#Polar watches calories counter skin

“People are basing life decisions on the data provided by these devices,” said Euan Ashley, DPhil, FRCP, professor of cardiovascular medicine, of genetics and of biomedical data science at Stanford.

And the least accurate was off by 93 percent. Even the most accurate device was off by an average of 27 percent. In contrast, none of the seven devices measured energy expenditure accurately, the study found.

#Polar watches calories counter skin

Some devices were more accurate than others, and factors such as skin color and body mass index affected the measurements. The team evaluated the Apple Watch, Basis Peak, Fitbit Surge, Microsoft Band, Mio Alpha 2, PulseOn and the Samsung Gear S2.

But if it's measuring energy expenditure, it’s probably off by a significant amount.Īn evaluation of seven devices in a diverse group of 60 volunteers showed that six of the devices measured heart rate with an error rate of less than 5 percent. Such people can take heart in knowing that if the device is measuring heart rate, it’s probably doing a good job, a team of researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine reports. Millions of people wear some kind of wristband activity tracker and use the device to monitor their own exercise and health, often sharing the data with their physician.