Overview:
This topic explains the concept of the Vitality Score, a composite measure used in the PowerME™ Vitality Program to gauge a participant’s metabolic health. The Vitality Score integrates systolic blood pressure, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, BMI, and fasting blood sugar. Lab tests are performed fasting.
The Vitality Score is derived from a statistical technique that is used to assess how different factors are related–in our case, the factors contributing to metabolic syndrome. The formula for the VS uses NHANES data and is reported as a Z-Score that is then converted to a percentile for ease of understanding. The VS formula differs based on sex and race/ethnicity factors. Patients with a VS less than 20 generally have moderate to severe metabolic disease. A score between 20 – 40 indicate mild to moderate disease. A value of 50 simply means that 1/2 of the population have a higher score, and 1/2 have a lower score.
The VS is a simple score that helps patients better understand their metabolic health. Improvements in metabolic function result in improvements in patient’s subjective assessment of well-being (more energy, less brain fog, better cognitive function, improved emotional control) which can be connected with the objective measures of the VS.
A significant drawback with the VS is that it can vary quite significantly from random changes in parameters. For example, triglyceride and blood glucose levels can show significant variability from test to test. Also, some patients may have excellent metabolic markers–however, a high BMI can contribute to low vitality score.
We recommend that providers use the VS as a way to help patients connect their metabolic health with symptom improvement in a simple and straightforward way.
Topic Summary:
- The Vitality Score is a tool that is used to help patients understand metabolic health in the PowerME™ Vitality Program
- As a single value, it is easier for patients to understand as opposed to assimilating all of the individual metabolic markers.
- It is calculated using systolic blood pressure, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, BMI, and fasting blood sugar and is scored from 0 to 100 with higher indicated better metabolic health.
- The vitality Score also incorporates race/ethnicity and sex into the calculation.
- The Vitality Score simplifies tracking metabolic health progress.
- Accuracy of the score relies on fasting tests and doesn’t fully account for genetic variations.
- The VS may not be an accurate measure of metabolic health in patients with a large fat mass (high BMI) but otherwise normal metabolic markers.
