Samsung’s Industry-First Nutrition Tracking Tech for Galaxy Watch – Samsung Newsroom India

It began with a easy query: What in case you may measure your vitamin in real-time, proper out of your wrist?

 

Samsung’s Antioxidant Index on Galaxy Watch8 transforms what as soon as appeared like science fiction into on a regular basis know-how. In 5 seconds, a thumb scan returns exact carotenoid ranges – the trade’s first measurable vitamin index.

 

By miniaturizing lab-grade sensor know-how with distinctive accuracy, it turns your weight loss plan into an actionable metric for more healthy getting old. Establishing this new benchmark in wearable well being monitoring required years of intensive R&D, numerous prototypes and unwavering grit.

 

 

 

Breaking New Ground in Nutrition Tracking

Back in 2018, Samsung noticed a vital hole in wearables: we may rely each step and calorie, but there was no easy solution to measure how our weight loss plan impacted our well being. Deeper dietary insights have been locked behind costly and time-consuming lab exams, out of attain for many individuals.

 

As individuals dwell longer, the main focus is shifting from merely rising lifespan to enhancing the standard of these further years.

 

“In this context, antioxidation naturally gains attention as a method to slow down aging,” explains Dr. Hyojee Joung, a Seoul National University¹ public well being vitamin skilled who guided components of the tech’s growth. “If antioxidant management is neglected, Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) accumulate in the body, increasing the risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer.”

 

This realization made antioxidants the cornerstone of Samsung’s mission. Engineers and scientists targeted on carotenoids – key antioxidants and confirmed indicators of fruit and vegetable consumption – to create a tool sufficiently small to take a seat in your wrist, but highly effective sufficient to show advanced antioxidant information into easy, actionable well being insights for everybody.

 

 

 

Challenge #1: How to Shrink the Lab-Grade Sensor Technology

From day one, the dream of a nutrition-tracking wearable hit a direct snag: conventional strategies for measuring carotenoid ranges like Raman spectroscopy are laser-based, non-invasive and exact, however depend on cumbersome machines which can be removed from wearable. So the crew’s first mission was to shrink the lab-grade tech right into a coin-sized sensor.

 

After seven years of rigorous testing and optimizing because the first prototype, the crew developed the miniaturized sensor, a groundbreaking tech that mixes multi-wavelength LEDs with a customized photodetector array to supply correct carotenoid readings in a compact design.

 

“Our breakthrough was integrating reflectance spectroscopy with LEDs, which allowed us to miniaturize the technology while maintaining a high level of accuracy,” explains Jinyoung Park, a developer from Digital Health crew at Samsung Electronics.

 

 

Unlike lasers, which emit a pointy, slender wavelength, LEDs emit a broader wavelength vary. By analyzing how a lot gentle is absorbed by the pores and skin at a number of wavelengths by way of photodiodes², the watch estimates carotenoid ranges with spectacular accuracy. The superior algorithms that repeatedly calibrate in real-time additionally assist precision whereas delivering customized insights to every person.

 

Challenge #2: How to Ensure the Tech Reaches Everyone

Creating a coin-sized carotenoid sensor was a significant milestone, however the subsequent problem was making certain it may work precisely and reliably throughout various pores and skin varieties, making it really accessible to everybody.

 

To overcome challenges like melanin interference in darker pores and skin tones, Samsung’s engineers opted to make use of the fingertip for measurements because it has the least melanin throughout all ethnic teams. They additionally added easy tweaks, like gentle fingertip strain throughout scans, which helps briefly scale back blood stream and hemoglobin interference, making the outcomes extra correct.

 

Extensive trials performed at Samsung Medical Center³ included lots of of members, validating the sensor’s efficiency. This paved the best way for a characteristic that seamlessly transitioned from the lab to customers worldwide, providing an inclusive resolution designed for on a regular basis life.

 

How It Works

Carotenoids are the pure crimson, yellow and inexperienced pigments present in fruit and veggies. Since our our bodies can’t produce carotenoids on their very own, the degrees saved within the physique supply a transparent snapshot of how a lot fruit and greens somebody has been consuming.

 

This is the place your Antioxidant Index rating is available in, reflecting your carotenoid ranges primarily based on these classes:

 

• Very low: Less than 50% of the day by day WHO advice of 400g per day.
• Low: Between 50%–100%.
• Optimal: 100% or extra.

“Skin carotenoids metabolize and accumulate in tissues gradually, so short-term changes in fruit and vegetable intake won’t immediately appear in the score,” explains Dr. Hyojee Joung. “Our research shows that increased carotenoid intake leads to a meaningful rise in skin carotenoid levels after about one to two weeks, making the Index a valuable tool for tracking consistent, long-term dietary habits.”

 

Lifestyle elements like sleep high quality, stress ranges, and bodily exercise additionally affect the Index, making it a well-rounded indicator of general well being. Paired with different Galaxy Watch8 features like sleep teaching, exercise monitoring and Vascular Load monitoring, the Antioxidant Index affords a holistic view of your well-being, empowering smarter selections for more healthy getting old.

 

 

Your Health, Reimagined

“New wearable sensors can play a role in helping people build healthy eating habits by tracking and encouraging sufficient daily intake of fruits and vegetables,” says Professor Yoonho Choi from Samsung Medical Center. “Over time, this simple practice can help prevent some cancers and other age-related diseases, making it a very effective way to support long-term health.”

 

Antioxidants are an rising space of focus, however analysis has been restricted because of the challenges of correct measurement. Galaxy Watch8’s Antioxidant Index goes past present trade developments and delivers significant innovation.

 

Samsung’s potential to measure antioxidant ranges with precision, acknowledged by consultants as a benchmark for future analysis, represents a breakthrough in well being monitoring. By serving to customers determine dangers early and take proactive steps in direction of higher well being, Samsung is paving the best way for a better, extra proactive strategy to wellness and redefining the function of wearables in preventative healthcare.

 

¹Seoul National University is a number one tutorial establishment in South Korea.
²Photodiodes are semiconductor units that convert gentle into electrical indicators.
³Samsung Medical Center in Seoul, South Korea, is a number one medical establishment identified for its patient-centered care, superior medical applied sciences, and specialised facilities such because the Comprehensive Cancer and Proton Therapy Centers.