At first glance, the newest device from PNOĒ looks like something a comic-book villain might wear. The mask, which covers the nose and mouth and straps around the back of the head, bears more than a passing resemblance to the one worn by Bane, Batman’s hulking nemesis. But its purpose is far more benign; it measures how much oxygen you consume and how much carbon dioxide you exhale, then turns that data into advice about how to eat, train, and, the company hopes, live longer.
PNOĒ, which is based in Malden, Massachusetts, and has operations in Athens, Greece, is preparing to launch the PNOĒ 2.0 on October 1. The big change from its current device is that users can administer the test themselves. According to co-founder and CEO Apostolos Atsalakis, someone can walk into a gym, “just wear the mask, push the button, sit down,” and breathe for eight minutes.
It’s that easy,” he said recently, talking with this editor over a Zoom call from the company’s Athens location. That matters because PNOĒ’s current device requires a trained operator, which limits where it can be used. A self-serve version could open the door to fitness centers without dedicated staff and potentially even pharmacies, Atsalakis said.
The science behind PNOĒ isn’t new. Metabolic testing, which analyzes the gases in a person’s breath to gauge how their body produces energy, has been around for more than a century. For decades, it has been the gold standard for measuring VO₂ max, the maximum amount of oxygen the body can use during exercise and a widely used measure of cardiorespiratory fitness.
But the tests have traditionally required bulky, expensive equipment found mainly in sports labs and hospitals, which is why they’ve largely been the province of elite athletes and executive wellness programs. What 10-year-old PNOĒ promises is the same accuracy in a portable package, paired with software that translates the results into recommendations. The company says its test captures 23 biomarkers, including (beyond measuring VO₂ max) one’s resting metabolic rate (how many calories the body burns at rest), and metabolic flexibility (how well the body switches between burning fat and carbohydrates).
Atsalakis argues that these metrics answer questions that blood tests can’t, such as how many calories a person needs or how they should train. The timing is good for PNOĒ. VO₂ max has become a buzzword among longevity enthusiasts, thanks in part to research linking higher cardiorespiratory fitness to lower mortality.
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