SCIENCE · VERIFIED DEVELOPMENT
Smartwatches Overestimate Calorie Burn in Users with Higher Body Fat Percentages
WHY IT MATTERS
For individuals with higher body fat percentages, relying on smartwatches for calorie burn estimates may lead to consuming nearly an entire day's worth of calories in error, hindering effective weight management.
What happened
A recent study found that smartwatches, commonly used to track fitness and health, overestimate calorie burn in users with higher body fat percentages. The study, conducted by researchers at Florida International University, involved 58 participants who wore four popular smartwatches while exercising on a recumbent bicycle.
The results showed that the watches' estimates of calorie expenditure were often inaccurate, with a median error of 15% to 25%. The error increased as body fat percentage rose, with some watches overestimating calorie burn by as much as 100% or more in participants with higher body fat percentages.
The study's findings suggest that users with higher body fat percentages may receive the least accurate estimates of caloric expenditure, which can have significant consequences for weight management.
PRIMARY SOURCES
The higher your body fat percentage, the less accurate your smartwatch is at measuring calories you burn when exercising – new study
The Conversation US · Jason Kostrna, Associate Professor of Sport and Exercise Psychology, Florida International University · CC BY-ND; link/attribution intake only—no edited republication