Are smart scales accurate? Low-tech versus high-tech health and wellness equipment

The health and wellness industry is a billion-dollar industry. And it seems almost every day, we hear of a new diet trend or high tech device to help you lose weight or look better.

[jjtfarrell]

why would you add a video without a conclusion to the question you pose?

[Zolivioli]

This video is like finding the first half of a book, reading it and then realizing that you'll never know the ending because it was never there.

[Envy_r]

Bruh what kinda pull-ups were those? 😭😭😭

[sargon]

Reading the DEXA results on her chart, she was BMI 21, and about 20% body fat, which is athletic. The BIA scale said 24.5 % at the end. so a few points difference between the methods.

[altvixon]

I was pissed too....found this...hope it helps...



So what about the scales you may you have at home?

“Some of these scales can give you false information, ” Cornier said.

We decided to put three smart scales to the test and see for ourselves. We purchased the Fit Bit Smart Scale, a scale for Weight Gurus and another by Weight Watchers.

We couldn’t get the Fit Bit scale to show us body fat or even sync with the app we downloaded onto our smart phone.

Next, we tried the Weight Gurus and Weight Watchers scales. Both showed body fat was only 0.2% different from one scale to the next. As far as weight, it was 0.1 pound difference, until we moved one scale just a few inches on the floor.

"Wow, now it says I weigh 133, ” Glassman said. “That's weird, all I did was move it forward."

Just that added four pounds. And Glassman says that’s where the problem lies.

”When you are looking at a scale that can be highly variable, it can just play a mental game with you, ” she said.

And if you are using a basic scale without the option of assessing body fat, there’s a danger.

“Some individuals can go to the gym and not lose any weight but what they are doing is they are losing fat, but they are gaining muscle so at the end of the day the scale doesn't say anything different, ” Cornier said.

So if you decide to use a smart scale at home rather than medical grade equipment like Dexa, both Cornier and Glassman say don’t take it literally. Look for the trend, they say. If your percentage of body fat is going down, that’s good.

“I don't know the body fat that the scale gives you is all that accurate, but I could see the trend, ” said Glassman.

But if you want to know exactly and accurately what your body fat is, you may want to use the medical grade equipment.

For more information on the body composition and sports technologies available at University of Colorado, Anschutz Health and Wellness.

[LoisGrant-ms]

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