Fitness trackers may not help weight loss

A two-year study of almost 500 overweight people found wearing wristbands and other devices that monitor and give feedback on physical activity could result in less weight being lost than exercising tech-free. 

A group of young adults was put on a low calorie diet, told to exercise more and had group counselling sessions as part of the University of Pittsburgh study - one of the first into the effectiveness of fitness trackers.

Six months into the study, half of the volunteers were also given a fitness tracker to monitor their progress.

After two years, those with the trackers had lost an average of 3.5kg, while those without had lost 5.9kg.

The scientists behind the study said the results had surprised them.

John Jakicic from the University of Pittsburgh told the Times: "When we started this, we hypothesised that we were going to see the opposite of what we found.

"We thought, 'Hey, if we add this technology to an already good programme, it will do even better.'"

Experts are still trying to fathom the results, but theories include that those wearing the trackers relied on them too heavily or may have felt demoralised or rewarded themselves with treats after checking their steps.

 

Dr Jakicic said: "One reason might be that the individuals started focusing solely on the activity information and paid less attention to other things that are really important, such as diet.

"They might have even felt, 'Oh, I'm really active today - I can reward myself by eating more."

The makers of Fitbit, one of the most popular fitness tracking devices, told NPR: "We are confident in the positive results users have seen from the Fitbit platform, including our wearable devices."

The company added that researchers use Fitbit and similar devices in clinical studies.