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Love Island star Marcel Somerville on diabetes

2nd October 2020
Posted by Aston Avery

The UK has one of the highest rates of type 1 diabetes in the world with about 400,000 cases, including 29,000 children.

For many fit and healthy adults discovering they have the autoimmune disease can come as a shock, not least that the average person with the condition will have about 65,000 insulin injections and measure their blood glucose levels more than 80,000 times in their lifetime.

Research performed by Quin, a digital health company, found nearly 1 in 2 diabetics stated that they often needed to correct their insulin dose following the initial injection, while 85% felt that health-tech apps give individuals the freedom to better manage their lifestyle and wellness more independently. The research also found that 55% of respondents with type 1 diabetes experience anxiety and stress, 46% experience depression and 50% experienced increased fatigue.

But help is at hand as Quin has created an app that learns the user’s habits to help them decide how much insulin to take and when.  About 76% of the app’s beta testers with type 1 diabetes this summer said it improved their quality of life.

Aston spoke to Marcel Somerville, former Blazin Squad member and Love Island star to share his experience of having type 1 diabetes and talk more about the decisions he makes every day as a result. Aston also spoke to Cyndi Willaims, CEO at Quin to explain how their new app can help manage diabetes through data-learning technology.