes about how to prevent low blood sugar levels during a ride
The results and conclusions from the study will be presented at EASD in Vienna in September 2014.
The Technical Solution
In order to carry out the observational study, the GSMA and its Partners needed to create a new end-to-end solution for diabetes management that would:
- Capture health and fitness data
- Securely, wirelessly transmit and store data using Continua Health Alliance standards(Continua is a non-profit organization dedicated to establishing a system of interoperable connected health solutions)
- Integrate technologies from multiple vendors
- Demonstrate a replicable solution to an international community of mobile operators, technology vendors, clinicians and patients
Technology Partners
-
ANT+: Official technology partner
- Ultra-low power wireless technology
- Enable biometric statistics to be captured and shared via ANT+ partner devices and ANT+ enabled smartphones
-
Dexcom: Wireless glucose monitoring
- G5 continuous glucose monitor (CGM) enabled with ANT+ technology
- Sony Mobile: Provider of ANT+ enabled Xperia handsets
-
Orange: Official connectivity partner
- Capture, store and securely share patient health records during the ride across 5 European markets
- Also provide rider geolocation portal during ride
- HMM: Provider of M2M module
- McCann Health: Data visualisation portal
