My Lifestyle Platform
Can you radically improve your health without a doctor or dietitian at your side? The Dutch foundation Je Leefstijl Als Medicijn set out to find the answer, together with 232 people with type 2 diabetes. The results were published in the scientific journal BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health.
The set-up was surprisingly simple. Participants changed their lifestyle — eating healthier, moving more — without professional guidance. Instead, peer coaches helped them: ordinary people who had already improved their own diabetes and knew from experience what actually works. Everyone tracked their own data, such as weight and blood sugar, and shared it for the research. That is called citizen science: citizens doing science together. Participants were followed for two years.
The results after one year speak for themselves. Participants lost on average 7.3 kilos — 8.8% of their body weight. Waist circumference shrank by 8.7 centimetres. Long-term blood sugar (HbA1c) dropped by 11.8 points, where doctors are usually already pleased with 6. Fasting blood sugar fell as well. And those still sharing data after two years had held on to their result.
Why does this matter so much? Medication keeps blood sugar low for as long as you take it, but does not remove the cause. These participants tackled the cause themselves — with only the support of people who had gone before them. It shows how powerful a community of experts by experience can be. That community power is what inspires My Lifestyle Platform: an anonymous community, citizen science and an AI coach for everyday questions — helping people keep healthy habits going.
The stories and studies on this page are informational — not medical advice. Individual results vary; never change medication or treatment without consulting your doctor.