One of Desert Health’s primary goals is to encourage readers to be their own health advocates. This includes “knowing your numbers,” which has never been easier with today’s health-tracking devices, such as smart watches and Ouro rings. Adding to those options is the emerging category of smart scales.

Path is designed specifically for women and offers health coaching for unique life stages.

Bathroom scales measuring weight have been household staples for more than a century. But today’s smart scales go far beyond, tracking body composition, hydration levels, bone density, muscle mass, heart and vascular insights and more. The data is synced with your smartphone, maintains trends and can be sent to your health care provider.

I was excited to get one, but quickly became overwhelmed by the large selection and factors to consider. Using AI to research and organize all the specifications further overwhelmed me, so I thought I’d share what I learned as a starting point.

How they work (basically). Smart scales use a technology called bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) that estimates body composition by sending a low-level electrical current through the body. Electrical resistance through body tissue is measured: muscle and water conduct electricity easily, so they offer low resistance, while fat resists electricity, showing high resistance. The scale’s processor uses the resistance data coupled with your weight, and sometimes your height, age and sex, to calculate body composition metrics such as body fat percentage, muscle mass, bone mass, hydration levels, etc.

Originally, BIA devices were large and primarily used in clinical or research settings, as in the DEXA scan your doctor may have ordered for bone density. While at-home BIA technology continues to evolve, it remains an estimation tool, not a diagnostic device, and clinical methods like DEXA scans remain the gold standard for diagnosis.

What they can do. As BIA and supporting technologies evolve, advanced features also include heart-pumping efficiency, hypertension risk, glycemic regulation, cellular vitality, inflammation levels, nervous system tracking and more. Newer entrants into the growing market even include behavioral health coaching, personalized wellness insights and gender-focused platforms.

Price point. I found that smart scales range in price from $26 to $600 (a big difference), so questions to ask yourself include:

What metrics are important to me? Do I want to simply track weight and body mass index (BMI) or do I want a full health lab for the home?
Will it be for a single or multiple users?
Do I want the software to integrate with an existing health platform (i.e. Apple, Garmin, Fitbit, etc.)?
Is personal health coaching important to me?
Do I want to use a health savings account (HSA) to pay for it? (Those classified as medical devices versus general wellness are eligible).
How important is data privacy? (Data-handling policies differ per brand)

The technology differentiators. The primary cost factor is the technology, which is referred to as such:

Standard BIA: Entry-level models using four electrodes on feet only for basic body composition
Multi-frequency BIA: Uses multiple electrical frequencies and four electrodes (feet only) for better accuracy and a few additional composition factors.
Segmental BIA: Adds the retractable handle with eight electrodes to measure different body parts (arms, legs, torso) and standardly with higher accuracy.
BIA + additional sensors: Track body composition plus vascular, metabolic and other factors for the full home health lab experience.

Interestingly, with home devices, it appears that hydration, food intake, exercise and time of day can affect results, so consistency with these factors is key to accurately tracking health trends.

Brands to consider. We have yet to try any home smart scales; however, brands commonly reviewed and ranked by multiple sources include (but are not limited to):

Budget-friendly: Wyze, RENPHO, Etekcity
Advanced: Withings, InBody, Hume Health, Path

Cutting-edge contenders. Two products stood out from the rest for me: Withings Body Scan 2, described as the world’s first “science-backed longevity station,” and the Path Smart System, designed specifically for women with support programs for hormones, weight loss and different life stages.

Withings Body Scan 2, scheduled for release this year, is powered by five medical-grade breakthrough technologies. It delivers advanced capabilities like no other, including a hypertension risk notification, a full assessment of cardiac pumping efficiency, arterial elasticity and vascular age, metabolic efficiency and glycemic regulation, and an in-depth evaluation of cellular health. (Now that sounds like the ultimate home health lab!). Estimated cost: $599.

Path is described as a complete women-focused wellness platform. With multi frequency, 8 electrode BIA technology, the scale delivers 40+ body metrics adding waist-to-hip ratios and metabolic age, to name a few. To further support, the program offers science-based recommendations and personalized guidance for weight loss, post-partum, perimenopause, menopause and other stages of life unique to women. Price varies based on preferred options.

Lauren Del Sarto is the founder/publisher of Desert Health and can be reached at Lauren@deserthealthnews.com.

Sources: 1) https://www.healthline.com/health/body-fat-scale-accuracy; 2) https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-smart-scales; 3) https://www.cnet.com/health/fitness/best-smart-scales; 4) https://medgrade.org/comparisons/best-smart-scales-comparison/; 5) https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/withings-redefines-preventive-health-with-body-scan-2-the-worlds-first-science-backed-longevity-station-302652358.html#; 6) https://www.withings.com/; 7) https://healthbypath.com/; 8) https://humehealth.com/pages/hume-body-pod; 9) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8122302/