The Galaxy Watch 8’s Antioxidant Index test scared me into action

One of the big new health features on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 is the ability to take an Antioxidant Index test, which is designed to measure the levels of antioxidants called carotenoids stored in your skin and help you make better choices for a healthier lifestyle.

The thing is, unlike every other health monitoring feature, you have to take the smartwatch off your wrist to take the test.

The question then becomes, is it worth it? I found out, and it’s entirely possible you may not like the results it spits out.

I know I didn’t, but then I found out why I probably shouldn’t rush out and buy antioxidant-rich products to do something about it.

Setting the scene

What does it look for anyway?

“A holistic approach to health naturally includes a focus on aging and healthy aging. However, behavioral factors such as alcohol consumption, smoking, UV exposure, stress, and lack of sleep can accelerate aging by increasing free radicals in the body that damage cells.

“Antioxidants, compounds found in many healthy foods, neutralize these free radicals to help prevent chronic illness and support healthy aging.”

This is Samsung’s explanation of why you would want to take note of carotenoid levels, and the BioActive Sensor on the back of the smartwatch can do so in just a few seconds.

The results are shown in the app, and your level is given a score out of 100, then presented on a scale divided into three levels: very low, low, and adequate.

If your score is on the low side, the recommended solution is to eat more vegetables and drink healthy juices. It’s not a quick fix, though, and the Samsung Health app notes it may take weeks of diligent healthy choices before any change registers in the test.

Samsung includes a lengthy section on how antioxidants may help improve your long-term health and how to make sure all those pesky free radicals can be kept under control.

Taking the test

But take off your watch first

By default, the Antioxidant Index test is not included in the list of health features on the Watch 8, and you have to add the card manually. It’s a Samsung Labs feature, just like the new Vascular Load measurement, and therefore officially a preview.

This isn’t a medically verified feature, so the results may not be accurate.

After you’ve added the card and agreed to use the feature, tap the Measure button to get started. It automatically opens the feature on your phone, complete with instructions to take off your watch and press the sensor on the back with your thumb.

It’s a bit long-winded, but when you’re going, it takes a few seconds to start, and then a few more seconds to take a measurement. It’s fast, simple, and works every time, plus the results are immediately shown in the app, with no waiting around for it to be processed. It’s a very polished health feature.

Samsung’s Antioxidant Index put me on the Very Low end of the scale, which is never where you want to be. However, it provides surprisingly specific advice on how to improve the score, such as eating a quarter of a zucchini or five lettuce leaves.

In addition to the score, you can view averages for a week, month, and year, plus see your lowest and highest scores.

I have taken multiple readings over the last few days for this article and to inform my review of the Watch 8, and the results have varied, although never dramatically.

Because the feature is unique to the Watch 8, I have no way of comparing the results to see if they’re consistent across other devices.

I have not received any alerts from the Watch prompting me to take an Antioxidant Index test, so it’s entirely up to you if you want to make the effort.

Is it worth making the effort?

Should we let the radicals roam free?

Taking the Galaxy Watch 8 off for the Antioxidant Index test isn’t difficult, but it is unique, as every other test — from an electrocardiogram (ECG) and the Body Composition test, to blood pressure readings — on the best smartwatches is taken while wearing it on your wrist.

Samsung’s decision to use the thumb rather than the wrist is so that the sensor reads your skin and not your blood vessels, according to a Samsung spokesperson speaking to TechRadar at the launch.

It makes the feature feel like Samsung needed something new to put on the Watch 8, but couldn’t find anything that wasn’t so unnatural, so marketing took over and hyped up antioxidants and the possible benefits.

Let’s say you took the test, and, like me, you’re hit with a Very Low reading. This is where the danger lies in buzzword-heavy “health” tests like this.

We’re pre-conditioned to see a low figure as bad, and then look for a simple way to turn this into a good score. It’s the normal human response, but it may not be the best course of action.

The Very Low reading wasn’t unexpected, but concerning enough that I decided to do something about it.

I knew little about oxidants, free radicals, and what they’re supposed to mean for our health before Samsung drew my attention to them with the new feature.

The Very Low reading wasn’t unexpected, but concerning enough that I decided to do something about it. It turns out, there’s a fair amount of marketing going on behind the scenes there, too.

While I understand the advantages of eating a balanced diet, not smoking or drinking alcohol, getting good sleep, and minimizing stress, suddenly becoming aware of my (possibly) low antioxidant levels made me wonder if I should quickly introduce more antioxidants into my body.

Knowledge is power

Don’t go on a spending spree

This led me to do some reading, and although I obviously didn’t become an expert, it ultimately stopped me from being too concerned about not only antioxidants, but the implications of Samsung’s new feature too.

I found this Harvard Health explainer to be interesting, as it neatly broke the link I was about to make between antioxidants and expertly marketed antioxidant-rich products.

This was my main concern about Samsung’s new feature, as — like me — it may be someone’s first introduction to antioxidants and free radicals, and may quickly lead to purchasing high-priced products marketed towards those concerned about their levels.

Furthermore, the “Free Radical Theory of Aging” seems to be questioned, and taking in a whole load of antioxidants from superfoods and supplements may not make all that much difference to long-term health.

In this study, which concluded that antioxidant-rich juices weren’t beneficial specifically due to the antioxidants, when you read between the lines of the brand’s responses to the findings, it could be boiled down to “consuming fruits and vegetables is good for you.”

In this article written by a nutritional scientist, it’s stated that rather than seeking out antioxidants, “You’re probably better off just avoiding sources of free radicals to start with, like drinking and smoking.”

All the articles I read recommended a balanced diet, but none said seeking out antioxidants in specialist products to curb superfluous free radicals would be especially beneficial.

I love a shortcut, but it doesn’t look like splashing out to quickly boost my Antioxidant Index is worth doing. Best to carry on not smoking or drinking, and get more fruits and vegetables if I want to live a longer, healthier life.

I didn’t really need to remove my smartwatch and take a test to know it either.

Don’t buy into the hype

Leave your smartwatch on your wrist, too

I already know what I eat, so the Antioxidant Index’s score was not a shock to me.

Because of the mostly new (to me) terminology and the hype I’d already been partially aware of around antioxidants in the health space, there was a moment where, in my mind, I was already on my way to the store to see what (likely expensive) products might be there to help give it a boost.

However, it seems that this is unnecessary, and the good old regular advice on diet and lifestyle continues to apply. Where does this leave the latest Samsung health feature?

If I make changes to my diet, I may check it again in a few months to see if there’s any difference.

Unfortunately, what’s more likely is I’ll forget it exists due to the clunky way of taking a measurement, which is the least ergonomically sound health feature I’ve seen since Samsung put a heart rate sensor on the back of the Galaxy S5.