The rise of personalized nutrition: Experts call for a “tailored approach” to push the needle

02 Aug 2019 --- Personalization in nutrition is rapidly gaining momentum. Industry is seeing the trend rise with bespoke NPD and nutritional services becoming increasingly mainstream. From tailored gut testing to gene testing and wearable technology, the methods and techniques surrounding personalization are growing. However, while digital advances have made it possible for people to track their physical activity, personalized nutrition in its truest form has yet to be fully addressed. There is, of course, a basic understanding that a clean diet and regular exercise will lead to weight loss, a one-size-fits-all approach may not work for everybody. Macro- and micronutrient intake may differ among individuals. Each body is different and in-depth analysis can provide a clearer picture of what needs to be done.

“We are entering an age of personalized nutrition where science and technology can dictate which food is right for us. It’s not only for weight management but more importantly to manage our overall health and well-being,” says Sandeep Gupta, Chief Founder and Director of the Expert Nutraceutical Advocacy Council (ENAC). 

Gupta – who will be speaking at the forthcoming Vitafoods Asia 2019 Conference in September – also explains that consumers are constantly finding ways to monitor their health status. 

“Not long ago, we believed our genetic makeup was pre-determined and a biological reality,” he says. “The emergence of epigenetics, which is the study of mechanisms that switch genes on and off, has shed light on the fact that our genes are fluid and can be shaped by various internal and external factors.”

Personalized nutrition players
Personalized nutrition companies can now collect and analyze biodata, after which, they customize nutrition plans that help meet their clients’ health goals – be it weight management or disease prevention. Biodata is collected in various ways, including wearable devices that can collect rudimentary information such as an individual’s rate of physical activity or height and weight. Home testing kits collect specialized data such as DNA, nutrient levels in blood, blood types and even gut microbiomes.

NutritionInsight has been closely following the developments within the personalized nutrition space including business partnerships, NPD and a swathe of start-up and well-established corporations entering the market. 

Personalized nutrition companies can now collect and analyze biodata to customize nutrition plans.The Quisper Project is a Belgian start-up developing and testing a digital platform that will offer personalized nutrition services within Europe. Quisper has developed an app that allows businesses to connect with independent and scientifically validated services designed for use by companies, healthcare services, researchers and professionals who want to provide improved personalized nutrition advice.

Late last year, Persona, a personalized nutrition platform, also launched Vitamin Packs Pro, a portal for nutritional assessment and dietary supplement analysis. The portal enables healthcare practitioners to quickly cross-reference and assess over 650 prescription medications to gain insights into how to avoid drug-nutrient interactions, according to the company.

Royal DSM partnered with digital health provider Panaceutics to bring to the market “affordable” products geared specifically towards health and wellness. The collaboration will see DSM exclusively market and sell Panaceutics Nutrition personalized products in multiple markets across the Americas, Europe and Asia, strengthening DSM’s position in the personalized nutrition field.

Last year, DSM also acquired a majority stake in personalized nutrition start-up Mixfit. The combination of DSM’s customized solutions and Mixfit’s advanced technology means consumers can analyze and receive the nutrients they need at the time they need them and from the convenience of their own homes, DSM reports. Mixfit’s Intelligent Nutrition Assistant (Mina) is the Artificial Intelligence (AI) that analyzes a person’s genetic makeup, alongside their diet, lifestyle and health goals, to create and dispense beverages containing a customized mix of DSM’s Quali Blends with vitamins and minerals throughout the day. 

Earlier this week, Mayo Clinic and Viome – a company transforming health through personalized nutrition based on individual and microbiome biology – joined forces to better understand the role of nutrition in disease. The collaboration will explore the potential of Viome’s AI-driven personalized diets in helping to manage disorders such as sleep apnea and obesity. The two companies hope to acquire a better understanding of how nutrition affects chronic diseases and to explore the effectiveness of personalized nutrition as a strategy to help in treatment, and possibly even the prevention of these diseases.

Personalized nutrition in different territories
Europe and the US are at the forefront of personalized nutrition. It is also a growing trend in Asia, with developed countries such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore seeing the most activity. Some examples in Asia include Singapore’s Imagene Labs, which formulates supplements and fitness solutions according to DNA; and Nestlé  Japan’s partnership with Genesis Healthcare and Halmek Ventures, both of which are DNA labs based in Japan, designed to provide personalized nutrition advice for seniors. The partnership has garnered over 100,000 participants since its announcement last May.

Large corporations can boost start-up innovation
Personalized nutrition can help in the prevention front, by uncovering the genetic qualities of those who are predisposed to develop diabetes.Disease prevention is a key aim of personalized nutrition. For instance, diabetes can be prevented through dietary improvements. Type 2 diabetes, the more common form of the disease, afflicts nearly half a billion people around the globe. Hayes adds that the global cost of diabetes is estimated to be almost US$1 trillion per year; the bulk of this cost is spent on managing the complications that arise from diabetes, rather than treating the disease itself.

Personalized nutrition can help in the prevention front, by uncovering the genetic qualities of those who are predisposed to develop diabetes. Genetics can be a valuable source of data input in forming personalized nutrition recommendations and products for diabetes prevention. This, however, needs more scientific backing.

“It can be challenging to design effective and efficient personalized nutrition services for different individuals and getting the technology in sync with parameters like individual dietary preferences, age group, health conditions, and so on. Doing this is costly and companies may face growth constraints as a result,” Gupta says. 

Furthermore, the data needs to be extra secure to ensure it does not end up in the wrong hands, he says. 

To resolve these issues, personalized nutrition start-ups could partner with large corporations to offset the high costs of research and customization.

Edited by Kristiana Lalou