Press Release Summary = New website will help people with diabetes keep better track of glucose levels
Press Release Body = For Immediate Release July 2007 Contact: Marston Alfred at 619-573-4071 Daerick Lanakila at 808-985-7365 PO Box 909(11-2661 Makoa Rd) Volcano, HI 96785 marston@sugarstats.com dlanakila@sugarstats.com www.sugarstats.com
New website will help people with diabetes keep better track of glucose levels
SugarStats.com goes public
Managing blood sugar records can help diabetics manage their disease
Volcano, Hawaii -Tracking blood glucose levels, making sense of the numbers and sharing the all-important data with doctors could all get easier for the millions of people living with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, with the launch this month of a new website created by a 24-year-old computer engineer who knows the challenges of the disease firsthand.
And that, in turn, could translate into better glycemic control and better outcomes for the rapidly growing number of people-nearly 21 million in the U.S. alone-coping with diabetes, the sixth leading cause of death in the nation.
SugarStats.com will open to the public tomorrow, June 19, offering a web-based system to record and track glucose levels and medication usage, food intake, and exercise and activity levels, information that can be critically important in controlling the disease.
\"Every diabetic knows they need to keep good records of their blood sugar, their medications, what and how much food they eat, and how much exercise they do. That's the information they and their doctors need in order to best manage their diabetes," said the site's creator, Marston Alfred, who was diagnosed with juvenile-or type 1-diabetes when he was 8-years-old.
Alfred said he designed the site to provide a simple, completely web-based interface to track, monitor and access diabetics\' glucose levels and diabetes statistics so they or their health care providers would be able to spot dangerous trends, and better manage a diabetic lifestyle from any web browser. He said he conceived of and developed SugarStats.com after a computer program he created for his own use helped him lower blood sugar levels by 25 percent. SugarStats.com - p.2
"After I saw how well it worked, I decided this should be available for all diabetics," he said.
Numerous medical studies have shown that close control of glucose levels substantially cuts the risk of both acute and long-term diabetic complications-including cardiovascular, renal and vision problems, among others.
Similarly, other studies have shown that web-based programs like SugarStats.com can help people with diabetes reduce blood sugar levels, as measured by a standard blood test used to monitor average glucose levels over several months. The National Institutes of Health, American Medical Association and American Diabetes Association studies have all concluded that web-based programs can have a significant impact, as long as the diabetic's health care practitioner can view the data. But such programs have not been generally available up to now.
SugarStats.com aims to address that lack through a "simple, uncluttered interface that allows people to see exactly what changes they need to make in order to have a healthier life," said Alfred, who teamed with his parents, Daerick and Nedrra Lanakila, to create SugarStats.com.
"Those with diabetes can then easily share this information with their health care professional(s), family and friends to get further consultation, guidance or support," he added.
Even before the site's public launch, a test version was reaching a limited audience, and generating feedback suggesting that Alfred was hitting that mark. SugarStats.com's test market elicited a number of testimonials and has already begun to create buzz on the Internet, where bloggers have picked up on the possibilities and at least one ardent supporter has already posted his testimonial both on his blog and in a video on YouTube.
"A while back, I blogged about SugarStats, a Web 2.0 application for Diabetes Management," Manny Hernandez, said. "Today, I can proudly say I have effectively been able to reduce my blood glucose levels by almost 10 percent in the past month, by exercising more and becoming more aware of my eating habits and glucose trends, thanks to SugarStats.com."
After the introductory period, basic registration on the site will remain free, offering both glucose and medication tracking. A premium level will offer the added features of food and exercise tracking for a small monthly or yearly fee, Alfred said.
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Web Site = http://www.sugarstats.com
Contact Details = Contact: Marston Alfred at 619-573-4071 Daerick Lanakila at 808-985-7365 PO Box 909(11-2661 Makoa Rd) Volcano, HI 96785 marston@sugarstats.com dlanakila@sugarstats.com www.sugarstats.com
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