It's Been a Minute

Is tech making us too obsessed with our bodies?


Listen Later

All this health tracking might not be actually very...healthy.

There's a lot of evidence that health tracking can be good for us. Studies have shown that fitness trackers are effective at increasing physical activity, and can pretty accurately detect issues like arrhythmia. And now they're getting a promotional boost from some very influential people: Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and doctor and wellness influencer Casey Means – President Trump's nominee for surgeon general and founder of Levels Health, a company that analyzes data from continuous glucose monitors. But even as health wearables have benefits – how do they fit into the Make America Healthy Again vision for health? What does all this data really do for us – and who else could access it?

Brittany is joined by Adam Clark Estes, senior technology correspondent at Vox, and Lindsay Gellman, a freelance journalist who reports on health and business, to get into it.

Want more about modern health? Check out these episodes:
Were Americans actually healthier in the past?
The difference between losing weight & being "healthy" 
Exercise is more important than ever

Support Public Media. Join NPR Plus.

Follow Brittany on Instagram: @bmluse

For handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub.

To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

It's Been a MinuteBy NPR

  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7

4.7

8,978 ratings


More shows like It's Been a Minute

View all
This American Life by This American Life

This American Life

91,297 Listeners

Fresh Air by NPR

Fresh Air

38,430 Listeners

The NPR Politics Podcast by NPR

The NPR Politics Podcast

26,012 Listeners

Pop Culture Happy Hour by NPR

Pop Culture Happy Hour

11,617 Listeners

Code Switch by NPR

Code Switch

14,655 Listeners

1A by NPR

1A

4,696 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

113,121 Listeners

Up First from NPR by NPR

Up First from NPR

56,944 Listeners

Throughline by NPR

Throughline

16,512 Listeners

Life Kit by NPR

Life Kit

4,807 Listeners

Short Wave by NPR

Short Wave

6,592 Listeners

Consider This from NPR by NPR

Consider This from NPR

6,462 Listeners

Vibe Check by Zach Stafford, Saeed Jones

Vibe Check

1,788 Listeners

Wild Card with Rachel Martin by NPR

Wild Card with Rachel Martin

1,005 Listeners

The Sam Sanders Show by KCRW & Sam Sanders

The Sam Sanders Show

656 Listeners