Fitbit's 150 Billion Hours Of Heart Data Reveal Secrets About Health

Mito

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Exclusive: Fitbit's 150 billion hours of heart data reveal secrets about health

“That’s exactly what Fitbit (FIT) has done. It has now logged 150 billion hours’ worth of heart-rate data. From tens of millions of people, all over the world. The result: the biggest set of heart-rate data ever collected.”
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Herbie

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This is interesting but not surprising, lots of hypothyroid candidates
 
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tca300

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I wonder if the odds are higher that cardio peeps are the majority whose data was recorded, as non exercisers would be much less likely to use that device. Chronic cardio is very catabolic, and likely to result in the heart rate lowering effects of cortisol/suppressed thyroid function.
 
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tca300

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My step grandfathers heart rate progressively declined over the years leading to up to his death. He boasted a " super athletic " heart rate of 47 bpm the last year of his life. He couldn't bend over to tie his shoes from a seated position without stopping mid-way through to catch his breath.

He wasn't even remotely obese, never smoked and at most had 1-2 beers per week. He was a long distance runner from his early teens until he had to have a heart valve stent put in at 50. He died at 76, and had 3 heart surgeries during his life.

Edit* I remember his temps were always in the 96° - 97° range.
 
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Herbie

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I wonder if the odds are higher that cardio peeps are the majority whose data was recorded, as non exercisers would be much less likely to use that device. Chronic cardio is very catabolic, and likely to result in the heart rate lowering effects of cortisol/suppressed thyroid function.

The people I know who use the fit bits are mainstream, office workers, want to lose wieght and get fit and cardio is their go to solution/punishment, they are known to compete with their work colleges for who did the most steps.
 
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tca300

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The people I know who use the fit bits are mainstream, office workers, want to lose wieght and get fit and cardio is their go to solution/punishment, they are known to compete with their work colleges for who did the most steps.
Oh! Shows how much I know.
 
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normal people dont have heart rates at 85bpm+, really unless you eat the peat way, no way your heart rate will be that high
 
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Mito

Mito

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normal people dont have heart rates at 85bpm+, really unless you eat the peat way, no way your heart rate will be that high
I’m guessing most “Peaters” don’t have resting heart rates at or above 85 bpm if they are calculating their resting heart rate using a Fitbit.
 

Regina

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normal people dont have heart rates at 85bpm+, really unless you eat the peat way, no way your heart rate will be that high
That's true. Virtually everyone I know --including my Doctor-- prides themselves on having a low resting heart rate.
 

yerrag

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I’m guessing most “Peaters” don’t have resting heart rates at or above 85 bpm if they are calculating their resting heart rate using a Fitbit.

Is that supposed to mean Fitbit measures heart rate that skews to the low side? I don't have a Fitbit (really don't care to add more gadgets anymore) but I get my heart rate from my Samsung smartphone and from my Omron bp monitor. I'm frustrated haha that I wake up with a heart rate at 56, and usually my heart rate ranges from 62-73 during the day, but more often at around 66.

My temperature is good and waking and 5pm temp is at 36.5 and 37 respectively.

Still, I think I can have a higher heart rate if not for my high blood pressure condition. Not on medication because I don't believe in it. If I finally resolve my lead toxicity in my kidneys, and my kidneys no longer restrict tissue oxygenation to protect itself, and would allow higher oxygenation, I would see my heart rate increase, and hopefully, I could get to a heart rate of 85.

As things stand now, my metabolism isn't where it should be but the energy production is enough to keep me healthy. Good immunity - no flu or fever for the past 20 years. But not enough for me to get my hair to be more thick and dense, and my skin tone could stand to be better.

Regardless, I'm not complaining, and I'll keep working at improving my heart rate.

Good to see the results. I'm just boringly "normal."
 

danielbb

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My kids bought me a Fitbit (charge2 model) two years ago and it sat on the shelf for the first year. I began using it last year and have discovered it to be an outstanding biofeedback tool. Walking is a Peat-blessed exercise and it is fun to know how many steps you "walked" in a day. I no longer do high intensity cardio because of Ray's writings about stress hormones. I used intermittent fasting and cardio and had impressive weight loss results this past year but my metabolic rate just kept going lower and lower. Frequent headaches, moodiness, low resting heart rate (usually in the 50's), and low body temperatures (97 or below most of the day) were my companions this past year but the scale results were impressive. Finding Ray Peat has been a Godsend for me. Basically, by using orange juice, milk and milk products, and some salt and sugar, I've been able to get my resting heart rate (as reported by Fitbit) consistently above 80 and often at 85. My waking body temperature is now near 98 and I can easily get that up to normal with two cups of 50/50 (coffee/1% milk) combo in the morning. I've found a glass of orange juice followed by a glass of milk and a little salt is like charging a battery. I can go for hours at peak energy and without feelings of hunger. I've been drinking about 1/2 gallon of milk a day with about 1 quart of OJ per day. I am starting to believe this whole concept we call life is about energy and as Ray describes. Increase energy and everything starts to work properly. Thyroid and energy are synonymous in my opinion.

Now to the really cool stuff about Fitbit - sleep monitoring! I found that a Coke before bed really helps me sleep and is excellent for nighttime hormonal output. I used to drink US Coke with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) before bed and noticed that although I felt good the next day, my sleep pattern was rather discontinuous. After switching to Mexican Coke, my sleep pattern smoothed out (less awake time during sleep). I interpreted that result as HFCS must be some type of excitotoxin and/or neurotoxin. (Full disclosure - others have tried my Coke before bed suggestion and have had trouble sleeping).

What I am suggesting here is for people to use devices like Fitbit as a trouble shooting device. You can observe what you had to eat the previous day (and especially before bed) and equate that to your quality of sleep. Imho, that is when many beneficial/healing hormones are released in the body - especially during REM and deep sleep. Ray talk's about salt intake aiding sleep and I believe he is right about that based on biofeedback I've gotten from Fitbit. Fitbit and a thermometer can be used to troubleshoot your thyroid. There is no doubt in my mind Ray has already figured this equation out. Orange juice, milk, some salt and the judicious use of sugar charges the battery (e.g., energizes every cell in the body and facilitates life).
 

InChristAlone

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Not surprising. Most people think heart rate should be lower because then that means your heart is working less. Not realizing that the lower it goes the closer you are to death! I have known people in their early 20s with heart rates of 55. They are clearly hypothyroid too.
 

Herbie

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Athletes, for example, often have much lower resting heart rates — sometimes as low as 40 beats per minute. A lower resting heart usually indicates more efficient heart function and greater cardiovascular health. I can tell your an athlete mate Lol

Day to day, things like caffeinated beverages, such as coffee and energy drinks, will increase your heart rate by blocking the chemical in your brain that causes drowsiness. That one chemical hey Garry nice one genius Lol

- Garry Jennings, cardiologist and chief medical advisor at the Heart Foundation. Who did you have to pay? oh don’t worry I know Lol

 
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Mito

Mito

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Is that supposed to mean Fitbit measures heart rate that skews to the low side?
No it’s just based on my own experience so it could be wrong. Fitbit uses an algorithm to calculate resting heart rate. They claim to use the heart rate just before falling asleep so it’s more accurate if you wear it 24 hours a day. I sometimes look at my Fitbit bpm during the day after I have been sitting for a good amount of time and I’m usually between 75-85 bpm. But my calculated resting heart rate is usually between 65 and 70.
 

yerrag

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No it’s just based on my own experience so it could be wrong. Fitbit uses an algorithm to calculate resting heart rate. They claim to use the heart rate just before falling asleep so it’s more accurate if you wear it 24 hours a day. I sometimes look at my Fitbit bpm during the day after I have been sitting for a good amount of time and I’m usually between 75-85 bpm. But my calculated resting heart rate is usually between 65 and 70.
That's a large discrepancy. What is the basis for the 75-85 bpm measurement? Based on your feeling your pulse and counting it, or another device such as a Samsung Galaxy S phone or an electronic blood pressure monitor?

It's good to take these readings with a grain of salt. Device accuracy is limited to an algorithm that favors the mean of the population. It is more accurate when you fall closer to the mean. In the case of high metabolic people like you, with high heart rates, it's not unlikely that the readings will be lower.
 
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Mito

Mito

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That's a large discrepancy. What is the basis for the 75-85 bpm measurement?
The Fitbit has an oximeter that continuously monitors the heart rate so I can just look at it on the display at anytime. So the 75-85 bpm is just looking at the display of the Fitbit after I’ve been sitting and resting for a while.
 

yerrag

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The Fitbit has an oximeter that continuously monitors the heart rate so I can just look at it on the display at anytime. So the 75-85 bpm is just looking at the display of the Fitbit after I’ve been sitting and resting for a while.
I see. So the reported study is based on measurements take before falling asleep. If that's the basis for readings in the study, it would seem to be skewed to the low side already. My experience tells me temperature and heart rate peaks at 5 pm. When near sleep, heart rate would be expected to be much lower.

How Fitbit reports its results seem to indicate their bias towards lower heart rates as being healthier, in order to not ruffle mainstream feathers.

Still, I have to hand it to them they're not reporting based on when you just wake up.
 
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lampofred

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But a lower heart rate actually is good if it's because your training has strengthened your heart muscle, increasing its stroke volume. It's just hard to tell whether your heart rate has slowed down due to a reduction in blood pumped (in other words, lowered metabolism, which is bad) or due to cardio strengthening your heart, meaning it has to do less work to pump the same amount of blood. For most people, it's probably a bit of both.
 
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Mito

Mito

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I see. So the reported study is based on measurements take before falling asleep. If that's the basis for readings in the study, it would seem to be skewed to the low side already. My experience tells me temperature and heart rate peaks at 5 pm. When near sleep, heart rate would be expected to be much lower.

How Fitbit reports its results seem to indicate their bias towards lower heart rates as being healthier, in order to not ruffle mainstream feathers.

Still, I have to hand it to them they're not reporting based on when you just wake up.
Fitbit won’t reveal the exact algorithm they use, but they say this.

“Resting heart rate refers to the heart rate measured when you’re awake, calm, comfortable, and have not recently exerted yourself. We use your heart rate data from when you’re awake and asleep to estimate your resting heart rate. For best accuracy, wear your device to sleep.

Your resting heart rate is usually higher than your heart rate while you are asleep, so don’t be surprised if your resting heart rate is higher than the lowest number that you see in your heart rate graphs.”
 

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