Wearables are about health – so that’s where they need to innovate
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A saliva tester that can collect genuine genetic information and help your smartphone calculate personally tailored exercise and nutrition regimes – and, yes, help you shop for them – would be a fantastic step towards something genuinely worth having on your wrist. With Fitbit in decline and Apple Watch sales stagnating, the reality that’s emerging is that apart from fitness fanatics, not many people really need a smartwatch. If the health conscious are the ones who like these products, it makes sense to leave out the general-purpose tools and pack wearables with more and better biometrics.

DNAFit, a London-based genomics company, has released a training platform which uses genetic information to create personalised workout plans for users. The technology, called Elevate, determines optimal exercise regimes based on information gathered from a saliva-based genetic testing kit. It then calculates users' endurance response and prompts them to add information about their vital signs and training availability. Dr Keith Grimaldi, an adviser for the platform, said it will reduce the guesswork in devising workout and nutritional plans.

 

London-based genomics company DNAFit has launched Elevate, an online training platform that incorporates users’ genetic information to create personalized workout plans.

Elevate, which DNAFit developed with the input of Olympic track and field athlete Greg Rutherford, is based on the company’s saliva-based genetic test kit. It screens for 45 specific gene variants, which may be linked to each individual body’s ability to respond to training and nutrition, such as those identified as being linked to obesity.

The $126 (99 British pounds) test then algorithmically calculates a score for each user to determine their endurance response, and this figure is then plugged into the Elevate online platform people can access on their smartphone, tablet or laptop. Users add their weight and other vital statistics and the days they are able to train, and the app guides them through the workout with a training schedule and videos of how to perform exercises.

“The ‘best way to train’ has long been a topic of hot debate, but it is now clear that the answer to this is an individual journey that requires the consideration of a person’s lifestyle demands and biological profile,” DNAFit founder Avi Lasarow said in a statement. “Whether you’re looking to shape up, build muscle or just want to eat a little healthier, your genetics hold valuable information about the best way to do this.”

While there still isn’t a lot of firm data to support claims that specific dietary and workout plans can be optimized for each individual based on their genetics, (geneticist Dr. Eric Topol recently told MobiHealthNews that the consumer genomics landscape is still in its early days) researchers are working to figure that out.

A recent study at the University of Central Lancashire, published in the journal Biology of Sport, suggest that those who train to their possible genetic “strengths” improved their athletic performance up to three times more than those who were using a regular training program.

Geneticist Dr Keith Grimaldi, one of the authors of the study and an advisor to DNAFit, said Elevate could be a valuable tool that takes the guesswork out of trying out different training and nutritional plans.

“We know quite a lot about some genes that do affect your biochemistry and physiology. So, we add this factor into the picture,” Grimaldi said in a statement. “If you don’t know your genes, you’ll just have to guess the right training and diet regimes by trial and error, and we want to reduce this with an extra layer of personal information from the genetic point of view.”