Eat Well, Test Well: A New Resource For People With Diabetes Developed By Bayer HealthCare And dLife Healthcare Solutions

TARRYTOWN, N.Y., and WESTPORT, Conn., June 18, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Bayer HealthCare, makers of the CONTOUR® NEXT portfolio of blood glucose meters, and dLife Healthcare Solutions, a leading diabetes behavior change solution, have created and are working together to offer Eat Well, Test Well, a 6-week food and nutrition program for people with diabetes. The Eat Well, Test Well program is available online at no charge and was developed to help educate and motivate people with diabetes to make healthier mealtime choices based on the results of blood sugar testing as a guide.

According to a January 2013 dLife/dQ&A study of over 1,300 people with Type 2 diabetes, more than 85% of respondents said they have tried to make major changes in their food choices one or more times in the last 3 years to better manage their diabetes, yet only one quarter report having stayed on their plan consistently. When asked what would motivate them to change their eating habits, the top two motivators were experiencing more diabetic complications (92%*) or blood glucose testing results were too high (88%*.)

The online program is based on a clinically proven model that organizes information into 6 weekly themes, including carb counting, portion control, the impact of food on blood glucose numbers, and more — designed to help reduce the frustration and stress that may come with making healthy mealtime decisions. The Eat Well, Test Well program offers members support through weekly e-newsletters, as well as articles, videos, recipes, and quizzes — all within a personalized website experience. After completing the program, members should have the knowledge and confidence they need to make better food choices for their own diabetes management.

To encourage enrollment, Bayer HealthCare is offering a CONTOUR® NEXT or CONTOUR® NEXT USB blood glucose meter to every enrollee at no charge. Bayer meters include features, such as Auto-log technology which prompts users to test regularly and track blood glucose numbers in conjunction with mealtimes — enabling them to better understand how their personal food choices impact their blood glucose numbers.

"Bayer HealthCare is continually bringing innovation to blood glucose testing, and the CONTOUR NEXT portfolio of meters with Meal Marker technology provides a simple and smart way for people to test and track at those crucial mealtimes," said Dr. Brian Pflug, Global Medical Affairs, Bayer HealthCare. "By partnering with a leader in diabetes lifestyle management like dLife, we believe we bring the technology and education together for our customers to have a meaningful and lasting improvement in their diabetes nutrition and blood glucose control."

According to Sean Foster, CEO, dLife, "Food is a critical factor in blood sugar highs and lows, and for those trying to manage their diabetes for good control, mealtime can be an overwhelming and burdensome event. We're hoping that simple nutritional education, coupled with state-of-the-art CONTOUR NEXT BG meters from Bayer, will help people take control of their mealtimes and make smarter choices — ultimately bringing more ease and joy into their daily lives."

The Eat Well, Test Well Program is available to all people trying to actively manage their diabetes. Enrollees can register at www.eatwell-testwell.com.

* top 4 box response on a 10 pt scale

About Bayer HealthCare
The Bayer Group is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, agriculture and high-tech materials. Bayer HealthCare, a subgroup of Bayer AG with annual sales of 18.6 billion euros (2012), is one of the world's leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industry and is based in Leverkusen, Germany. The company combines the global activities of the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Medical Care and Pharmaceuticals divisions. Bayer HealthCare's aim is to discover, develop, manufacture and market products that will improve human and animal health worldwide. Bayer HealthCare has a global workforce of 55,300 employees (Dec 31, 2012) and is represented in more than 100 countries. For more information, please visit www.healthcare.bayer.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

About dLife – It's YOUR Diabetes Life!
dLife is the number-one community network and resource for millions of people with diabetes, their caregivers and healthcare providers. dLife engages this growing population in positive and proactive self-care across a variety of media channels. Its award-winning outlets include dLife.com, the leading online diabetes destination, attracting more than one million unique visitors a month, and featuring the widest and deepest variety of original content and resources anywhere; dLifeTV, the only national TV series dedicated to people with diabetes, airing Sundays on dLifeTV.com (7 p.m. ET); popular mobile applications as well as consumer and professional programs driving proactive diabetes self-management. dLife has been recognized with numerous media and editorial awards.

dLife Healthcare Solutions applies evidence-based content and technology solutions built specifically for health plans and healthcare providers who want to engage their diabetes populations as consumers of their own healthcare and owners of their own condition. dLife has demonstrated positive and direct impact on health outcomes via a recently completed randomized trial performed by the Geisinger Healthcare System. Utilizing its self-care engagement platform, dLife administers diabetes education in a dosed curriculum that has proven to yield better patient outcomes, lower costs, and higher STAR ratings.

Join dLife on Facebook or follow dLife on Twitter. Watch us on dLifeTV or YouTube.

About dQ&A
dQ&A (for Diabetes Questions and Answers), is a market research company focused on diabetes and obesity. Its mission is to be a voice for those whose lives are touched by diabetes and to provide insight to companies that provide diabetes therapies and products. It does this principally through its proprietary panels of patients and healthcare professionals.

Media Contacts:
Susan Yarin
Bayer HealthCare
914-366-1738
[email protected]

Megan Scibelli
dLife - It's YOUR Diabetes Life
203-635-1022
[email protected]

13-11899

SOURCE dLife Healthcare Solutions