Initiative with DayTwo offered participants a personalized approach to lasting wellness
Weight loss. Medication reductions. Lowered A1C. Diabetes remission.
These, in addition to increased time-in-range, greater energy and improved sleep, are just some of the results of a program conducted throughout central and eastern Michigan aimed at improving health markers of those with Type 2 diabetes.
The program was done as a pilot with DayTwo, a precision health company using microbiome data to create individualized paths toward healthier lives for those with diabetes and other chronic conditions. The pilot offered a short-term trial to evaluate the program in a real-world setting following extensive successful clinical trials and allow organizations to opt into it long-term.
Dr. Cathy Baase, M.D., former chief health officer at Dow and chair emerita of the Michigan Health Improvement Alliance board of directors, brought together area health care systems and physicians with the help of the Saginaw Chamber of Commerce and Saginaw Future to understand DayTwo’s personalized approach and the outcomes of its clinical trials. With their buy-in, a program launched in the region in 2019 as a cost-free benefit to employees at participating organizations, including Ascension St. Mary’s Hospital, Central Michigan University, Covenant HealthCare, MyMichigan Health and the Morley Companies.
Personalized approaches, extraordinary outcomes
DayTwo’s approach to helping individuals with diabetes and other chronic conditions create healthy lifestyle habits is personal.
Participants began with assessments, including a microbiome test to understand their body’s unique response to the foods they were consuming. A continuous glucose monitor and an app linked with their microbiome results helped participants learn the real-time impact different foods had on biomarkers like blood sugar. Regular meetings with a health coach and nutritionist allowed participants to tune into their individual food responses, promoted accountability and empowered them to make the right choices for their biology.
After the one-year trial, the results matched the promising outcomes achieved in the clinical trials.
“The results from the pilots were pretty extraordinary,” Baase said. “Not only the physical results, but the insurance cost savings, too. Participants were truly getting healthier across the board.”
From feeling out of control to feeling empowered
Tara Schultz, a CMU employee and program participant, knew she needed a lifestyle change when she received information about DayTwo in early 2020.
“I got the flier and was thinking that I needed to do something,” she said. “My diabetes was out of control. My weight was up. I wasn’t feeling good. I was tired and didn’t feel like doing a lot of activity.”
For Schultz, the step-by-step approach helped her find consistency and achieve results. From setting obtainable goals to the tools provided by DayTwo, Schultz said the ease, adaptability and encouragement of the program made it one she could stick to.
Her ultimate goal was to get off of her medication. Within three months, she was able to stop taking one of them. By the end of the pilot, she was off them all.
“For me, the biggest part is that I feel in control of my health and overall wellness,” she said. “Now, I go to the doctor and I’m excited to see the improvement. It’s one less stress in my life knowing I’m in control of my health.”
Life-altering event leads to life-changing habits
Tom Idema joined the pilot at CMU after a tough battle with COVID-19 in fall 2020.
“COVID kicked my butt. It was pretty bad,” he said. “I had a lot of down time, and I was praying. I said, ‘God, if I get through this, I’m making lifestyle changes.’ Shortly after, I got a call about DayTwo. I knew it was a sign.”
When Idema joined the program, he was 320 pounds and had been a diabetic since the early 2000s.
Through consistent food tracking and monitoring his body’s response after eating, Idema learned sustainable nutrition habits that allowed him to still enjoy his favorite food — macaroni and cheese — while keeping his blood sugar stable. He also started walking daily.
Today, he’s lost more than 80 pounds, cut his A1C in half and stopped taking all medications. His Type 2 diabetes is in remission. In addition to walking, he has added weight training to his regime. Recently, he was playing soccer — something he says he wouldn’t have ever considered just a few years ago.
“I credit DayTwo for saving my life,” he said. “COVID shined a bright light on that for me. Had I not made the changes that I did in the program, I don’t know where I’d be today.”
Helping all achieve a healthier lifestyle
The DayTwo pilot addressed many priorities of the Michigan Health Improvement Alliance and its partners, including overall improvement of the health and well-being of area residents, using food as medicine and utilizing technologies to improve medical care.
“We were looking for ways to make a difference in the health priorities our community wanted us to focus on,” Baase said. “DayTwo brought that into play in many ways.”
After the program’s initial success, organizations like CMU extended the partnership. In an effort to expand access to the outcomes facilitated by DayTwo, the program began servicing individuals with Medicaid insurance in metro Detroit in 2021.
“The additional benefit was that this effort helped Michigan more broadly,” Baase said. “The potential for what the program could do for residents was what was initially attractive. Seeing the lasting improvements in the quality of life of those in our region — and across the state — means we are taking steps in the right direction.”