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Smartwatches Overstate Calories Burned, Study Finds
Developing
In Short: A study by Florida International University reveals that popular fitness trackers significantly overestimate the number of calories burned during workouts.
Florida International University researchers tested four leading fitness watches and found they consistently overstated calorie burn, according to a study published by The Independent.
The devices were evaluated against clinical lab equipment, and the results showed that the watches overcounted calories burned, particularly for individuals with higher body fat.
Lead author Jason Kostrna stated, 'You can't treat the calories burned number it gives you as an accurate number, because it's not.
Apple's watches were the most accurate, while Garmin and Samsung devices overestimated calories burned the most, the university reported.
What's confirmed
What's still developing
- If you're depending on your smartwatch to tell you the truth about how many calories you burned during a workout — well, don't.
- Unfortunately, the errors were the greatest for people with the highest body fat - who may be more likely to track calories, the researchers said.
Sources
- The Independentlink