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Lisa A. Goldstein — October 10, 2016  0  0    
A report by the Commonwealth
Fund, found that just 43
percent of health-related apps
on iPhones and 27 percent on
Androids “appeared likely to
D IET AN D N U T R IT ION F IT N ESS
Health Apps Can be Good for You
Taking charge of your health has a w hole new meaning these days, w ith over 165,000 health-related apps to
choose from. The choices can be overw helming, until you take a closer look.
Many health apps, for example, promise modest outcomes, w hile others make impossible claims, says Dr. Niket
Sonpal, assistant professor at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine. Thankfully, dangerous apps are now
being removed, like one that claimed acne could be cured w ith the light froman iPhone, recalls Dr. Sonpal, w ho
says apps are most effective w hen used in conjunction w ith a healthcare provider.
Choosing the right app
There is no w ay that all apps have had proper testing or w ere developed in collaboration among developers,
physicians, and experts, says Dr. Sonpal. Some are even developed as high school class projects. He cites a
report by the Commonw ealth Fund, w hich found that just 43 percent of health-related apps on iPhones and 27
percent on Androids “appeared likely to be useful.”
The University of Massachusetts Medical School compared 30
popular w eight loss apps w ith traditional w eight loss
strategies, shares Dr. Sonpal. The teamfound that 25 percent
or few er lifestyle-based strategies for w eight loss – such as
portion control and identifying reasons behind overeating –
w ere incorporated in the apps, w hich means these apps
w on’t really help.
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2. be useful.”
It’s also important to use the
app properly and have
realistic expectations. “[An]
app doesn’t make you lose
weight,” says Dr. Sonpal. “The
app helps you change your
behaviors to help you lose
weight.”
Be w ary of positive studies as w ell, Dr. Sonpal says. One
study published encouraging results fromusers of a health
app, but the makers of the app had conducted the study.
Another study claimed an app w as successful in helping
users lose w eight and maintain the loss, but the app w as only effective w hen used w ith other w eight loss
support like nutrition and exercise classes, w hich w asn’t made clear.
“Health apps are one of the areas that have grow n faster than the regulatory industry can control,” says Sheryl
Lozicki, a registered dietician nutritionist w ith ShopWell. “It w ould take a fire hose w orth of technology oversight
smoldering creativity and slow ing dow n new launches to mere drips. The FDA must strike a steady stream
betw een supporting rapid technology grow th and innovation w hile protecting consumer health against fraud
and violations of our health privacy under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIP
AA).”
The lion’s share of efficacy falls on the FDA, w hich has
acknow ledged that many apps aren’t subject to regulatory
requirements at this time, says Lozicki. The FDA issued a
complete listing of examples and guidelines in February.
Remember, [successful] health apps are based in science,
says Joe Burton, founder and CEO of Whil.
It’s also important to use the app properly and have realistic
expectations. “[An] app doesn’t make you lose w eight,” says
Dr. Sonpal. “The app helps you change your behaviors to help
you lose w eight.”
Health apps and women
Not only do w omen dow nload more apps in general than men, they’re more apt to use apps w hen it comes to
health and fitness, according to a Nielsen 2014 report. Women also comprise 54 percent of fitness tracker
ow ners, making w earables more relevant than ever for w omen today, says Monisha Perkash, co-founder and
CEO of Lumo Bodytech.
Men have designed many products on the market, like w earables, says Perkash. “The lack of w omen in
positions of leadership – particularly in technology – continues to be a major issue in the w orld of
entrepreneurship,” she adds. Her company prides itself on leading by example, focusing on hiring diverse
employees w ho bring different perspectives to the table.
Recommended apps
Among the apps that Dr. Sonpal recommends to patients is w hat he calls “the obvious one:” MyFitnessPal,
ShopWell App
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3. w hich he calls the most popular health and fitness app in the w orld. Its database has more than 6 million foods,
w hich makes it easy to track your diet no matter w hat you eat.
If you need to vent about something and don’t w ant to talk to family or friends about it, Dr. Sonpal recommends 7
Cups and Talkspace — tw o apps that let you talk to trained professionals.
He also provides an alternative to “WebMD and freaking out,” if you have a strange medical question or
something w eird happens. HealthTap sends your question to its netw ork of doctors, and one w ill answ er w ithin
a few hours. It also comes w ith a library of information on common ailments.
Other unique health apps
ShopWell is a free app that combines grocery
shopping w ith personal nutrition. With over tw o
million dow nloads, it’s one of the leading food apps
in the U.S., says VPof Marketing Samantha Fein.
You feed the app dietary restrictions, health
conditions, w ellness goals, and w hich food
ingredients you w ant to avoid. ShopWell then
assesses products for you so you know w hat to
buy, and even offers similar, better-for-you
recommendations. It w as created by a teamof
registered dieticians, and is free of ads. Fein calls it
the ultimate #MomHack.
Whil is a science-based training platformthat helps
decrease stress and anxiety w hile improving focus,
sleep, and productivity that can be done for as little
as 10 minutes a day. “All of our training is mapped to
specific scientific studies,” says Burton. Its
programs are goal-oriented, w ith over 1,250 digital
sessions, 500+ guided mindfulness meditation and
yoga training sessions for adults and
myWanda is the first and only mobile app exclusively
developed to address w omen’s heart health, says
Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, a board-certified
cardiologist and spokesperson for the American
Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign
w ho helped launch the app. While other apps may
include w omen’s health and heart health, this one
makes it a primary focus, she says. Because heart disease kills more w omen than men — more than all
cancers combined — a personal companion app like this one is useful. Personalized support, lifestyle
recommendations, daily insights and advice are provided.
Lumo Lift and Lumo Run are both developed by Lumo Bodytech. Lumo Lift helps transformposture at any
stage of life, and Lumo Run helps coach better running form. Perkash says w omen tend to be more prone
to injuries, so improving their formcan be crucial.
Freeletics has been dubbed the Crossfit of Europe and grew rapidly and organically. Freeletics
Bodyw eight has been available in the U.S. since 2013, but Freeletics Running, Gym, and Nutrition have
only been launched this year. The app creates an individual training plan, provides support, motivation,
and personalized coaching. Freeletics says it’s committed to helping its users holistically w ith w orkout tips
and nutrition coach recommendations tailored tow ards gender. The user experience is also gender
specific, meaning that a female often has different experiences than a male. Female users follow female
instructors and receive motivation and inspiration tips that are gender specific.
One app that has been popular lately is, of course, Pokemon Go. An Austrian study is researching how this app
can reduce symptoms of depression, increase daily activity levels, or even keep themelevated after play is
done. Lisa Eckerstorfer, w ho is doing a Ph.D. about fitness apps, is looking for people to participate in her study,
and you don’t even have to play Pokemon Go to do so. As she says, participating w ould help app developers
Freeletics App
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4. make games even better and more beneficial for your health.
Tags: anxiety, apps, diet , excercise , food , heart disease , nutrition , posture , sleep , stress, weight loss
Lisa A. Goldstein
Lisa A. Goldstein is a freelance journalist with a Master’s in Journalism from UC
Berkeley. She has two kids, a love of books and sweets, and wishes her metabolism
is what it used to be.
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