Dubai: Health tech startup meta[bolic] has revealed the beginning of their distinctive six-month weight-loss program called “Zone,” combining personal metabolic data with a “clinic-in-the-cloud” model.

The goal of meta[bolic], a platform for behaviour change, is to significantly change people’s behaviours and produce long-lasting results in the treatment of metabolic disease.

Meta[bolic] tackles the global metabolic disease endemic head-on from a first-principles basis. That includes heavy investment in technological infrastructure to power a robust data-first approach to guiding its patients on a path to better health, but it also consists of a back-to-basics view on brick-and-mortar clinical footprints to enhance the patient journey. meta[bolic] began as the engine behind the world-leading diabetes management platform GluCare Health. It is this core engine that has now expanded to deliver value to non-diabetics on a weight loss journey.

Weight management has long been a critical issue across most Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, with GCC members consistently ranking among the most obese countries on earth, according to data from World Obesity. Studies and data from DMS Journal and World Obesity show that across both locals and ex-pats in the UAE, seven out of ten individuals are currently either overweight or obese.

Mr. Ali Hashemi, Co-founder of meta[bolic], stated that, “meta[bolic]’s data analytic platform helps Zone members and their coaches identify the biological blockers that prevent the individual from losing weight. The Zone multidisciplinary team helps patients reach sustainable weight loss results over a six-month period through a combination of doctor-prescribed FDA-approved medication, wearables that provide digital biomarkers, and behavioural modification. This is the second offering from meta[bolic] after launching GluCare.Health two years ago, a hybrid digital therapeutics company focused on diabetes. The results and clinical outcomes that GluCare.Health has delivered are vastly superior to regular episodic diabetes care.”

Medical studies show that the guarantee of weight loss by using weight-loss medication only – and not implementing parallel behavioural changes – can result in a 5 percent loss of a person’s body weight. By contrast, Zone Health’s pre-launch clinical study with its members showed that, on average, a person who follows the complete program loses 10 percent or more of their body weight over six months. In fact, the latest Zone health research of 179 members showed an average weight loss ratio of 11.48 percent over this period.

The meta[bolic] founders are so confident in Zone that they have put elements of the program at risk, that is patients who do not lose the target weight will be refunded. To achieve these results, Zone guides members on a six-month programme. It includes a virtual physician meeting, followed by an onboarding visit from the nursing team at the member’s home or office, where a blood sample is collected, and wearables are connected. A dedicated Dietitian and Coach set out the primary goals and an initial observation period, known as Continuous Metabolic Monitoring, looks at the cause and effect of personal choices of nutrition, sleep and exercise on glycemic variability.

Medications are introduced in the next phase, with medication titration happening in real-time, depending on the results. The members’ zone health care team comprises an endocrinologist, dietitian, and coach, who monitor, engage and provide continuous feedback to members through the zone health app. This holistic approach of personal data monitoring and precision medication improves metabolic health and achieves sustainable weight loss quickly and safely.

GULF GENERAL: Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre introduces ‘Scan and Learn Arabic’ app