Smart-tech wearables reveal stress relief efficacy of myAir functional bars

12 Feb 2021 --- A study using Garmin’s smart tech wearables has revealed myAir’s functional adaptogen bars improved 73 percent of participants’ anxiety scores and 84 percent of sleep quality. 

The Garmin vívosmart 4 activity trackers tracked participants’ sleep duration, sleep quality and stress levels two weeks prior to daily consumption of the myAir bars and two weeks after.

Just over half (54 percent) of participants increased their sleep duration and nearly a third (64 percent) experienced an increase in deep sleep duration, as measured by the smart tech watches. 

“Consumers are seeking stress solutions in comforting beverages. There is also an enhanced focus in light functional plant-based snacks that contains a short list of simple ingredients,” myAir co-founder Rachel Yarcony tells NutritionInsight.

“But we believe that ‘If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.’ We research and prove any added value we offer to the consumer.”

Targeting stress with plant-based snack bars
The Israeli food-tech start-up launched its functional snack bars in October. Following the “plants as medicine” trend, each bespoke nutritional bar’s ingredients are chosen based on consumers’ specific stress profiles and cognitive needs. 

The company advocates that chronic stress – the number one silent killer globally – necessitates customized relief solutions, as it targets everyone differently. 

The study conducted at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology showed myAir bars’ can reduce anxiety and stress.The data science behind its personalization solution is a patented algorithm based on physiological and psychological data. 

myAir’s online survey and engagement mechanism create deep profiling of an individual’s cognitive response to stress. Physiological responses to stress, including alterations in heart rate, respiration, sleep quality and physical activity, are tracked via smartwatches.

“Since our R&D team developed our functional botanical extracts formulations based on preliminary research, we were not surprised with [the Garmin study] results,” muses Yarcony.

“We’ve been using Garmin devices to track stress, sleep and activities for a long time,” adds co-founder Dovev Goldstein. “This experience led us to choose Garmin devices as the most accessible and accurate means to use in large scale experiments and to reach trusted results.”

Personalization trend booms
myAir is taking note of a growing market for added value products over the last few years. “There is rising awareness among consumers on the valuable role that adaptogens, super-herbs and nutrition can have on emotional well-being.”

“Personalization is a prominent trend across all industries, especially in the health and food industries,” adds Yarcony.

On top of its “Tailored to Fit” personalization focus, Innova Market Insights pegged “Mood: The Next Occasion” as a top F&B trend for 2021. 

Garmin’s wearable data is inherently unique to the wearer, meaning it can be used to create a tailored nutrition solution.In a 2020 Innova Market Insights consumer survey, 55 percent of global consumers said they had taken action to improve their physical well-being, followed by mental and emotional well-being (44 percent) and spiritual time (32 percent).

Yarcony previously shared that in the future, AI-driven technology will be a fundamental tool to help navigate food decisions, “just like a GPS guides our driving directions.” 

Moreover, the AI space in nutrition science has been steadily growing. Earlier this month, AI unveiled walnuts’ correlation with reduced heart disease and diabetes risk.

In January, DSM partnered with Dutch university TU Delft to establish the Artificial Intelligence Lab for Biosciences as part of a €2.5 million (US$3 million) move. 

“We are crossing cognitive data with individual physiological aspects,” highlights Yarcony. “It’s a game-changer in personalized nutrition and we have further development in our pipeline.”

By Anni Schleicher