DSM and Huami Corp partner on personalization and health monitoring technology

25 Nov 2020 --- DSM and Huami Corp, a China-based manufacturer of smart wearable devices, are joining forces to enhance DSM’s personalized nutrition arm and develop technologies for health monitoring.

This month, DSM announced personalized nutrition would become the “third muscle” of its corporate strategy, highlighting the importance of the space amid these unprecedented COVID-19 times.

The collaboration with Huami aims to strengthen this segment by incorporating health data into new product designs, which can track and guide individual aspects of health and wellness.

“The ability to measure and monitor diverse aspects of health and wellness (for example, physical activity) is a key component of a successful personalized nutrition approach,” Hugh Welsh, secretary and president of DSM North America, tells NutritionInsight.

Using Huami’s Amazfit smart wristwatch, which measures and tracks health aspects such as heart rate, sleep patterns and blood oxygen saturation, DSM will aim to provide individualized plans tailored to different needs, it says.

“Huami and DSM will work together to integrate and scientifically validate Huami technologies in a selection of personalized nutrition concepts as part of the measurement and monitoring phases of personal health.”

Beyond the pandemic
DSM will be utilizing Huami’s technology in a number of ways.

“Alongside the topic of immunity, we are currently evaluating a range of concepts in the area of metabolic health (for example, blood sugar), cardiac health and sports performance,” says Welsh.

The Amazfit wristwatch already includes a personal activity intelligence (PAI) feature, which scores the user on these various metrics.

Last year, DSM acquired the US-based health platform AVA, which provides artificial intelligence (AI)-powered nutritional coaching and recommendations.

DSM will combine the AVA and PAI technologies in the Amazfit wristwatch so that individuals can track their health in real-time and work toward personal health goals.

Personalized nutrition coming to the fore

DSM will be integrating Huami’s technology and data sources to target key areas of health and wellness.

Welsh highlights that personalized nutrition is an area of both increasing public interest and growing technological possibility.

“People are increasingly looking for a more personalized approach to their nutrition and lifestyle.”

“Advances in digital technology and nutritional science are making it possible for individuals to get specific insights about their own nutritional status,” he continues.

“They can then act on personalized recommendations for improvements concerning particular health and wellness goals that they have in mind.”

He notes the lucrative potential of the personalized nutrition markets is also a significant motivator for the partnership.

“Analysts have predicted that the personalized nutrition market could be as much as US$64 billion by 2040.”

COVID-19 creating opportunities
Concern and awareness of immune health have spread rapidly during the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Innova Market Insights recently found that 45 percent of global consumers are choosing more food and beverage products that strengthen their immune systems in the wake of the pandemic.

Welsh asserts new and personalized technologies will build on this consumer demand.

“The current pandemic has certainly raised awareness about the importance of a healthy immune system.”

“Nutrition and lifestyle are critically important for immunity, and demand for immunity-related solutions is on the rise. Personalized nutrition can tie together both nutrition and lifestyle factors (such as sleep, stress, exercise) in a holistic way to support people in optimizing their immunity,” he concludes.

By Louis Gore-Langton