Is Function Health A Superpower?

Direct-to-consumer lab testing services, a crystal ball for your health?

I'm a Product Guy who wants to live a long healthy life, so I’ve been fascinated by the idea of using data to optimize for longevity. I’ve tracked just about everything that’s trackable, from steps, sleep stages, HRV, glucose, but I've always felt like there was a deeper level of insight I was missing. Also, for years my annual doctor’s check up was a big nothing burger. The physical is more geared to finding/treating diseases instead of preventing them. That's why I was so excited to try out two of the leading direct-to-consumer lab testing services: Function Health and Superpower. Both promise to give a comprehensive look at what's going on inside your body, but which one is actually worth your time and money?

THE PREDECESSOR

Before we get into it, a slight detour to explain why I’m more than just a health tech consumer. Before these two products were launched, I was the founding Chief Product Officer for Groq Health. We were going after the same market, but unfortunately a year too early; we ran out of funding just before the “ChatGPT 3 moment” unlocked AI accuracy and speed. So while I fully appreciate the challenges and shortcomings of these services I’m also bought in on their promise.  

THE GOOD

Both Function Health and Superpower offer a solid set of over 100+ biomarker tests, and compared to a typical annual physical, clearly a much more comprehensive view of your health. They both partner with national lab networks and offer an at-home option, making your blood drawn friction free and painless. That is, up when the needle goes into your arm. Overall, for the blood draw visits, they both do a solid job of navigating the complexity of scheduling, coordinating reminders and check-in to the centers.

While 100+ biomarkers offer a much better window into your health, what do you do with all this data? To help interpret the results, they both offer AI assisted clinical analysis. Function Health has a clear edge here. Their platform feels more mature and their clinician's notes are incredibly detailed and insightful. I felt like I was getting a personalized health consultation, not just a data dump.

I do love that Superpower offers a Marketplace, which is their shopping service for prescriptions and supplements. While the marketplace could be better organized, it does allow for the convenience of having a “buy” button in line with your health Action Plan. One click “add to cart” from my action plan saves me time and they also offer discounts, bonus! 

Superpower Marketplace

OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT

Both services could do a better job of integrating with wearable data. While you can manually input information about your sleep and activity levels during onboarding, this is static and I’d like to see it used more in my analysis. Superpower uses a third party, Vital, to integrate wearables, but it boggles the mind how this doesn’t include Apple Health Kit. Oh and  when I tried to link Strava I received a message that Superpower exceeded their connection limit - oof awkward.

I did link Oura and have yet to see how the sleep data is used. I would love to see a future where these biofeedback signals are automatically pulled into the platform and used to provide even more personalized recommendations.

Superpower is a newer player in the game and it shows. While their platform is sleek and modern, it’s a 10 out of 10 gorgeous design. It lacks the depth of Function Health and while they have some cool ideas there’s a lack of execution. Their "AI-driven analysis" feels a bit like a black box, and I was left with more questions than answers. They do offer a "concierge" service to help you interpret your results, but it's not the same as having detailed notes from a clinician right in your dashboard.  A “concierge” is a slick idea but this feels like a band-aid fix for missing analysis.

Superpower's biggest weakness is its lack of transparency. Their website is full of marketing buzzwords like "AI health guidance" and "longevity protocol," but it's not clear what's actually going on behind the scenes. This lack of focus and clarity makes it difficult to trust their recommendations and parts of their website are overwhelming. Superpower is a bit of a hot, gorgeous mess.

It’s also hard to believe, but Superpower does not have a mobile app. I understand they have a small team and need to stretch their runway, but come on! You’re seriously making me open a mobile browser, type the URL, and log in every time, especially when they offer a shopping marketplace which hopefully users are logging into more than once every 6 months. The result is less responsive and a laggy UI interaction with some navigation dead ends. At one point I arrived to the “Marketplace” and it was eight back button taps to return to the main screen.

FUTURE

The future of personalized health is bright and both Function Health and Superpower are at the forefront of this movement. I can see a future where these services are integrated with our electronic health records, allowing doctors to have a more complete picture of our health. I also expect to see more advanced testing options, such as genetic and microbiome analysis, become standard. Function Health acquired Ezra, integrating AI-powered full-body MRI scanning tech for more comprehensive health screening and I’m looking forward to linking my Prenuvo account for deeper insights. 

“The future is an AI agent that knows you better than your doctor and uses your personalized health data to curate analysis backed by the knowledge, research, and experience of millions of doctors.”

Function Health Biomarkers

The obvious next steps for these services is AI chat, for real time health questions. Dr. Google, Dr. Claude, etc. are great for researching health topics, but the results are generic and not personalized. And how many times has your AI health query led to a 3 AM wake up obsessing that everything is cancer?! The future is an AI agent that knows you better than your doctor and uses your personalized health data to curate analysis backed by the knowledge, research, and experience of millions of doctors.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Both Function Health and Superpower are built on the idea that traditional physicals are a relic of the past. Why wait for something to go wrong when you can get an early warning system for your health? They both offer a wide range of biomarker tests, far more than you’d get in a typical check-up. We’re talking about a deep dive into your hormones, your metabolism, your heart health, and more. The goal is to empower you with data so you can make smarter decisions about your health and lifestyle.

For now, Superpower is slick and their design is beautiful, but the substance is not quite there yet, and Function Health is the clear winner. Their platform is more mature, their analysis is more transparent, and their clinician's notes are insightful. If you're serious about taking control of your health and you're willing to invest the time and money, Function Health is the way to go. 

Don’t wait, give Function Health a try, here’s a referral link, but also check for new member discounts. 

Morpheus, Take The Red Pill?

Morpheus, Take The Red Pill?

Is Morpheus really the gold standard in performance health data? I’m a Product Guy, focused on longevity as much as I am tech products. I love gadgets, especially ones that promise to optimize healthspan. So, when I heard Dr. Peter Attia on his podcast The Drive, gushing about the Morpheus heart rate monitor and the claims to provide personalized recovery data to guide my workouts, I had to give it a try. Could this be the key to unlocking peak performance, or is it just another piece of tech destined to gather dust in my drawer?

Let’s dive in! 

But first, what is HRV and why should you care?  💓

In the quest for a long and healthy life, a key indicator of our well-being lies not in the steady, metronomic beat of our heart, but in its subtle variations. This is the essence of Heart Rate Variability (HRV), a measure of the naturally occurring fluctuations in time between consecutive heartbeats. A higher HRV is a sign of a healthy, adaptable nervous system and is increasingly recognized as a powerful predictor of both current health and long-term vitality. Our heart rate is under the constant influence of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which regulates essential bodily functions. The ANS has two main branches:

• The Sympathetic Nervous System (the "fight-or-flight" response): This branch prepares the body for action, increasing heart rate and blood pressure in response to stress.

• The Parasympathetic Nervous System (the "rest-and-digest" response): This branch promotes relaxation and recovery, slowing the heart rate and aiding in digestion and repair.

HRV reflects the delicate balance between these two systems. A high HRV indicates that your parasympathetic nervous system (“rest & digest”) is active and effectively modulates your heart rate, demonstrating your body's ability to adapt to stressors. Conversely, a consistently low HRV suggests that your sympathetic nervous system is dominant, a state that, if prolonged, can contribute to a range of health issues.  TLDR, high HRV means your body is able to rest and repair, and this is a good thing. 

Hopefully this gives enough context for why you should worry about HRV, but don’t worry too much, that could trigger a stress response and that will lower your HRV. 😜.  

THE GOOD

Morpheus isn't just a heart rate monitor; it's a fitness performance system. It pairs a chest strap, the M7, with an app to give you a daily "recovery score." This score, based on your heart rate variability (HRV), sleep, and activity levels, tells you how ready your body is for strain. The app then adjusts your heart rate training zones for the day. A high recovery score means you're good to go hard, while a low score suggests a lighter day. For me, the very concept of listening to your body and having a metric to actually gauge my effort for the day, was a paradigm shift. I’ve always been “all gas, no breaks” for workouts regardless of pain and recovery levels and, duh, this has led to some overuse injuries. As a former collegiate rower, I had two speeds: fast and bodybag. Which is fine when competing in a sport where success depends on your ability to override the mind and body telling you to stop - but not the most sustainable philosophy. Morpheus has done a great job on conveying how to train smarter, which is not always harder. 

• Actionable Data: The daily recovery score and adjusted heart rate zones are incredibly useful. It takes the guesswork out of training, telling you when to push and when to back off.

• Medical-Grade Accuracy: The M7 chest strap uses an ECG sensor, providing industry-leading precision. In a world of often-unreliable wrist-based trackers, this is a breath of fresh air.

• Battery Life: With up to 200 hours on a single charge, the M7 is always ready to go when you are. No more scrambling to find a charger right before a workout.

Morpheus Heart Rate Zones

Integration: Morpheus pulls data from other health apps like Apple Health, Garmin, and Fitbit, creating a more holistic view of your recovery.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT

While there's a lot to love, Morpheus isn't perfect. The app, for instance, is so basic. And not in a “less is more” clean design way. While it shows your heart rate and time in each zone, it lacks more granular data like pace and distance. I also have to wonder if Morpheus is using all the data it collects. Some users have reported that sleep and step count data don't seem to factor into the recovery score, which, if true, is a big miss.

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• Poor Handling Of Disconnected Mode: Trying to open the mobile app when your chest strap is not within bluetooth range is a frustrating experience. At times it will spin endlessly as I give up and bail. 

• Poor Locked Screen Mode: Morpheus works best when it’s opened, during a workout - this is fine when you’re on a treadmill or stationary bike. Outside workouts, running and cycling, are a different experience. For me, most bike rides, when my phone is stowed away in a pocket, Morpheus flakes. It misses part of my workout or just dies altogether. 

• Watch Pairing Miss: Apps like Future Fitness pair beautifully with their Apple Watch app and give key data displays during workouts. I mean even Starbucks has an Apple Watch app and Morpheus is maybe the only fitness app without one. It would be nice to, IDK, actually see my heart rate and target zone during an outdoor workout.

• More Digestible Insights: Morpheus onboarding includes a comprehensive explanation of HRV and how to use it to optimize performance and health. It’s a beautifully written, ~20 page tutorial that I suspect almost no one reads. After onboarding you are on your own to make sense of the data.

Despite these shortcomings, I still use Morpheus, but in time, my usage has been limited to indoor workouts.

FUTURE

Morpheus has a solid foundation, but there's plenty of room to grow. I'd love to see a more robust app with more detailed workout data and long-term HRV tracking. And please build an Apple Watch App - come on! This is tablesteaks for any fitness tech company. 

It’s 2025, so no roadmap is complete without a healthy dose of AI magic ✨For Morpheus, AI insights make a lot of sense. Imagine if the app could not only tell you how recovered you are today but also predict your recovery trends over time. And give deeper insights on your performance and health. That would be a game-changer.

THE BOTTOM LINE

So, is the Morpheus heart rate monitor worth it? If you're serious about your training and recovery, and you're looking for a tool to provide actionable data, then yes. It's a powerful device that can help you train smarter and avoid overtraining. However, if you're a casual gym-goer or someone who wants a simple, all-in-one fitness tracker, Morpheus might be overkill. You can do just fine tracking your zone 2 range with Apple Watch or Whoop. Morpheus is a tool for the dedicated, the data-driven, and the ones who are always looking for that extra edge, in performance and healthspan. If that’s you, go for it, free your mind and go down the rabbit hole of peak performance monitoring.