Fit or quit ? Smartphone health apps have been accused of ‘ fuelling anxiety ’ They ’ re designed to make it easier for you to get healthy . But in fact mobile health apps are ‘ fuelling anxiety ’ and ‘ eroding people ’ s sense of wellbeing ’ , warns a senior GP . The ‘ untested and unscientific ’ apps cause stress by making us worry that we are abnormal or unhealthy , says Dr Des Spence . Popular apps include MyFitnessPal and Apple ’ s health app , which is automatically installed on the latest Apple smartphones . But Dr Spence warned that newer apps that monitor your heart rate , blood pressure and blood oxygen levels could be causing unnecessary worry without providing any benefit . ‘ The truth is that these apps and devices are untested and unscientific , and they will open the door of uncertainty ’ , the Glasgow GP wrote in the British Medical Journal . He added : ‘ We should be sceptical of embracing more medical technology . One of the problems we face as doctors is that although people are much healthier , there is a lot more anxiety . ‘ People ’ s sense of wellbeing has been eroded and a lot of that is by technology , use of the internet , that type of stuff . ‘ My concern with the health apps is they have the potential to fuel anxiety without any benefit. ’ Dr Spence said that manufacturers were more concerned about making a profit than their customers ’ wellbeing , with apps purposely designed to make people worry about their health so they would spend more money on health technology , diet pills and slimming firms . ‘ The people who write these apps will clearly have a commercial agenda . The underlying ethos of the app will be about profit and not about health ’ , he said . Apple ’ s health app comes pre-downloaded on its new phones and automatically tells you how many steps you have walked each day . It can also work out the number of calories you have eaten and burned off , as well as your blood pressure , blood sugar levels and heart rate . Warning : Apps that monitor your heart rate , blood pressure and blood oxygen levels could be causing unnecessary worry , says senior GP . And last month the computer giant launched the Apple Watch , with prices starting from £300 , which can also monitor users ’ health and fitness . Dr Spence said the majority of apps which just monitor your calorie intake or step count were ‘ harmless ’ , but are unlikely to offer many health benefits . And he warned there was a risk that patients relying on them would feel ‘ cheated ’ if they developed cancer or heart disease despite trying to follow a healthy lifestyle . However , Dr Iltifat Husain , editor of the iMedicalApps.com website , said there was no evidence health apps caused harm . Also writing in the BMJ , he said they had ‘ great potential ’ to reduce death risk by ‘ encouraging healthy behaviour ’ .
Health apps such as MyFitnessPal ‘ fuel anxiety ’ says senior GP . Score: 6