Wearable app uses your DNA to tell you what to eat and workouts to do in the gym – we put it to the test

It’s all in the wrist, or in the case of wearable technology, on the wrist, which has become the nerve centre in the new frontier for health and medical technology. Financial analysts are predicting that the global market for health care wearables will bounce from US$6.2 billion in 2017 to US$15 billion over the next four years, with most of that revenue being spent on smartwatches.

The big players such as Apple, Samsung, LG and Garmin have various wearable models, but niche brands will also track everything from your sleep and heart rate to calories burned and calories earned – even whether you require a nine iron or a pitching wedge on the golf course.

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When you include specialised medical wearable bands, there are more than 100 different readings smartwatches can give you. Depending on your functional demands – comfort, style, or both – the prices range from US$50 for a basic fit band to US$120,000 for a Brikk Lux Watch Omni with an 18 carat gold case and a series of diamonds on the strap.

Still, no matter how much your watch may shine, it will only show you data – and unless you know what to do with that data, it could be a waste of time and money.

According to Kevin MacDonald, founder and managing director of Advanced Genomic Solutions (AGS), a biotech genetic health testing company, properly integrating all that data is the key.

“People are now conditioned to have as much informatics as possible,” he says. “But all that information does is track what you do.”

How staggering advances in DNA testing help our lifestyle choices

By creating the first smartphone app to integrate genetic testing results with wearable technology, the company is taking the technology a step further.