Fitness trackers can help monitor health for some people, but can exacerbate disordered eating for others

Medical experts say that fitness-tracking watches and similar devices can do more harm than good as they may push a user to extreme levels.

Brooklyn-based boxing instructor Nancy Chen said her Apple Watch was able to hone in on the effectiveness of her workouts.

But it wasn't until her watch broke that she said she realized it ended up exacerbating some unhealthy behaviors.

"I really struggled with disordered eating, pretty much like off and on throughout college," Chen told ABC News. "I realized that after like three months of not wearing [the watch], it really helped confirm that I was like moving past my eating disorder."

Chen's experience is not uncommon among the users of those devices, according to medical experts who point to some of the potential downsides posed by relying on the devices and data.

"There is a drawback for some, and we see this is more common in individuals that really seek perfection in a lot of aspects of our lives," Dr. Rebecca Robbins assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, told ABC News.