CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--InsideTracker, the leading personalized health provider, today announced significant findings in a study of its digital health platform (DHP).
The results show that long-term DHP use can improve overall health across several critical biomarkers. Notably, it can improve heart health, reduce inflammation, and help reverse the trend toward type 2 diabetes.
The retrospective analysis looked at more than 20,000 generally healthy adults over roughly 5 years. That makes it one of the largest, longest running studies for this group.
For tracking, InsideTracker looked at subjects’ genetic reports (specifically, polygenic risk scores), blood tests (it focused on 39 biomarkers known to predict age-related disease and overall health), and fitness tracker data (key metrics included VO2max, resting heart rate, and sleep quality). Based on those inputs, InsideTracker recommended specific changes in diet, supplements, exercise, and recovery.
Key findings from the study include:
- Immediate biomarker improvement: On average, users improved important health markers like LDL, triglycerides, cortisol, and hsCRP after a single test.
- Long-term positive results: Health improvements became more dramatic over time. Subjects who used the platform the longest saw the best results.
- Blood-sugar regulation: Study subjects with an HbA1c value of 6.5% or higher (the number associated with diabetes) improved significantly in months. Over time, they were able to reach pre-diabetic levels.
- Nutritional improvement: Users experienced significant improvements in blood levels of key nutrients like vitamins D, B12, and iron.
- Genetic impact: Users with a higher genetic risk (based on polygenic risk scores) had a harder time optimizing biomarkers, while those with a lower genetic risk saw faster results. This suggests genetic tests are useful for planning individual strategies for health improvement.
This study validates InsideTracker’s 2018 peer-reviewed longitudinal analysis, which found that DHPs can help users optimize key biomarkers. This new study takes that finding further by looking at significantly more subjects over a longer timeframe. It confirms the DHP’s ability to optimize biomarkers, but it also shows a long-term trend toward continual improvement.
“We had two goals with this study,” said Nimisha Schneider, lead author and senior director of science and AI at InsideTracker. “We wanted to understand the long-term impact of integrated health data on individual health outcomes, and we wanted to know whether DHPs are effective in improving health-related biomarkers through personalized recommendations. We now have our answers. We found that data, DHPs, and personalized recommendations can have a significant positive impact on our users’ lives. With these tools, we can prevent common diseases associated with early death.”
The results of this study suggest a paradigm shift in preventive health management, where DHPs can effectively monitor and manage conditions before they progress. This could potentially reduce the worldwide burden of chronic diseases and influence future health policies.
“One of the main challenges in the preventative health space is encouraging users to adopt healthy lifestyle habits and stick to them,” said corresponding author Gil Blander, PhD, founder and chief scientific officer at InsideTracker. “The study provides evidence that a DHP like InsideTracker can provide simple and personalized preventative interventions to improve the health and healthspan of individuals and populations at large, which we believe can inform the public’s daily behaviors and institutional approaches to healthcare.”
InsideTracker's study marks a significant advancement in health tracking. It demonstrates the positive impact of health data, mobile technology, and AI systems designed to identify opportunities for better health.
“AI can harness the power of data and information in a way that no single expert can,” said Renée Deehan, senior vice president of science & AI. “In our case, we use it to assess peer-reviewed clinical studies that evaluate the relationships between a lifestyle intervention—say, walking more—with health biomarkers like LDL cholesterol. We’re pleased to see that our algorithm’s evidence-based recommendations can improve users’ health long-term.”
This study is a continuation of InsideTracker’s research, which improves in depth and sensitivity as its user base grows. The preprint of the study is now available here and is currently under consideration for peer-reviewed publication.
For more information about the study and InsideTracker’s innovative approach to personalized health management, visit InsideTracker.com.
About InsideTracker
Founded in 2009, InsideTracker is the first healthspan optimization platform to combine blood diagnostics, self-reported lifestyle habits, wearable data, and DNA scores. It was created by experts in the fields of aging, genetics, and biometric data, and it uses peer-reviewed research and cutting-edge AI to create personalized health recommendations for members. Read InsideTracker's peer-reviewed papers in PLOS One, Current Developments in Nutrition, and Scientific Reports. Follow InsideTracker on Instagram, X, and Facebook.
