BBC News broadcasts interview with Diabetes Digital Media founding CEO

Type 2 diabetes does not have to be a “chronic and progressive disease” as demonstrated by data from the Low Carb Program, according to the organisation’s founding CEO.

Diabetes Digital Media’s founding Chief Exective Officer Arjun Panesar appeared on BBC Business Live on BBC News and BBC World Service on Thursday, November 1, to discuss the success of Diabetes Digital Media (DDM)’s digital health interventions and population health impact.

Previously, type 2 diabetes was understood to be a chronic and progressive disease, whereas the data we’re providing is going to show that it doesn’t have to be, Arjun Panesar

Speaking live in the studio, Arjun said: “The Low Carb Program is a digital health intervention that provides patients with personalised education, support and resources so they can achieve their health goals.

“There’s around four million people with diabetes in the UK and the platform has 375,000 people with type 2 diabetes. Published evidence goes to demonstrate that one in four people who complete the program place their type 2 diabetes into remission at one-year.”

The Low Carb Program is a 10-week, evidence-based structured behavioural change programme supporting patients with type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes to place their condition into remission. A low-carbohydrate approach to blood glucose control can help people lose weight, improve their health and wellbeing, and their medication dependency.

Outcomes of the platform were published in JMIR Diabetes earlier this year.

The platform received QISMET approval earlier this year, enabling patients with type 2 diabetes to be provided the program as structured education.

https://www.facebook.com/Diabetes.co.uk/videos/341048893320890/

Inspired by his grandfather

Diabetes Digital Media is best known for operating the world’s largest diabetes community, Diabetes.co.uk. Arjun founded the Diabetes.co.uk forum after his grandfather was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and “wasn’t sure what to eat”.

Arjun added: “Food and nutrition has always been a concern for people with diabetes and it was exactly the same for my grandfather. It was around the same time Twitter and Facebook were coming out to the UK, so we launched the world’s first diabetes support forum.

“Diabetes.co.uk is really just one strand. We provide a number of digital health solutions that are for people with diabetes.”

Since 1980, the number of people with diabetes has grown from 108 million to 422 million in 2014, which is an increase of nearly 300 per cent.