Amazon Halo Body Accuracy Explained

The Amazon Halo fitness tracker can estimate your body fat based on pictures of you. How accurate is Amazon Halo Body Scan?

I have been losing weight for the last year and using the Amazon Halo to keep track of my progress. I want to see my body fat percentage go down, not only my weight. 

Amazon Halo Body Scan Accuracy

The Amazon Halo body scan uses four pictures of your body to estimate your body fat percentage. 

First, you will use your smartphone to take the pictures, as the Halo doesn’t have a camera. Then, Amazon’s AI technology will use the pictures to estimate what percentage of your weight is fat. 

How Does the Body Scan Work?

First, AI looks at the four pictures and converts them into 3-Dimensional models. The AI then looks at the models and estimates the person’s body fat. 

This is more accurate than most, although not all methods doctors use. Amazon is a huge company that can develop powerful AI systems that can estimate body fat from photographs. 

How Do They Know the Halo Body Scan is Accurate?

Recent research shows that the Halo Body Scan measures body fat accurately. A study of 134 participants proved that the quick and simple Halo Body Scan is better than some more complex methods.

The best way to calculate a person’s body fat is DXA, or Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry, which uses X-rays to see how much fat is in a person’s body. Since this method is so effective, other methods are considered accurate if they report similar results to a DXA scan. 

The Halo Body Scan was more accurate than the Air Displacement Plethysmography Device, which requires special clothing and lab equipment. Estimating body fat from BMI is even easier than using the Amazon Halo, but it is sometimes very inaccurate. 

Why is This Technology Impressive? 

The technology is impressive not only for its accuracy but because of how easy it is to use. All you need is the Halo, a smartphone, and four photos. 

This is much easier to use than most methods doctors use, including some methods that are less accurate than the Halo scan. 

What is the Most Accurate Body Scan?

The most accurate body scan is still the DEXA scan. A DEXA scan uses x-rays, so it can see inside a person’s body. The Amazon Halo cannot be as accurate using only pictures. 

Why Does Body Fat Matter? 

People who have too much body fat are at a higher risk of many diseases. Higher body fat increases the risk of: 

• Type 2 Diabetes: Diabetes has many causes, but one of the biggest is obesity or high body fat. In particular, visceral fat (in the belly and around the organs) raises the risk. 
• Cancer: Being overweight is linked to many forms of cancer. Excess body fat leads to inflammation, which can lead to cancer. 
• Coronary Artery Disease: Being overweight raises the risk of this common cause of death. 
• Stroke: Having high body fat raises the odds of dying from a stroke in middle-aged men. Central fat (on the body) is more dangerous than peripheral fat (on the limbs). 
• Kidney Disease: Being overweight makes your kidneys have to work harder. Body fat also leads to diabetes and high blood pressure, which can damage your kidneys. 
• Liver Disease: Excess body fat can lead to fatty liver disease. You do not have to be a heavy alcohol drinker to get liver problems. 
• High Blood Pressure: Extra weight, especially on the belly, leads to high blood pressure, which causes many other problems. 

Is Body Fat the Same as BMI?

No, body fat and BMI are two different although related things. A person with a high body mass index usually has high body fat, but this isn’t always true. 

Body fat is a better measure of health than BMI, but BMI is easier to calculate. To measure BMI, you simply look at a chart or an online tool that compares a person’s weight to their height. 

If someone has a normal weight for their height, their BMI is in the healthy range. They can also have an overweight, obese, or underweight BMI.

Why is Body Fat Different from BMI?

Sometimes, a muscular person could be considered overweight or obese according to a BMI chart. 

However, if their body fat is low, they won’t have weight-related health problems. Someone can also have very high body fat without being obese according to BMI. 

Having too little body fat can be unhealthy, but it is much more common to have too much body fat. Women are supposed to have significantly more body fat than men. A healthy level of body fat also changes as a person ages. 

Is Amazon Halo Step Tracker Accurate?

Since fitness wristbands/watches/rings estimate how many steps you take based on the movement of your hands, none of them have excellent accuracy.

However, estimating steps by hand movement works better than you might assume. 

People move their hands in a certain way when they walk, and instruments can detect that movement. 

When you compare the number of steps you take according to different fitness trackers (Apple Watch, Oura Ring, Fitbit, Amazon Halo, ext) you get a similar number. The accuracy is not great, but it is good enough for anyone trying to increase how much they move each day. 

Does Amazon Halo Measure Body Temperature?

Yes, the Amazon Halo measures your skin’s temperature. One thing this does is improve the sleep tracking feature.

The Amazon Halo can tell what sleep stage (light sleep, deep sleep, or REM sleep) you are in based on your skin’s temperature.

You might also know you will get sick in advance based on temperature changes. The Halo will show you how far away from normal your temperature is, and if it rises suddenly, you might be sick with a fever soon.

Key Takeaways

• Yes, the Amazon Halo Body Scan is an accurate way of measuring your body fat. It performs better than more complicated methods such as the Air Displacement Plethysmography Device and simpler methods such as BMI. 
• A recent study of more than 130 people confirms that the Halo Scan is accurate. 
• The best way of measuring a person’s body fat is still the DEXA scan and not the Amazon Halo Scan. However, an Amazon Halo Scan can be done anywhere with simple and relatively cheap equipment.