New Withings smart scale and subscription service integrate with Apple Health

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You won't be able to hide anything from your Withings Body Comp smart scale.
You won't be able to hide anything from your Withings Body Comp smart scale.
Photo: Withings

Withings introduced its newest and most-advanced smart scale along with the company’s first health subscription service Thursday, both integrated with Apple Health.

The company said the Body Comp scale measures multiple biomarkers for a complete body assessment and the annual Health+ subscription service provides health analysis and tools to help users build healthful routines.

The scale and service launch October 4 at a price of $209.95.

Withings Body Comp ‘body-assessment scale’ and Health+ subscription service

The company said the Body Comp “body-assessment scale” takes advantage of “breakthrough metrics and new levels of precision.”

It offers complete home health body assessments via embedded sensors that can monitor multiple biomarkers associated with general and chronic health risks. Assessments include:

  • Full body composition (weight, muscle mass, fat mass, water percentage, bone mass, BMI, and, for the first time, visceral fat)
  • Cardiovascular assessment (standing heart rate, vascular age)
  • Nerve health assessment (Nerve Health Score computed from electrochemical skin conductance, though the company said this is pending regulatory approval.)

It is the first scale to measure body fat, visceral fat (the fat hidden around the organs in your belly), vascular age (the pliability of your blood vessels), and nerve health (the function of the nerves in your feet) in one consumer device, Withings said.

Mathieu Letombe, CEO of the French company, said this of the new offering in Thursday’s press release:

Knowledge is power, and to affect meaningful change, people need an in-depth understanding of health data, why it matters and how it changes. We have worked with a team of behavior change, fitness, medical and nutritional experts for over 12 months to help interpret market-leading data from Withings devices. Today we are thrilled to unveil Health+ along with Body Comp, the first device to benefit from its advanced health metric assessments and habit building modules on 4 key pillars —sleep, nutrition, activity and stress management. Providing services is an important strategic step for Withings and with Body Comp and Health+, we have developed a bundled product that can provide ongoing body health improvement.

Proprietary health metrics

The scale’s advanced and proprietary health metrics go beyond weight management to bring cardiovascular and nerve health risk assessment into the home, Withings said.

Developed by cardiologists, vascular age is based on pulse wave velocity (PWV), a measurement of arterial stiffness, the company said. It’s a key indicator of cardiac health relative to a person’s age.

Pending regulatory approval, Body Comp will also provide a Nerve Health Score, determined by monitoring the sweat glands in the feet. A low score is a sign of reduced sweat gland innervation, which is linked to a degeneration of small nerve fibers.

Together, the measurements can help users better understand their risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases such as heart attack, stroke and diabetes.

Body Comp is the first Withings device compatible with Health+ that makes actionable use of this data.

Health+ subscription service

Health+ is a health service that unlocks additional features in the Health Mate app. It’s designed to help people understand and take better ownership of their health data. It provides tools, insights and motivations to change behavior.

Six-week habit-building modules with exercise and nutritional guidance empower users to achieve their health goals while seeing their progress through measurements on the scale, Withings said.

The Withings Body Comp smart scale and Health+ subscription bundle become available on October 4.

Price: $209.95 (Body Comp with 12 months of Health+)

Where to buy: Withings

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