What Is Lumen, and Can It 'Hack' Your Metabolism? Here's What the Science Says

Metabolic flexibility is the latest buzzword for biohackers looking to lose weight, ward off disease and live longer. Now $300 devices say they can help us track and ‘hack’ our metabolism. But is this really the fast-track to a long and healthy life?

By Megan Tatum
Sep 25, 2020 5:30 PMMar 10, 2021 5:12 PM
Person riding exercise bike, Fitness Metabolism - Shutterstock
(Credit: Potential Filmmaker/Shutterstock)

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Michal Mor hopes that one day, checking metabolism could be as routine as brushing your teeth. “The vision is that everyone manages lifestyle based on their unique metabolism,” she says. “It’s this metric that will help us live longer and healthier.” 

In May, Mor and her twin sister Merav — both of them Ironman competitors with doctorates in psychology — launched Lumen. The device, they say, helps users track and “hack” their metabolism. It’s a simple concept: Breathe into the small black device, no bigger than an asthma inhaler, and receive a status report on what's called your metabolic flexibility. Then use that information to make lifestyle changes to boost performance and see an uptick in health.

The gadget has arrived among rising clamour from biohackers, intermittent fasting aficionados and rival tech developers (such as ketosis tracker Keyto) that insist the secret to a long, healthy life boils down to one major thing: our metabolism.

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