New study validates the potential benefits of personalized nutrition interventions

The first published research¹ from the PREDICT (Personalized Responses to Dietary Composition Trial) studies found that post-prandial responses following identical meals vary widely between individuals. The study included twins from the TwinsUK cohort and unrelated adults for a total of 1,002 subjects. Metabolic responses were assessed in a clinical setting and at home. Results showed that there was up to a 10-fold inter-individual variability in postprandial responses of blood triglyceride, glucose, and insulin. Researchers observed that person-specific factors such as gut microbiome had a greater influence than meal macronutrients for postprandial lipemia, but not for postprandial glycemia. The results, say researchers, may help inform the development of personalized diet strategies.

Tim Spector, MD FRCP FRSB, one of the co-authors of the study, is a professor at King’s College London, and co-founder of Zoe Global Ltd. (London, UK), a personalized nutrition company that uses AI to develop personalized eating habits based on a person’s unique gut microbes and inflammation after meals. Zoe sells an at-home test kit that is based on the novel tests developed for this study. The results of the at-home tests allow Zoe to give customers insights and personalized programs to reduce inflammation after meals and boost healthy gut microbes.

“When it comes to weight, we’ve traditionally put a huge emphasis on factors we have no control over, like genetics,” explained Spector in a press release. “The fact is, while genetics plays a role, there are many more important factors that impact an individual’s response to food and maintenance of a healthy metabolism. This study shows that achieving a healthy weight requires a scientific approach to eating that takes into account an individual’s unique biology.”

Reference

1. Berry SE et al. “Human postprandial responses to food and potential for precision nutrition.” Nature Medicine, vol. 26, no. 6 (June 2020): 964-973