Wearable Readiness Scores Lack Evidence: 389 Golfers Gained Just 0.5 Strokes
EricTopol · x · 2026-09-22
Cardiologist Eric Topol questions the scientific basis of HRV and Readiness scores pushed by Apple Watch and other wearables in his Ground Truths newsletter.
- On September 9, Apple announced a revamp of its Apple Watch health sensing system, rolling out a 0-10 Readiness score, increasing HRV output frequency 24-fold, and adding a longevity tab and "Health Age."
- More than 100 million US adults now use wearable sensors, and HRV/Readiness are marketed as markers of autonomic nervous system health, future disease, biological age, and even longevity — none of which has been proven.
- HRV is the millisecond variation between consecutive heartbeats (R-R intervals), reflecting sympathetic/parasympathetic interplay; it is only a rough proxy for autonomic activity and cannot determine whether a person's ANS function is abnormal.
- The best available study: among 389 pro golfers, an absolute 10-percentage-point increase in Recovery score was associated with only about 0.5 fewer strokes per round.
Bottom line: the health benefits claimed for wearable readiness scores remain unproven.
Related event: Eric Topol Questions Wearables' Readiness Scores(2 posts)→
More from Apps
- Solo dev launches browser multiplayer game Trash Club built with GPT 6, Rust + Wasm + WebGPU — chongdashu · 2026-09-22
- Meta Partners with PayPal to Let Muse AI Agents Shop and Check Out Worldwide — alexandr_wang · 2026-09-22
- AI Apps Are Learning to Fake Presence: Smiling Mascots and Moving Cursors Replace Blank Input Boxes — round · 2026-09-22
- Law student with no coding background built a Gemini-powered Opal app to turn dead borewells into recharge wells — Euphoric_Year_3 · 2026-09-22
- Sol launches an email agent that finds every promise in your inbox and starts the work for you — alexmacgregor__ · 2026-09-22
- Adapting iOS apps for the new iPhone Duo layouts: pitfalls and design tips — JordanMorgan10 · 2026-09-22