Sweatcoin rolls out NHS diabetes partnership

Type 2 Diabetes affects 4.6 million people in the UK each year. Sweatcoin wants to incentivise healthier living via crypto rewards to combat it.

Sweatcoin will roll out a new programme with the UK’s National Health Service aimed to prevent diabetes by incentivising movement with crypto tokens.

The ‘Prevention Decathlon’ Type 2 Diabetes Prevention Programme, which included 70 patients with an average age of 56 years old and including 74 per cent participation from ethnic minorities, took place in London’s Richmond and Wandsworth neighbourhoods. 

The successful trial of saw people lose 3kg in weight on average. The results show that of all those that take part, 85% are likely to lose weight, with one in 10 of those likely to lose 10 per cent of their body weight. One participant in particular lost 10.3kg, 16% of their total body weight, during the 10 week programme.

Those taking part in the trial were offered rewards per step they took via Sweatcoin’s app.

It saw 85 per cent of participants likely to lose an average of 3kg, with one in 10 losing 10 per cent of their body weight 

Patients taking part in the programme saw an increase in their daily step count of 45 per cent.

"The results of this trial are a significant breakthrough in the field of diabetes prevention and I’m excited to see it being rolled out more permanently. Incentivising individuals to engage in regular physical activity has the potential to revolutionise the way we approach diabetes prevention; contributing towards reducing NHS waiting times and costs,” said Dipti Gandhi, South West London ICS Primary care clinical lead for Diabetes, commented: 

“This successful trial highlights the power of technology and innovative approaches in promoting healthy lifestyles, and we hope to see more initiatives like this in the healthcare industry,” Gandhi added. 

Sweatcoin, established in 2015, by Oleg Fomenko, Anton Deryatka and Egor Khmelev, connects to users' smartphones step counting hardware allowing users to earn tokens that can be used to exchange for goods and services.

"At Sweatcoin, our aim has always been to empower individuals to make healthier and better lifestyle choices. We are thrilled that this trial was a success and that we can launch the programme to a wider audience, potentially helping millions of people globally,” said  Anton Derlyatka, CEO and co-founder of Sweatcoin.

“The impressive trial results have only strengthened our belief that Sweatcoin will play an important role in supporting the healthcare sector. We are honoured to be part of this crucial initiative, contributing towards a healthier future for all."