Towards the end of 2011, 10 diabetes focus apps for the iPhone were reviewed by a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (known formerly as the American Dietetic Association).
Below you will find those apps grouped based on how many stars out of a maximum rating of 5 the app received at that time. We’ll also mention some other apps we have found on the www that are NOT rated on behalf of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Graphic source: Dreamstime.com
Note that some previous blog posts on this site have also addressed various apps. Some of the ones dealing with weight management issues, including tracking food intake such as carbohydrate intake and also in some cases energy expenditure, were posted back in January of 2012 and you are welcome to check out those blog posts of 2JAN2012 and 17JAN2012. We won’t repeat those blog posts content here (that happens to also be relevant to diabetes management) as you can easily read the other blog entries yourself if you are interested.
The listing below is a smattering of what is available in the area of diabetes focus apps and is not meant to be a comprehensive list by any means whatsoever. Any errors, inaccuracies, or omissions are purely unintentional and we will gladly correct them if they are brought to our attention. Information listed was obtained as of the date the blog post was compiled and information on apps is always subject to change, including current price point(s) and version release(s).
Kindly remember that this blog site only provides infotainment and we do not endorse any specific app mentioned here per se, so we leave it up to you, the reader, to decide what makes sense for you in light of your own personal food and nutrition goals, as well as perhaps, fitness goals, as those all relate to diabetes management. If you have other health & medical considerations, those should also be taken into account. Please seek out and obtain medical advice from your own medical provider(s) as diabetes management requires a thorough and integrated team approach.
Please note that just because one particular RD gave an app a specific score does not mean all other RDs would give that same app that same score. Different strokes for different folks! Consider what works for YOU and will enable YOU to adequately communicate information to your health care practitioner(s) (if you plan to send data to them via any app portal) and then make your own decision on which app(s) YOU might want to use. If you are working with a specific RD, be sure to discuss specifics with her or him, since as part of your health care team, the RD can contribute content-specific expertise, which when it comes to living with diabetes, can be truly invaluable.
RATED APPS
Ratings Compiled by Marisa Moore, MBA, RD, LD on Behalf of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Rated 5 out of 5 stars:
- Blood Sugar Tracker free version 1.3 by healthycloud.com sold by Healthy Cloud LLC compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. It enables you to set target Blood Glucose levels and then log actual levels. It will then graph the levels and export the results in csv and/or text.
- Vree for Diabetes free version 2.1.4 by Merck & Co. sold by Merck, Sharp and Dhome, Corp, a subsidiary of Merck & Co. compatible with the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. It focuses on type 2 DM management, specifically addressing diabetes education. It also tracks Blood Glucose levels and provides various reminders addressing activity, blood pressure, eating, medication, and nutrition. Progress reports as charts allow individuals to easily discuss results with their health care provider(s).
Rated 4 out of 5 Stars:
- bant diabetes app for the ePatient, free version 1.4.3, by University Health Network sold by University Health network compatible with the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. It allows individuals to track their blood glucose data captures and integrates same into their Personal Health Records.
- Diabetes Companion aka dLife free version 1.0.8 by dLife compatible with the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. It tracks Blood Glucose levels in mg/dl not mmol/l measurements. It also provides access to over 9,000 recipes and over 25,000 foods with specific nutritional analysis. There are also some 400 videos available and a Q&A community forum where some 4,000 diabetes questions have been answered.
- GluCoMo less than $1USD version 1.0.4 by Artificial Life, Inc. sold by Artificial Life Inc. compatible with the iPhone and iPad. It is an electronic diary that provides “diabetes monitoring and patient coaching services” that allows “diabetics to monitor their blood sugar level, food consumption, insulin intake and other diabetes related activities” and the data is transferred to a center where physicians, etc., within the authorized health care network can access it via various health care network portals.
- Glucose Buddy – Diabetes Helper free version 3.6.5 w/cross-device sync + BP/WT tracking, by oneAppOneCause, sold by Tom Xu of Sky Health LLC compatible with the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Integrates with CalorieTrack app. Graphs your Blood Glucose results in comparison to your food intake and activity data. You can purchase a 2-way cross-device upgrade.
- WaveSense Diabetes Manager free version 1.03 by AgaMatrix and sold by them compatible with the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. It tracks your Blood Glucose (BG) results in relation to your carbohydrate intake and insulin dosing (however, note that it uses a scatter plot rather than a line graph, thus making it more difficult to compare blood glucose level trends). You can also watch videos pertaining to living with diabetes courtesy of dLife. You can also email BG results to your health care practitioner(s).
Rated 2 out of 5 Stars:
- Carb Master Free, free version 1.5 by Deltaworks and sold by Deltaworks Limited, compatible with the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. It tracks carbohydrate intake.
- Diabetes Buddy Lite free version 1.4 by BHI Technologies, Inc. states it is compatible with the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. It claims to track factors than influence your Blood Glucose levels, but it is reported that data is not integrated or graphed. We could find no support whatsoever for this app on the BHI Technologies website available as of the time of this blog entry.
- Diabetes Log, free version 0.97.5 by Distal Thoughts, sold by Chris Ross, compatible with the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Available in English and an effort is being made to offer it on other non-English languages as well. Endeavors to track Blood Glucose readings in conjunction with food intake and medication dosages for individuals with type 1 diabetes. You can export results in csv over email. Early version dated January 2009.
UNRATED APPS
We have also included some other unrated apps as an FYI. These were mentioned in various locations, including in an article by a pharmacy student.
Blood Pal – Glucose Tracker free version 1.2 by Deltaworks compatible with the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad costs under $1USD to upgrade to paid version. This software reportedly logs Blood Glucose level, time of measurement, and relates it to any data concerning meal consumption. It also states it is integrated with a separate Pill Tracker module.
Carb Counting with Lenny US free version 1.1 by Medtronic, Inc. sold by Medtronic, Inc. for iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. Other games also at the website. Android version 1.1 is also available. It includes Lenny’s Food Guide and Lenny’s Carb Games.
Diabetes Pilot less than $15USD version 5.1.1 by Digital Altitudes, LLC compatible with the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. In order to synchronize with a Mac or PC, a separate software purchase is required. It claims to record Blood Glucose (mg/dL or mmol/L), blood pressure, exercise, meals, medications, notes about test results, weight, and/or any other information that’s of interest to you. It states it graphs your daily Blood Glucose readings and sends reports and exports data via email.
Diabetes IQ with UCSF free version 1.1.1 by Quantia Communications compatible with the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Has been described as the “Angry birds – Diabetes edition” — iMedicalApps” focuses on patient education when it comes to diabetes including its various types, progression, complications, and treatment. Media includes games, puzzles, and quizzes formats. Participants can explore what is available via the UCSF Diabetes Teaching Center. Diaries enable users to track data concerning blood glucose, blood pressure, exercise, and weight and reportedly share that data with their health care professional(s).
Diamedic less than $6USD version 3.1.1 by Nicholas Martin compatible with the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Software claims to record: Blood Glucose readings; exercise workouts; insulin injections and doses of other medications; lab results; and vital statistics, and allow you to see results in graphic form as well as enable you to send data via email to your health care practitioner.
Glucose-Charter less than $1USD version 5.1 Lite by e-Agent compatible with the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. The software description states it is a blood glucose, insulin and medication recording tool.
Please feel free to let us know if you are familiar with any other related apps that you would like to see mentioned as well.
Quality of life matters, so make the time for eating right and getting enough exercise–your body as well as your family & friends will thank you for it!