Three-month study finds Respa detects changes in breathing and can warn athletes before they hit their ventilatory threshold – delaying its onset, thereby preventing overtraining and muscle damage.
June 26, 2018, Arlington, VA – Respa, the world’s first breathing sensor and future of fitness, today announced findings from a three-month study conducted with Winthrop University investigator Tyrone Ceaser, PhD to measure the effectiveness of detecting the onset of athletes’ ventilatory threshold.
The patent-pending Respa is an easy-to-use, but highly sophisticated, wearable analyzer that tracks breathing patterns for the duration of workouts. The small device and companion app allow users to train smarter and practice better as they get real-time alerts that help them stay in their optimal breathing zone, in addition to post-workout analyses to track progress and plan workouts.
According to the study, Respa is an effective method for enabling everyday athletes to measure lactic acid and ventilatory threshold levels, arming them with the data needed to avoid overtraining and preventing muscle damage.
“Lactic acid threshold and ventilatory threshold are commonly used as a reference point for exercise intensity,” said Dr. Abhijit Dasgupta, PhD, Zansors’ co-founder and Chief Data Science Officer. “Measuring an athlete’s lactic acid threshold and ventilatory threshold can prevent overtraining and muscle damage, however, everyday athletes do not typically have access to these levels without going to a lab. The goal of this study was to understand just how effective an everyday wearable sensor like Respa could be in providing athletes with this type of insight – during their workouts.”
During the study at Winthrop University, scientists studied six athletes on a treadmill wearing a Respa breathing sensor. They progressively increased the incline of a treadmill, then used laboratory equipment to measure breathing and heart rate to determine when ventilatory threshold was attained.
Scientists discovered that acoustic breathing signals detected by Respa show a signature pattern when the athlete reaches ventilatory threshold. This is characterized by a small decrease in signal followed by a rapid increase; the characteristic dip in signal occurs roughly a minute before VT is reached. By detecting this pattern, Respa can quickly notify athletes that they are close to hitting their ventilatory threshold, thus enabling them to immediately shift exercise intensity and delay the onset of the ventilatory threshold. Moreover, once VT is reached during these experiments, the signal continues to rise rapidly.
“These results of this proof-of-concept study show that measuring ventilatory threshold outside of the lab is possible for anyone, anywhere,” continued Dasgupta. “Having everyday access to this type of insight empowers athletes – and those undergoing physical rehabilitation – with the ability to take their physical performance and capabilities into their own hands. Now, anyone can understand how to perform at optimal levels for their body – safely.”
Find more details on the findings of this study here and for more information about Respa and to purchase the sensor at an exclusive discount by pre-ordering, visit the Respa campaign page on Indiegogo.
About Zansors
Zansors is a Washington, D.C. metro-based health innovation company delivering personal health analytics to consumers via wearable bio-sensors and health apps. Driven by the company’s credo of “know yourself,” Zansors combines evidence-based apps, bioengineering and data analytics, allowing consumers to take charge of their health. Zansors’ proprietary biotechnology platform includes micro-sensors and micro-fluidics (also known as “lab-on-a-chip”) backed by a strong portfolio of patents filed. Zansors has previously received six funding awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and has formal partnerships with the University of Michigan and George Washington University.