Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Brings Nutrition Tracking to Your Wrist

Samsung has taken a big step in wearables by pioneering the ability to change a complex lab-based nutrition analysis into an easy wrist scan. The new Antioxidant Index on the Galaxy Watch8 measures carotenoid status— a well-known biomarker of dietary health— in seconds, setting the new standard for recent technology in India and beyond.

A Key Change in Nutritional Surveillance

The idea was simple yet disruptive: what if your smartwatch could measure your nutrition in real-time? Samsung’s ingenuity changes early stages of nutrition research into meaningful health indicators. Consumers can now assess their antioxidant levels— important molecules that defend the body from oxidative stress and aging— by simply using the scan of a thumb.

Dr. Hyojee Joung, of Seoul National University, states that the key to long-term health is managing your antioxidants, “If we don’t manage our antioxidants, it may lead to an accumulation of reactive oxygen species in our bodies, leading to a greater risk of chronic diseases like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancers.”

This research and health inequities became the catalyst for Samsung’s years of research, aiming to bring nutrition surveillance into daily life.

Shrinking Lab-Quality Technology to a Smaller Scale

The toughest challenge Samsung engineers faced was scaling down Raman spectroscopy technology, which is typically used in laboratories and is used to measure carotenoids, down into a size that can be used in a sensor that fits in a watch. Traditional machines are large and expensive given their size and therefore not practical for everyday use.

After almost 7 years of research and countless prototypes, Samsung achieved what seemed impossible not long ago. The Galaxy Watch8 employs multi-wavelength LED technology, combined with a custom photodetector array, which can provide accurate carotenoid readings in a small form factor.

“We made it happen by merging reflectance spectroscopy with a collection of low-cost, high-intensity LEDs,” shared Jinyoung Park, from Samsung’s Digital Health team. LEDs correlate to a wider range of wavelengths compared to laser systems, and when connected with Samsung’s algorithms in real time, these devices provide consistent, tailored health information.

Making Health Technology Available for Everyone

Samsungs’s aim went beyond being innovative; it made technology available for everyone. To provide accurate measurements on all skin tones, engineers developed the scan to be run from the fingertip, where there is little disruption from melanin.

After extensive testing at Samsung Medical Center that included testing with hundreds of participants, the technology has been tested and refined for all types of users.

The addition of light fingertip pressure while scanning overall, contributed to the accuracy by minimalizing blood flow disruption.

This method, centered in inclusivity, assures that the Antioxidant Index provides consistent answers regardless of skin tone or way of living, anywhere in the world.

Understanding the Antioxidant Index

Carotenoids are pigments that naturally exist in fruits and vegetables. The human body cannot produce carotenoids. Thus the concentrations indicate how much fruits and vegetables the person is consuming. The Antioxidant Index of the Galaxy Watch8 puts you into one of three categories depending on your carotenoids levels:

• Extremely Low: More than 50% of the World Health Organization’s suggested daily amount of fruit and vegetables of 400g.
• Low: 50% – 100%
• Good: More than 100%

As per Dr. Joung, “The carotenoids in the skin can tell us about longer term funny dietary patterns or eating behavior. So, if someone made a dietary change, for example, they decided to eat more vegetables, it might take a week to 2 weeks one to be able to see that dietary change.”

The indicator takes into account lifestyle factors like stress, sleep, and exercise–creating a thorough representation of overall wellness. Coupled with the Galaxy Watch8’s sleep tracking feature and bioimpedance vascular assessment process, users can now see various dimensions of health.

A More Intelligent Tomorrow for Preventive Healthcare

Professor Yoonho Choi from Samsung Medical Center asserts that the Antioxidant Index marks the beginning of a new era in personal wellness. “Wearable devices that encourage better nutrition can potentially reduce the risk of cancer and every disease associated with aging,” he said.

With this innovation, Samsung is bridging nutrition science with everyday health management.
The ability to measure antioxidants from your wrist isn’t only an advancement of technology; it has the potential to revolutionize health care.

With the Antioxidant Index, the Galaxy Watch8 completely redefines the capabilities of wearables—bringing us a powerful combination of technology and wellness that is sure to shape the future of preventive healthcare.

The Galaxy Watch8 from Samsung has turned science fiction into reality by allowing real-time nutrition tracking. This first-ever feature in the industry is an important achievement for the recent technology in India and around the world, opening the door to a new era of innovations in wearable products that focus on health.