Smart ring maker Oura is launching two new features focused on heart health, the company announced Friday. The first claims to help users get an idea of their cardiovascular age, while the second functionality aims to estimate their cardio capacity. Based on a person’s results, Oura will suggest strategies to sleep better, move and de-stress.
New features should not be used as a substitute for real health care and regular check-ups with a doctor, and users should consult a medical professional for a real diagnosis if they are concerned about anything. Oura itself notes that an Oura Ring is not a medical device and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, monitor or prevent medical conditions/diseases.
The new “Cardiovascular Age” feature claims to help users understand their cardiovascular age in relation to their chronological age. The idea is to help identify behaviors that could have a positive impact on their lifespan. For example, if a user has a cardiovascular age higher than their chronological age, they may see a message saying: “Your cardiovascular age is currently higher than your actual age. Don’t worry, there can be many causes. One of the best remedies is movement. Of course, you would also want to consult a doctor.
After a person has used the Oura app for at least two weeks, they will see a cardiovascular age measurement that indicates whether they are trending lower, higher, or in line with their chronological age. Again, the results must be verified by a real doctor.
“Oura measures cardiovascular age by analyzing age-related observations in a photoplethysmograph (PPG) signal, which contains information about estimated arterial stiffness and pulse wave velocity (PWV),” explained the company in a blog post.
The “Cardio Capacity” feature is based on an estimate of VO2Max, which is a measurement of the maximum amount of oxygen an individual can use during strenuous or strenuous exercise. As a reminder, the better a person’s cardiovascular fitness, the healthier their cardiovascular system will likely be throughout their life.
Oura says that with the launch of this feature, it seeks to reposition VO2Max from a sports metric to a lifespan benchmark. A VO2Max estimate reveals how well a person’s heart, lungs, blood vessels, muscles and nervous system work together, Oura says.
To use this feature, Oura members will be asked to take a walk test to establish a baseline VO2Max which translates into cardio capacity.
“In partnership with board-certified cardiologists and scientists from research institutes such as the Kuopio Research Institute of Exercise Medicine (KULTU) and the University of California, Los Angeles, as well as the ŌURA Medical Advisory Board, we “We have rigorously developed our science and algorithms to ensure these features provide accurate insights to ŌURA’s large and diverse member base,” said Dr. Shyamal Patel, Oura’s senior vice president of science, in a statement. Press.
Oura says the goal of these two new features is to approach health holistically, while helping users understand that every part of their physiology is closely linked, in the sense that age and cardiovascular fitness ‘one person have implications on multiple organ systems.
Oura Cardiovascular Age and Cardio Capacity launch later this month and will be available on Oura Ring Gen3 devices on Android and iOS.
techcrunch
