Diet and fitness apps dominate the market – but are your data safe?

According to a market report, over 80% of dieters give up the help of nutritionists and trainers in favor of DIY options such as diet and fitness apps. The demand for these apps has created a growing industry of devices and trackers designed to help you achieve your fitness goals – but they can also give anyone with access to the data a detailed picture of your health.

When Courtney Berentsen wants to monitor her weight, preparing a nutritious breakfast includes an extra step: follow her diet with the calorie counting app, MyNetDiary.

"I probably could have achieved the same goals by simply keeping a food diary, but I did not want it.I wanted something simpler than a food diary," said Berentsen, co-host of "CBS This Morning Saturday". Dana Jacobson, highlighting the built-in barcode reader application that reads and saves prepared foods.

Whether you are trying to lose weight or tone yourself, there is an app for that – and the results are promising. A recent study by the Duke Global Digital Health Science Center found that participants lost five pounds in three months using the popular MyFitnessPal app.

"We like to say that in the world of weight loss, if you use more, you lose more," said Gary Bennett, director of the Duke Center. "And the main challenge of any digital health app is how often and how long users will use it."

Often, these applications can incorporate data from fitness trackers and other smart devices. CNET created a wellness lab to field test some of the new technologies – and Sharon Profis, the editor-in-chief, presented a guided tour of "CBS This Morning," featuring a Naked mirror that provides 3D scanning of your body and a pair of gloves to follow your workout.

"Currently, a lot of apparel and apps are really focused on weight loss or fitness," said Profis. "But we have not even begun to focus on health or medical needs."

Although these applications have not yet reached their full potential, Mr. Bennett says that there are already risks to take into account. His main concern, he said, is "whether this data can be used to judge the types of treatments and programs we have access to – if we can get insurance, how much are we charged for it?" We can use health data to learn a lot about a person. "

"What's happening with the data: how are they used, how long are they stored, who are they sold to? These are very important questions that consumers need to ask," added Bennett.

When it comes to protecting your health data, Bennett recommends ignoring information or even changing personal information such as your age when using apps. But he admits that even these measures might not be enough to mask your identity.