What do you mean my new smart scale is ‘built for GLP-1 users’?
What do you mean my new smart scale is ‘built for GLP-1 users’?
我的新款智能秤为什么说是“专为 GLP-1 用户打造”的？
A few days ago, I walked into the basement of a midtown gym. Smoothies and healthy snacks were passed out. Fresh from a group workout, sweaty fitness influencers (and some less sweaty tech reporters) sat in a semicircle on some patchy leather couches and recliners. We were all there to get our hands on a smart scale. But not just any smart scale. We were there for the Withings BodyFit, a smart scale marketed as “built for GLP-1 users.”
几天前，我走进了一家位于市中心的健身房地下室。现场分发着冰沙和健康零食。刚结束集体锻炼的健身网红们（以及一些没那么出汗的科技记者）坐在拼凑的皮沙发和躺椅上，围成一个半圆。我们此行是为了体验一款智能秤。但这可不是普通的智能秤，我们是为了 Withings BodyFit 而来——这款智能秤的营销卖点正是“专为 GLP-1 用户打造”。
That claim stuck out because, for all intents and purposes, the $280 BodyFit scale is a budget, wellness-focused version of Withings’ more premium $500 Body Scan scale. As in, it has a retractable handle that enables segmented body composition analysis through bioimpedance tech, but leaves out the more medically coded features. I’ve detailed the pros and cons of smart scales in my review of another Withings scale, but traditional smart scales, by the nature of how bioimpedance tech works, generally only really measure your lower body and use algorithms to extrapolate your total body metrics. Segmented body composition incorporates your upper body and torso by including additional measurement points.
这个说法非常引人注目，因为从各方面来看，售价 280 美元的 BodyFit 实际上是 Withings 售价 500 美元的高端产品 Body Scan 的平价健康版。它配有一个可伸缩手柄，通过生物电阻抗技术实现分段身体成分分析，但去掉了更具医疗属性的功能。我在评测另一款 Withings 秤时曾详细分析过智能秤的优缺点，但传统的智能秤受限于生物电阻抗技术的工作原理，通常只能测量下半身，并利用算法推算全身数据。而分段身体成分分析则通过增加测量点，将上半身和躯干也纳入了考量。
So how does this relate to GLP-1 users? Thinly. GLP-1 medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound, and Mounjaro slow down your digestive system and suppress appetite. A potential side effect of that is that many users end up losing muscle mass. It’s why doctors recommend that GLP-1 users prioritize protein intake and regularly strength train. Withings’ pitch here is that a body composition scale can help you monitor your muscle mass. That can be useful! But it’s a stretch to say this existing tech was specifically “built for GLP-1 users.”
那么，这与 GLP-1 用户有什么关系呢？关系其实很牵强。Ozempic、Wegovy、Zepbound 和 Mounjaro 等 GLP-1 类药物会减缓消化系统速度并抑制食欲。其潜在副作用之一是许多用户最终会流失肌肉量。这就是为什么医生建议 GLP-1 用户优先摄入蛋白质并进行规律的力量训练。Withings 的卖点在于，身体成分秤可以帮助你监测肌肉量。这确实有用！但要说这项现有技术是专门“为 GLP-1 用户打造”的，未免有些牵强。
“GLP-1 therapies changed obesity care, but they did not eliminate the need for long-term support,” says Antoine Pivron, Withings’ vice president of health solutions. “Medication creates momentum, but sustainable outcomes come from combining treatment with services and continuous health data. What we are seeing is a broader shift toward more personalized and connected metabolic care, and that is where Withings has been focused for years.”
“GLP-1 疗法改变了肥胖症的治疗方式，但并没有消除对长期支持的需求，”Withings 健康解决方案副总裁 Antoine Pivron 表示。“药物创造了动力，但可持续的成果来自于将治疗与服务及持续的健康数据相结合。我们看到的是向更个性化、更互联的代谢护理转变的趋势，而这正是 Withings 多年来一直专注的领域。”
While I arch my brow at Withings’ blatant GLP-1 marketing rhetoric for the BodyFit, Pivron is broadly correct! I’ve often written about the increased focus on metabolic data in the wearable sphere. And given that about one in eight Americans has taken or is taking a GLP-1 medication, we’re about to see a lot more GLP-1 marketing from health tech companies. Case in point, just last week Oura announced it, too, is launching a feature to provide “GLP-1 insights” in its app.
虽然我对 Withings 为 BodyFit 采用的露骨 GLP-1 营销辞令感到怀疑，但 Pivron 的大方向是正确的！我经常撰文提到可穿戴设备领域对代谢数据日益增长的关注。考虑到大约八分之一的美国人正在或曾经服用过 GLP-1 药物，我们即将看到健康科技公司推出更多此类营销。例如，就在上周，Oura 也宣布将在其应用程序中推出提供“GLP-1 洞察”的功能。
As the Dr. Doofenshmirtz meme goes: If I had a nickel for every time in the past 10 days a major health tech company announced GLP-1 tech, I’d have two nickels. That isn’t a lot, but it is weird that it happened twice.
正如杜芬舒斯博士（Dr. Doofenshmirtz）的梗所言：如果过去 10 天里每有一家大型健康科技公司宣布 GLP-1 相关技术，我就能得到五分钱，那我手里现在就有两枚五分硬币了。这虽然不多，但连续发生两次确实很奇怪。
I’m sensitive to GLP-1 marketing — not only as a health tech reporter, but as someone currently on a GLP-1 medication to treat my borked metabolism. The spectrum of GLP-1 experiences is wide, but mine hasn’t always been a pleasant one. For the past six months, I’ve had nearly every possible side effect under the sun, combined with an unusually long adjustment period despite being on the lowest therapeutic dose. It has, in myriad ways, upended my life. Desperate to feel normal again, my instinct was to experiment using existing health tech to research, manage, and optimize my treatment.
我对 GLP-1 的营销非常敏感——不仅因为我是一名健康科技记者，还因为我本人目前正在服用 GLP-1 药物来治疗我紊乱的代谢。GLP-1 的使用体验因人而异，而我的经历并不总是愉快的。在过去的六个月里，我几乎经历了所有可能的副作用，尽管使用的是最低治疗剂量，但适应期却异常漫长。它在无数方面颠覆了我的生活。为了渴望恢复正常，我的本能反应是尝试利用现有的健康科技来研究、管理和优化我的治疗过程。
It’s been a bumpy ride. It’s one thing to review health tech products when you’re in pretty good shape and feeling good. It’s another when you’re chronically not. I could probably rant for 2,000 words about how the vast majority of wearables and AI health products operate from an aggregated viewpoint. Meaning, a lot of the “insights” and feature design were created to serve a “normal” user. Great if that’s you; objectively frustrating if it’s not.
这是一段坎坷的旅程。当你身体状况良好、感觉不错时评测健康科技产品是一回事；而当你长期处于不适状态时，又是另一回事。我可以写上两千字来吐槽绝大多数可穿戴设备和人工智能健康产品是如何基于“汇总视角”运作的。这意味着，许多“洞察”和功能设计都是为了服务“普通”用户而创建的。如果你是这类用户，那很好；但如果你不是，那确实令人沮丧。