Characterization and Feasibility of Wearable Spectroscopic Tracking of Nutrition Biomarkers

Disorders related to nutrition and metabolism remain a critical public health challenge globally, affecting a significant portion of the population. While traditional calorie tracking methods help monitor dietary intake, they do not capture how the body synthesizes and metabolizes nutrients, and are often inaccurate, cumbersome, and inconvenient. Wearable biosensing technologies present a promising avenue for more precise, noninvasive monitoring of nutritional intake, providing individuals with real-time feedback to improve their dietary habits. In this study, we explore the feasibility of using an off-the-shelf wearable device to track nutrients in the blood. Utilizing a multiwavelength optical sensor covering a range of wavelengths in the visible spectrum, we compare the device’s ability to measure spectral absorption profiles of various nutritional molecules relative to a spectrophotometer. Through advanced signal processing and statistical techniques, we are able to successfully recover molecular signatures from the wearable device relative to the spectrophotometer. Our results demonstrate the potential of wearable biosensing technology to track nutritional intake, offering a new tool for effectively managing nutritional disorders through real-time monitoring.