WO2007009407A1

WO2007009407A1 - Method for supplying nutritional data to diabetics

Info

Publication number: WO2007009407A1
Application number: PCT/CZ2006/000047
Authority: WO
Inventors: Bohdan Janak; Martin Bruzl
Original assignee: Medatron, Spol. S R.O.
Priority date: 2005-07-22
Filing date: 2006-07-19
Publication date: 2007-01-25
Also published as: CZ2005475A3

Abstract

Method for supplying nutritional data to diabetics is performed by locating a database of foods and beverages structured according to categories, groups, and types on an Internet server. This database is in a format allowing the loading to a mobile phone that supports the corresponding system platform. Each meal or beverage is allotted its nutritional value expressed in carbohydrate units, and together with the database a search program of the database is emplaced on the server. The patient gets connected to the server by his mobile phone provided with a protocol for Internet connection and a corresponding program platform, the database with the program is loaded to the telephone memory, whereupon - off-line already, by controlling the push buttons of the telephone keyboard the respective types of meals and beverages with their nutritional values, or else the carbohydrate units according to the selected amount of meal or beverage can be found.

Description

Method for supplying nutritional data to diabetics

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the method for supplying nutritional data of meals and beverages to diabetics.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Diabetes mellitus is a serious and chronic disorder accompanying the patient from its manifestation down to the end of his/her life. It is caused by loss of insulin secretion or loss of insulin effect in the tissues. The insulin missing in the organism due to this disease should be regularly delivered in form of injections in parallel with controlling blood glucose and consistent maintaining the balance between the saccharides received in the food and the doses of insulin applied. A patient who consistently monitors these parameters ought to evaluate the respective nutritional value and adapt the dosage of insulin expressed in carbohydrate units prior to taking any meal or beverage containing saccharides. Or, the other way round, the patient ought to learn how to allot the corresponding mass of received food or drink to a certain number of carbohydrate units. Various devices as well as sophisticated systems have been developed for this purpose, beginning with tables in paper form down to research in computer databases with Internet approach. The drawback of known electronic systems of this type resides in their being bound to a computer, be it stationary or portable. Stationary computers are available only in apartments or work places, portable computers, even miniature ones, are not affordable to all population strata. Patients required to carry with them printed or computerized nutritional tables (desirable as it may be) would suffer a considerable impairment of their life quality and of personal comfort.

The published patent application US 2004054263 discloses the way of monitoring in diabetics by way of a mobile telephone connectable with the glucometre of the patient. The mobile telephone transmits the information of the momentary condition of the patient to the health centre and the health centre sends, by way of telephone, a recommendation relating to the quantity and composition of food, the amount of physical load etc. to the patient. Operating such a system is both technically and materially very demanding, while solving only professional assistance when the patient reacts to the measured value of blood glucose. Moreover, it requires permanent or at least frequent on-line linking to the network.

It is an aim of the present invention to propose a simple and operational method of providing the patient with information on nutritional values of food, while creating a device for maintaining the balance between the saccharides in the taken food and the applied insulin doses.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The method for supplying nutritional data to diabetics resides in that a database of foods and drinks structured according to categories, groups and types is located on an Internet server. This database is in a format that enables loading to a mobile phone supporting the respective system platform. Each food and drink is allotted its nutritional value expressed in carbohydrate units, and along with the database a search program is located on the server. The patient gets connected to the server by way of his/her mobile telephone equipped with a protocol for the Internet connection and for the respective program platform, the database with the program is loaded to the telephone memory, whereupon - off-line already, by controlling push buttons of the telephone keyboard, the respective types of meals and beverages with their allotted nutritional values, or else the carbohydrate units according to the selected amount of meal or beverage can be found.

For ensuring the link between the server operator with the manufacturer or the supplier of the insulin dosage device of the patient it is preferable to use a serial number of such device, or possibly an activation code provided by the manufacturer or supplier of the device, as a key for connecting the mobile telephone to the server.

Prior to entering the meals or beverages the size of the carbohydrate unit used by the patient can be set by way of the keyboard.

The selected meal can be found in the menu according to category, group, type, or name. In a preferable embodiment a number of meals and/or beverages will be selected on the display within the chosen amounts, the allotted nutritional value being the sum of nutritional values of the chosen meals and beverages.

By way of keys on the keyboard the amount of the chosen meal or beverage can be entered and the respective number of carbohydrate units can be found, or else the number of carbohydrate units can be set and the respective quantity is allotted to them.

It is preferable to generate also further nutritional data on the display in addition to the carbohydrate units for the various chosen meals and beverages, and namely the contents of saccharides, fats, and proteins, as well as the caloric value of the food or beverage.

The database loaded to the telephone memory can be complemented by adding further types of foods and drinks with their corresponding nutritional values, using the keyboard.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

In pilot operation the server www.medatron.cz connected to the Internet was used to emplace the database of meals and beverages comprising 1635 items, as well as a program for searching this database. The volume of data comprised in this package amounts to 56 kB. A patient having a mobile telephone NOKIA 6230 equipped with the WAP protocol and JAVA program platform gets connected to the server, logs-in by way of the serial number of his/her insulin pump and loads the database with search program into the telephone memory. The database working regime is as follows: First of all the size of carbohydrate unit used by the patient, i.e. 10 g or 12 g of saccharides, should be set on the phone display by way of the keyboard. After the specific food product has been chosen from the menu according to category, group, or type, as marketed, the amount is selected - the weight, volume or number of pieces that the patient intends to consume. The display shows automatically the corresponding nutritional value expressed in carbohydrate units. If the number of carbohydrate units is determined first, the corresponding amount of food or drink will automatically appear in the display. The selected meal or beverage can be combined by adding further items from the menu, thus creating a dish set. During this procedure each meal or beverage or their combination is provided by further data in addition to the carbohydrate units, and namely the mass content of saccharides, fats, and proteins and the total caloric value. In one of the configurations of the display selected from the basic menu further food according to the patient choice can be added to the display, its nutritional value can be allotted and then it can be entered to the respective segment of the database.

The method according to the present invention enables the patient, according to the composition and amount of food intended to be consumed, to react with the help of the mobile phone off-line, operatively and very precisely, by supplying the respective amount of insulin carbohydrate units into his/her blood circulation, or else to react to the applied insulin dose by consuming a corresponding amount of food.

Claims

C L A I M S

1. Method for supplying nutritional data of meals and beverages to diabetics, characterized in that a database of foods and drinks structured according to categories, groups, and types is located on an Internet server, each meal and beverage is allotted its nutritional value expressed in carbohydrate units, and along with the database a search program is located on the server; the patient gets connected to the server by way of his/her mobile telephone equipped with a protocol for the Internet connection and for the respective program platform, the database with the program is loaded to the telephone memory, whereupon - offline already, by controlling the push buttons of the telephone keyboard, the respective types of meals and beverages with their allotted nutritional values, or else the carbohydrate units according to the selected amount of meal or beverage can be found.

2. Method according to claim 1 , characterized in that a serial number of the insulin dosage device of the patient or an activation code provided by the manufacturer or supplier of the device will be used as a key for connecting the mobile phone to the server.

3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the size of the carbohydrate unit used by the patient is set by way of the keyboard.

4. Method according to claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the selected meal on the display will be chosen from the menu according to category, group, type, or name.

5. Method according to claims 1 to 4, characterized in that a number of meals and/or beverages will be selected on the display within the determined amounts, the allotted nutritional value being the sum of nutritional values of the chosen meals and beverages.

6. Method according to claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the amount of the chosen meal or beverage is set by way of the keyboard and then the number of carbohydrate units is determined, or else the number of carbohydrate units can be set and the respective quantity is allotted to them.

7. Method according to claims 1 to 6, characterized in that for the various chosen meals and beverages and their combinations also further nutritional data are generated on the display in addition to the carbohydrate units, and namely the contents of saccharides, fats, proteins, and the caloric value.

8. Method according to claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the database loaded in the memory of the telephone will be complemented, by way of the keyboard, by further types of foods and drinks with their corresponding nutritional values.