Paperdoi:10.3389/fdgth.2026.1926563
Cardiac autonomic and behavioral signatures of clinically meaningful weight loss: a 12-week wearable study of 31,126 adults
Frontiers in Digital Health
TL;DR
WHOOP study of 31,126 members who set a weight-loss goal: those losing at least 5% (14.3%) improved HRV by +2.78 ms and RHR by -1.75 bpm versus matched non-losers by week 12, with differences from week 4. Physical activity (Strain) was the strongest behavioural predictor; AI Coach use was independently associated with weight loss.
- Subjects: 31126
Abstract
Achieving ≥5% body weight loss is clinically meaningful for reducing cardiometabolic risk, yet most evidence on the physiological and behavioral correlates of early weight loss comes from small, supervised interventions. Whether these adaptations replicate using consumer wearable data in free-living adults is unclear. We analyzed 12 weeks of near-continuous wearable data from 31,126 adults (37.4 ± 10.4 years, 79% male, BMI 29.7 ± 4.2 kg/m 2 ) who initiated a weight-loss goal within a consumer health platform (WHOOP). Participants achieving ≥5% weight loss ( n = 4,465; 14.3%) were 1:1 propensity-matched to participants who did not (3,912 pairs; N = 7,824). We compared trajectories of cardiac autonomic function (heart rate variability [HRV], resting heart rate [RHR]), physical activity (Strain), sleep, application engagement, and artificial intelligence (AI) Coach interactions. The weight loss group lost 7.5% of body weight versus 0.9% in the matched group, with greater improvements in HRV (+2.78 ms, 95% CI [1.71, 3.85]) and RHR (−1.75 bpm [−2.10, −1.40]) by Week 12, with between-group differences emerging at Week 4. Physical activity was the strongest behavioral predictor of clinically meaningful weight loss ( β = −0.72 [−0.77, −0.67]; OR = 1.22 per Strain unit, 95% CI [1.19, 1.24]). Application engagement and AI Coach interactions, particularly motivation and exercise discussions, were independently associated with ≥5% weight loss and percent weight change. Consumer wearables can capture physiological and behavioral signatures of clinically meaningful early weight loss in free-living adults.
Verbatim from the publisher's DOI record (opens in a new tab) · Publisher licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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Cohen, J. G., Cheung, C. P., von Hippel, W., Curran, D., Fielding, F., Parola, L. R., Chapman, C. J., Holmes, K. E., & Grosicki, G. J. (2026). Cardiac autonomic and behavioral signatures of clinically meaningful weight loss: a 12-week wearable study of 31,126 adults. Frontiers in Digital Health. https://doi.org/10.3389/fdgth.2026.1926563
Cohen, Jenna G., Christian P. Cheung, William von Hippel, Dylan Curran, Finnbarr Fielding, Lauren R. Parola, Christopher J. Chapman, Kristen E. Holmes, and Gregory J. Grosicki. 2026. "Cardiac autonomic and behavioral signatures of clinically meaningful weight loss: a 12-week wearable study of 31,126 adults." Frontiers in Digital Health. https://doi.org/10.3389/fdgth.2026.1926563.
Cohen, J. G., Cheung, C. P., von Hippel, W., Curran, D., Fielding, F., Parola, L. R., Chapman, C. J., Holmes, K. E. and Grosicki, G. J. (2026) 'Cardiac autonomic and behavioral signatures of clinically meaningful weight loss: a 12-week wearable study of 31,126 adults', Frontiers in Digital Health. doi: 10.3389/fdgth.2026.1926563.
Cohen, Jenna G., et al. "Cardiac autonomic and behavioral signatures of clinically meaningful weight loss: a 12-week wearable study of 31,126 adults." Frontiers in Digital Health, 2026. https://doi.org/10.3389/fdgth.2026.1926563.
J. G. Cohen et al., "Cardiac autonomic and behavioral signatures of clinically meaningful weight loss: a 12-week wearable study of 31,126 adults," Frontiers in Digital Health, 2026, doi: 10.3389/fdgth.2026.1926563.
@article{cohen2026cardiac,
title = {{Cardiac autonomic and behavioral signatures of clinically meaningful weight loss: a 12-week wearable study of 31,126 adults}},
author = {Cohen, Jenna G. and Cheung, Christian P. and von Hippel, William and Curran, Dylan and Fielding, Finnbarr and Parola, Lauren R. and Chapman, Christopher J. and Holmes, Kristen E. and Grosicki, Gregory J.},
year = {2026},
journal = {Frontiers in Digital Health},
doi = {10.3389/fdgth.2026.1926563}
}Added to the ChatPPG research hub
