A colleague continuously monitors his blood sugar with a patch on his arm. A friend refuses a dietary supplement due to a lack of reliable data. A parent discovers that his sleep tracking app could soon fall under European medical regulations. This year’s health and wellness trends are no longer just passing fads. They relate to regulation, the quality of scientific evidence, and how we collect our own health data.
Health app regulation: what changes for users
We download an app to track our heart rate or manage our respiratory stress, and we assume it works correctly. In Europe, the situation is evolving rapidly. Apps and software intended for medical use can now fall under the Medical Device Regulation (MDR), with increased requirements for clinical evaluation, CE marking, and post-market surveillance.
According to an article published in Frontiers in Digital Health in September 2026, this regulation slows down certification and limits the number of validated digital solutions. For us, the users, this means that the free app promising to detect sleep apnea has not necessarily undergone the same checks as a medical device sold in pharmacies. This topic is part of the news on en-pleine-sante.fr that deserves regular attention as the rules are evolving quickly.
The European regulation on the European Health Data Space (EHDS), which came into effect on March 26, 2025, includes additional obligations applicable from 2027 and then 2029: interoperability testing, clear labeling, registration in a public registry. Some wellness apps will need to comply with these new rules, which should help distinguish reliable tools from the rest.
Dietary supplements: the question of scientific evidence
Ashwagandha, Indian fenugreek, capsules marketed as promoting cognition – they are everywhere, in pharmacies as well as on social media. The trend is not new, but the underlying problem remains the same: the quality of evidence behind these products is often insufficient.
Doctors interviewed by The Irish Times in September 2026 remind us that many popular supplements lack solid clinical data. However, the global health supplement market continues to grow, driven by strong demand for preventive solutions.
Three reflexes before buying a supplement
- Check if the product displays a recognized marking or certification in the country of sale, not just a manufacturer’s in-house label
- Look for clinical studies published in peer-reviewed journals, not just testimonials on Instagram or sponsored videos
- Consult a healthcare professional before combining multiple supplements, as interactions between substances remain poorly documented for many recent formulations
Feedback on this point varies depending on profiles: a healthy person does not have the same needs as a person identified as deficient through blood tests. Caution remains the best strategy.
Connected devices and health data: where do your information go
Watches, rings, glucose patches, connected scales: the personal tracking device market is booming. We accumulate data on our sleep, physical activity, heart rate, sometimes without knowing precisely where this information is stored or who can access it.
The EHDS provides a framework for this data. Ultimately, data from wellness connected devices may be shared for research purposes under strict conditions. A public registry and specific labeling are planned for certain categories of apps and devices.
In practical terms, this could change the game for medical research. But for the everyday user, the practical question remains: do your sleep data collected by a connected ring belong to the manufacturer, the cloud platform, or you? The answer will depend on the actual application of these new texts in the coming years.
Targeted nutrition and preventive wellness: beyond marketing talk
The preventive approach to health is gaining ground. The growing consumer demand for personalized health solutions pushes nutrition beyond mere maintenance towards more targeted and science-based choices.
Life stage nutrition is gradually replacing universal solutions. Specific ranges are emerging for hormonal health, age-related cognitive support, or tailored sports recovery. The women’s health segment, in particular, is structuring around precise needs by age group rather than by generic product category.
What distinguishes a sustainable trend from a fad
- A sustainable trend is based on documented biological mechanisms, not on an ingredient that has gone viral on social media
- It generates products subject to traceable quality controls, not just brand storytelling
- It fits within a regulatory framework that is evolving to encompass it, as is the case for health claims in Europe
The wellness market represents several trillion dollars globally. The growth of the sector does not guarantee the reliability of every product associated with it. Knowing how to read a label, identify an unproven claim, verify a source: these skills are becoming as useful as the product itself.
This year’s health and wellness trends share a common thread: rising expectations. Stricter regulations for apps, scientific evidence required for supplements, oversight of personal health data. The sector is maturing, and with it, consumer expectations. Staying informed about these regulatory and scientific developments protects better than yet another trendy supplement.
