Research Project:
The Multiple Faces of Personalized-Precision Nutrition
Brief Summary: ILSI proposes evaluating best practices and developing the definitions for, and principles of, personalized/precision nutrition—including how to document the benefits and risks—as a steppingstone to assessing the readiness of personalized nutrition in food product development, food marketing and nutritional therapies. Presented by Jose Ordovas.
Rationale and Approach: Personalized (or precision) nutrition (PN) is gathering interest from multiple sectors (e.g., Federal Agencies (e.g., NIH, USDA) health professionals; diagnostic, food, and other biotech companies; and the public in general). PN is the answer to “What to eat to stay Healthy” (1), in the context of interindividual heterogeneity in response to diet and food (2). It is a promising science and strategy to provide scientifically sound, practical, and clinically relevant solutions to individuals to help alleviate nutrition shortfalls and potentially be of value in management of chronic and infectious diseases. There is however no commonly accepted definition or process for applying existing evidence in PN. The use of the term in public discourse remains vague as well despite definitions being previously proposed (3-4). There is in addition a lack of measurable outcomes and validation in different landscapes and applications in clinical settings. The current evidence supports that PN may offer enhanced assessment, intervention, and monitoring opportunities to support nutrition and health in healthy individuals and for numerous health-related conditions, but we also need to have a clear method of determining potential risks/harms.
Objectives:
- Propose standardized terms/definitions for PN
- Develop theoretical framework with principles for evaluating science and applying evidence to creating PN products and services
- Identify research needed to raise the scientific evidence necessary and required for application in business and healthcare practice
- Identify best research practices for benefits and risks associated with PN
- Update application of genetics and other omics to practice educational materials
Deliverables:
- Better and comprehensive understanding of the value of PN
- Current state of science
- Identification of future research needs facilitating input to funding agencies
- Best practices, Principles/Guidelines of the application of PN
References:
- Rodgers, G.P., Collins, F.S (2020) Precision Nutrition – the answer to “what to eat to stay healthy”. JAMA 324 (8): 735-736.
- Berry, S.E., et al. (2020) Human postprandial responses to food and potential for precision nutrition. Nature Medicine 26: 964-973.
- Schleidgen, S., Klingler, C., Bertram, T., Rogowski, W.H., Marckmann, G. (2013) What is personalized medicine: sharpening a vague term based on a systematic literature review. BMC Med Ethics 14: 55.
- Bush, C.L., Blumberg, J.B., El-Sohemy, A., Minich, D.M., Ordovás, J.M., Reed, D.G., Behm, V.A.Y. (2020) Toward the Definition of Personalized Nutrition: A Proposal by The American Nutrition Association. J Am Coll Nutr 39 (1):5-15.