How Accurate are Fitness Trackers for Calories

In recent years fitness trackers have become fashionable, used by sports fans to be able to record data while practicing their training. Among their functions are measuring the heart rate, the steps we take per day or the number of calories we have managed to burn.

How Accurate are Fitness Trackers Calories ?

But the truth is that they have never been sure if they are very accurate in doing their work. That’s why a team at the Stanford University Medical Center has decided to test seven fitness trackers: PulseOn, Samsung Gear S2, Basis Peak, AppleWatch, Fitbit Surge, Microsoft Band and Mio Alpha 2. The devices were delivered to 60 volunteers, who put on four bracelets each to perform different physical activities. They then compared the results obtained, which allowed the researchers to verify the certainty of these.

According to their findings, the trackers passed the test to measure heart rate but failed to measure calories. Three of the bracelets had a margin of error of 5%, but the rest showed a mismatch of more than 9%. The worst trackers recorded were the calories, where the most accurate wristband had a 30% margin of error. The least, 93%.

According to Euan Ashley, one of the authors of the study, “the heart rate measurement was much better than we expected, but the measurements of energy expenditure were very inaccurate, so much so that I was surprised.”