Fitness trackers' calorie measurements are prone to error

Conclusion This study assessed how accurately seven fitness trackers are able to measure the heart rate and calories burned of individuals taking part in several different activities. The data was compared against clinically approved medical devices to test the accuracy of data obtained by the fitness trackers. It found that although all seven trackers were fairly accurate at measuring heart rate, there was a high level of error when measuring the number of calories burned. The researchers hope this study will help individuals and physicians be aware of potential errors when interpreting the measurements obtained by fitness trackers, especially when using the data to inform treatment options in a clinical setting. This is an interesting study but it is small and would require further testing of devices with a larger number of participants to verify the findings. For now, fitness trackers remain useful if you want to compare data on yourself over time, but they shouldn't be relied upon if you're trying to replace calories burned with a "treat". If your goal is to lose weight through exercise, then bear in mind it's very much a "marathon not a sprint". Increasing your activity and exercise levels on a long-term basis is more important than obsessing about exactly how many calories you may have burned during a single run or gym session. The NHS weight loss plan is designed to help you lose weight, through a combination of diet and exercise, over the course o...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Lifestyle/exercise Heart/lungs Source Type: news