The handheld, portable device and app now arrives in the UK providing a convenient way to measure the body’s carbon dioxide concentration to determine the fuel type the body is using to produce energy.
Lumen is then able to provide personalised suggestions on when and what to consume to fuel workouts, based on metabolic traits to improve the ability to shift between fats or carbs as energy sources.
“While metabolism is key to weight loss, the only way to test metabolism was through a restrictive, hours-long laboratory process, leaving regular people with zero visibility into their metabolic rate and only haphazard ways of improving it,” says Michal Mor, co-founder and head of science for product at Lumen.
“With Lumen, we are bringing scientifically rigorous insight into personal metabolism for the very first time, allowing anyone at home to measure how efficient their body is at burning calories, but also sharing research-driven recommendations on how they can reach their health and fitness goals faster.”
Scientific scrutiny
The device was the subject of a study by Lumen’s makers Metaflow and San Francisco State University in which the device provided ‘valid information’ regarding an individual’s metabolic state.
Here, metabolic fuel usage was assessed in 33 healthy participants via respiratory exchange ratio (RER) values from the industry standard TrueOne 2400 metabolic cart as well as %CO2 from the Lumen device.
Measurements were performed at rest in two conditions, fasting, and after consuming 150 grams (g) of glucose in order to determine changes in metabolic fuel.
Both RER and Lumen %CO2 significantly increased after glucose intake compared with fasting conditions.
“Lumen can provide valid information regarding an individual’s metabolic state,” the study states.
“This corresponds with results from metabolic cart, but unlike the metabolic cart, can be performed anywhere and by anyone, without the need for a special clinic, equipment, and technicians.”
Formed in 2000, the Israeli-based firm raised more than €840m ($1m) on Indiegogo in 2018 for Lumen, adding to the €5.9m ($7m) already raised from investors that included Disruptive VC and Red Swan Ventures.
Similar devices
Lumen joins an increasingly crowded market for such devices that includes Habit, another US-based firm that takes the personalised nutrition concept and provides nutrition recommendations based on an individual’s unique biology, metabolism and personal goals.
The firm takes it another step further by delivering personalised meals and providing one-on-one wellness and nutrition coaching under the guidance of its team of nutrition scientists and health advisors amongst others.
The service uses an at-home test kit that measures over 60 different biomarkers including blood markers, and genetic variations within the DNA.
Other similar services include Breezing, a wearable device that allows the design of personalised, data-driven nutritional and weight management programs based on patients’ unique metabolic profiles.
The sensing technology used allows the indirect measure of calorimetry by measuring the rate of O2 consumption and CO2 production in breath.
The Lumen device is now available, currently priced at €330 (£299). Users can download the app from the Apple App Store and/or Google Play.
