The RealAge® Test Proven to Result in Sustained Waist Reduction

SAN DIEGO, May 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- A recent study funded by the National Institutes of Health has shown that online health site RealAge.com successfully motivated employees to initiate and adhere to a health-management plan resulting in significant waist-size reductions. These results were produced by only one e-mail interaction inviting them to take the RealAge Test, a health assessment that determines a person's risk of mortality based on a variety of factors. The findings are published in the May issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

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Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago conducted the study from a pool of 423 people ages 40 to 68. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of three groups: an online RealAge Test intervention; a computerized health assessment combined with an offline coaching intervention; and a control group that received printed health materials.

Subjects in the RealAge group received only one e-mail message from the researchers, prompting them to take the patented RealAge Test, a free health assessment that calculates the biological age of a person's body based on lifestyle, genetics, and medical history. The subjects had no further interaction with the study investigators.

The study findings show that although the coaching group had different benefits, only the RealAge group had a significant reduction in waist circumference -- an objective indicator of overall health: The fat that enlarges waists is linked to type 2 diabetes, heart disease, liver inflammation and more. The waist changes were seen within 6 months and maintained at 1 year.

"It is truly remarkable that the RealAge group, with much less intervention and at no cost to the employer, achieved the difficult, important outcome of a sustained reduction in waist size," said Keith Roach, MD, chief medical officer at RealAge. "This study shows that RealAge has significant benefit to a worker population, despite minimal effort by employers" -- a key finding in an environment of rising healthcare costs to employers and low adherence to health management by workers.

RealAge.com also provides all test takers with a personalized Grow Younger Plan that explains how to fix factors that speed up aging and reinforces factors that improve health and slow aging.

The RealAge Test and resulting recommendations were based on more than 500 clinical trials combined with statistical information from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Centers for Disease Control, and the National Center for Health Statistics to determine the risk of mortality from a variety of health-related factors.

RealAge's chief medical officer, Keith Roach, MD, is available for interview on the study results and/or the science behind the RealAge Test. Contact Karen Mazzotta, [email protected], 631-549-1580.

ABOUT REALAGE

RealAge.com is a leading health and wellness site centered around the groundbreaking RealAge Test®, a scientific but simple-to-take test that calculates how old your body thinks you are. The patented test, which launched in 1999 and has been taken by more than 27 million people, is backed by powerful new technology that allows it to be constantly updated with the latest medical studies. Anyone who takes the Test receives a personalized Grow Younger Plan designed to turn back your body clock. The site also offers health tips; dozens of other tests; and practical, inspiring information. RealAge aggressively guards users' privacy and does not share its members' identities with third-party advertisers. RealAge, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hearst Magazines, a division of the Hearst Corporation.

Press Contact:
Karen Mazzotta
Mazzotta Public Relations
631.549.1580 | 631.793.2983
[email protected]

SOURCE RealAge.com