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How old is your heart? Oura Ring's new feature may tell you
Have you ever wondered how healthy your heart is? Soon you'll find it more convenient to track your heart health, thanks to two new Oura Ring features -- Cardiovascular Age and Cardio Capacity -- that the smart ring maker is rolling out later this month.
Also: 5 reasons why I love the Oura Ring
The Cardiovascular Age feature analyzes information on estimated arterial stiffness and the maximum rate of oxygen your body uses. Oura Ring users will be able to see this information after using the app for 14 days, including whether they're trending below, above, or in alignment with their chronological age. The feature offers a quick glance at how your vascular system may be aging.
View at OuraThe Cardio Capacity feature, on the other hand, sheds light on how well your vitals work together. For this feature, users take a walking test with the Oura Ring on. This helps establish a baseline VO2Max (the maximum amount of oxygen used during exercise), which connects to their cardio capacity. The ring gathers data through the walking test to provide users with a read on their cardio capacity.
A leader in the smart ring space, Oura has been on a roll lately with new initiatives like Oura Labs and new features for at-home health insights. The smart ring brand has been introducing functions -- such as this new Cardio Capacity feature -- that traditionally require scientific labs. According to the company's release, taking VO2Max readings has been largely inaccessible to the general population.
Overall, it's been a busy year for the smart ring space, with newcomers and industry mainstays vying for shares of the growing market. Oura is by far the most established smart ring brand, but it's facing major competition from rivals like Ultrahuman and Samsung, which is releasing its Galaxy Ring later this year. As the smart ring market grows, though, Oura continues to churn out new features and health-tracking metrics that make more health data ever more accessible.
Also: You can now buy an Oura Ring, and get it sized, at Target
"We're connecting the dots to help our members understand how their habits and behaviors today -- like aerobic activity and sleep hygiene -- impact their health as they age and how they can make changes that will pay off later in life," Holly Shelton, Oura chief product officer, said in a statement. Expect the advancements to hit the Oura app in late May.