A sensory evaluation of a designer glucose drink (SNAP drink)

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Transforming outcome & experience for patients with hypoglycaemia

• IRAS ID

  326279

• Contact name

  David Russell-Jones

• Contact email

  davidrussell-jones@nhs.net

• Sponsor organisation

  University of Surrey

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 0 months, 1 days

• Research summary

  This is a project to assess the sensory and palatability, and overall user perception of a newly developed ‘Smart Glucose’ drink in participants with type 1 diabetes. Occasionally, patients with diabetes experience a drop in glucose levels due to mis-management of insulin dosing and feeding (hypoglycaemia). Patients usually complain of headaches experienced during and after episodes of hypoglycaemia. Patients with diabetes have shown interest in trying glucose drinks that may offer quicker absorption of glucose and, therefore better and quicker recovery from low levels of glucose in blood compared to glucose drinks currently available as over the counter non-medical supplements. Smart Glucose is an innovative product developed for treatment of hypoglycaemia which includes alternative carbohydrates beyond glucose to accelerate patient recovery and help individuals return to work and other daily activities sooner. This is a cross over randomised study design, testing Smart glucose over a market lead Hypostop (glucogel) using Likert questionnaires and scales.
  Lay summary of study results: Background and aims Hypoglycaemia is a common, potentially dangerous complication of diabetes medication. Current treatments raise blood glucose but have limitations: rapid glucose fluctuations ("peak and crash"), suboptimal cognitive recovery, fatigue. The brain can use intermediary metabolites (ketones, lactate, pyruvate) in addition to glucose. This study evaluated effectiveness and acceptability of FLO23011, a novel combination product containing glucose and other brain energy sources, versus standard of care (SoC) glucose gel. Materials and methods Twelve adults with type 1 diabetes were recruited between 12/11/2025 and 22/Jan/2025 for this sensory study. The participants used FLO23011 or SoC in random order over 12 weeks to treat hypoglycaemia at home. Last patient last visit was 17/04/2025. Effectiveness/ Recovery, User Experience, Emotional Impact and glucose control were assessed via structured questionnaires and CGM data. Results and Conclusion Participants experienced 1032 hypoglycaemic episodes, as recorded by continuous glucose monitoring. FLO23011 significantly improved post hypoglycaemia time in range (82.5% vs. 77.0%, p = 0.019) and reduced recurrent episodes by 27% (p = 0.031). Patient-reported outcomes favoured FLO23011 in 13 of 14 domains. Conclusions: FLO23011 provides superior hypoglycaemia management through improved glycaemic stability, reduced recurrence, and enhanced patient experience compared to current glucose-only treatments. The findings are published- Russell-Jones D., Smout V, Roy S., Myers G. Littlewood R., Shojaee-Moradie F., A novel glucose beta-hydroxybutyrate combination improves hypoglycaemia recovery and patient-reported outcomes in type 1 diabetes. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2025;1–8. https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftrack.pstmrk.it%2F3ts%2Fdoi.org%252F10.1111%252Fdom.70323%2FNBTI%2FTJjDAQ%2FAQ%2Fa019a24c-71fd-4cfb-8fa3-e7237924e810%2F1%2FihIk6sWpYd&data=05%7C02%7Cleicestercentral.rec%40hra.nhs.uk%7C15c42ed3264142b5671e08de72e44c5a%7C8e1f0acad87d4f20939e36243d574267%7C0%7C0%7C639074522020056630%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=ORLd24jMTwiVHHUj4%2BtTK0V8H7%2FL91P%2FtFugtuc0yQI%3D&reserved=0

• REC name

  East Midlands - Leicester Central Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  23/EM/0214

• Date of REC Opinion

  12 Oct 2023

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion