New Study Shows InsideTracker Members Make Sustained, Long-Term Improvements in Health
August 27 2024 - 9:05AM
Business Wire
An analysis of 20k people shows that the
platform can reverse signs of type 2 diabetes, improve measures of
heart health, and lead to other long-term health benefits.
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.
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