Google brings blood pressure and insulin resistance tracking to Fitbit Air

Google is bringing blood pressure and insulin resistance trend tracking to Fitbit Air, giving users new ways to monitor changes in their health. The features will arrive later this month as part of Google Health’s Health Guardian suite. The update will allow users to track changes in their blood pressure and insulin resistance, receive monthly health reports and get health tips from Google Health Coach. However, the features will be available only to Google Health Premium subscribers.According to Google, the tracker will monitor these changes in the background and use the collected data to generate monthly health reports. The company says the feature is designed to help users spot early changes in their blood pressure and insulin resistance, so they can make lifestyle changes before their health concerns become more serious.How will blood pressure and insulin resistance tracking work?The new features are part of Google's Health Guardian suite, which is designed to help users keep an eye on their health over time. Unlike a regular blood pressure monitor, Fitbit Air does not take readings using a cuff. Instead, it uses data collected by its sensors to look for changes in blood flow over several weeks. Based on these patterns, it can indicate whether a user's blood pressure trend appears normal or shows signs of being elevated.Insulin resistance tracking, meanwhile, works a little differently. The feature looks at health data collected by Fitbit Air over several weeks to spot changes in how the body responds to insulin. Insulin helps the body control blood sugar levels. When the body does not respond to insulin properly, it can lead to insulin resistance. Instead of directly measuring insulin levels or blood sugar, the feature looks for changes in the body's signals that could point to a possible concern. So, how will users get these insights? Those who wear the Fitbit Air regularly will receive a health report at the beginning of each month through the Google Health app. The report will show changes in their health over time. Google Health Coach can also use these insights to offer personalised health tips and suggest changes to fitness plans.However, there are a few things to keep in mind. These features are meant to help users understand their health and are not a replacement for medical tests or advice. They do not provide real-time blood pressure readings, measure blood sugar levels or diagnose conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes. Google also advises users not to change their medication based on these insights.When will the features arrive in India? Google says Health Guardian will begin rolling out to Fitbit Air users later this month. The features will require a Google Health Premium subscription, the Google Health app and an internet connection.Fitbit Air is already available in India, at a price of Rs 13,999. Alongside the health tracking update, Google is also upgrading automatic activity detection on Fitbit Air and Pixel Watch 3, Pixel Watch 4 and Pixel Watch 5. The feature will now recognise more than 100 activities, up from 10 previously, and use workout routines, historical data and contextual reasoning to improve accuracy.Google says the updated system is nearly twice as accurate and reduces missed workouts by more than half. It is designed to automatically log workouts even when users forget to start tracking them manually.- Ends