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New Stayhealthy Body Composition Technology Announced at Microsoft's Connected Health Conference

Posted on: Thursday, 11 June 2009, 06:00 CDT

BELLEVUE, Wash., June 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Following a two-year clinical study at the University of Southern California, Stayhealthy introduced their next generation body composition analysis technology at Microsoft's Connected Health Conference. The technology accurately measures body composition, comes in various forms depending on the need - from a home use individual device, to a commercial grade device for physicians, fitness and nutrition professionals, to a comprehensive freestanding, self-service health assessment kiosk - and is capable of uploading data directly into Microsoft HealthVault.

Body composition, the measurement of actual body fat and lean mass has long been recognized as the most effective means of managing health, fitness and risk factors. Generally people look at absolute weight in setting diet or exercise goals, which ultimately leads to the loss of both fat and lean mass. Unfortunately, the majority of people who do lose weight tend to regain the lost weight in the form of fat. This starts a spiral where the efficiency of their body and ability to burn calories effectively is reduced and therefore it becomes increasingly difficult to manage weight and by extension health.

"At a time when our nation faces a healthcare crisis driven by excess weight and obesity, we are excited to introduce the Stayhealthy Body Composition Analysis technology," said John Collins, CEO of Stayhealthy. "By providing this technology we hope to help millions of people track their body compositions and make positive adjustments as necessary."

Stayhealthy's Body Composition Analysis technology incorporates two key elements - a physical data collection device that utilizes bio-impedance technology, and a proprietary server-based algorithm that analyzes the data collected at the device and provides a precise body composition reading via the internet back to the user's computer.

To date, the measurement tools available to measure body composition have been prohibitively expensive and therefore, very limited in availability. For example, DEXA scanners require a minimum investment of about $100,000 and are further limited in use due to radiation exposure. Hydrostatic weighing requires access to a specially configured immersion pool. Conversely, the consumer version of the Stayhealthy Body Composition Analyzer will be available at a base price of less than $100. The availability of a low cost measurement device could fundamentally change the way individual health and fitness levels are measured and enable healthcare providers to more accurately manage and monitor patient health and fitness levels.

"Stayhealthy's body composition analysis is an example of inexpensive and innovative technology that connects with HealthVault to really make a difference in improving healthcare," said David Cerino, general manager of the Consumer Health Solutions Group at Microsoft. "Through our cooperative efforts, we are creating technology that brings together the power of the web, server-based processing and medical grade devices to deliver a revolutionary means of helping people better understand and measure their weight-related health risks."

The two-year USC clinical study compared Stayhealthy technology to the gold standards of DEXA scanning for adults and hydrostatic weighing for children. The study allowed Stayhealthy to refine their proprietary algorithms for measuring body composition and achieve an unparalleled level of accuracy in the industry. The conclusion of the research found that there was no appreciable difference in body composition measurements between Stayhealthy's technology and DEXA or hydrostatic weighing.

Former Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson commented on the announcement stating, "In 2001 as Secretary of Health, I issued a call to action to prevent and decrease excess weight and obesity. Since that time, the epidemic of obesity has become even more prevalent. We all have to worry about this problem of obesity. While body weight is important, having the ability to accurately and cost effectively measure individual body composition represents a sea change in how people can address weight-related health risks by allowing people to target only the portion of their weight that is most critically associated with health risk - body fat."

About Stayhealthy, Inc.

Stayhealthy, Inc. is a privately owned health services company focused on bringing solutions to individuals wishing to "take control" of their health and fitness. Stayhealthy has created the first fully integrated health and fitness solution and seeks to make "health" a lifestyle choice -- a way of life. www.stayhealthy.com

SOURCE Stayhealthy, Inc.

Source: PR Newswire

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