Diet time: why a watch may tell if you're eating greens
Smartwatches, rings and other wearable tech could tell users whether they are eating enough vegetables in future as well as tracking their blood sugar without piercing the skin.
Samsung Electronics confirmed research projects into both technologies on Friday, as part of a wider plan to use artificial intelligence to gather more health data for users.
But medical experts said some consumers would take a lot of convincing to use the health-tracking technology when it became available as they were not ready to have their devices nagging them to change behaviour.
The South Korean tech giant revealed the future health plans at a panel in San Jose, California, one day after announcing the launch of smartphones that will rely heavily on AI features.
The future wearable devices would also use artificial intelligence technology to analyse data and ensure findings could easily be understood by users, Samsung digital health team head Hon Pak said, but the breakthroughs would require the development of new sensors.
"What I'm really excited about ... we are working on a non-invasive, optically based, continuous glucose monitor," he said.
"I can't tell you the (launch) time but I'm very excited by the progress we're making and this, if we do it right, will be a game-changer."
The company's research team was also investigating whether sensors could scan the skin for beta-carotene, the red and orange pigment in vegetables, Dr Pak said, "as a way to measure if your vegetable intake is adequate".
The biomarkers, combined with existing health information from smartwatches, could provide more context to medical conditions than doctors or patients currently used.
"Right now, you go to the doctor you get blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, weight and that's your vital signs and ... we use that as a way to then manage your healthcare," he said.
"We envision a future where vital signs (are) now with sleep hours, some index of nutrition, some index of activity level, and doctors and patients and families can look at this and say 'I understand context and I understand what's happening'."
The additional information, particularly about trends in a patient's sleep or activity levels, could help create a more detailed picture of their health, National Association of Community Health Centers president Kyu Rhee said, that could fill in information gaps between patient visits.
"Combining this essential health data with clinical data powered by AI insights has the potential to transform the health system," he said.
Wearing fitness trackers and other health sensors had also been shown to inspire healthy behaviours, University of Georgia professor Patrick O'Connor said, but companies could not rely on widespread adoption as health was a sensitive issue for many.
"This question about why are people not fully taking advantage of technology to improve their health, there's a lot of reasons," he said.
"For some people, it doesn't feel good to get a message that I'm not eating perfectly or sleeping adequately or being active enough – that's a stressor."
In addition to refining the technology and using AI to simplify findings, Dr O'Connor said manufacturers should take care to ensure communications are helpful but not harsh.
(AAP travelled to San Jose with the assistance of Samsung).
