The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is just one of many bodies that’s calling for caution here, saying, “The practical application of nutritional genomics for complex chronic disease is an emerging science and the use of nutrigenetic testing to provide dietary advice is not ready for routine dietetics practice.” But that still hasn’t put investors off from investing millions in the space.
One such company is Whole Biome, which is pioneering the use of gut-assisting microbes to create medical food to treat diabetes. This company is working with the likes of the Mayo Clinic to generate the required evidence for such an approach. Other companies include Wellness FX, Pure Genomics, Cell, and DayTwo. They use a range of approaches including genetic testing, epigenetics testing, labs, microbiomes and prediction of glycemic responses to recommend a personalized nutrition approach.
Another example is 23andMe, which provides its customers with gene-based food recommendations. Customers submit a sample of their saliva to the personal genetics startup via an at-home kit. They can then choose to receive high-level dietary recommendations, such as how many vegetables they should eat and how often they should eat red meat. These recommendations are based upon health information that’s reported by other customers with a similar genetic make-up.
Gut microbiome tests are gathering momentum as nutritional tools. They work by analyzing the makeup of the bacteria and microorganisms that live in our digestive tracts, many of them playing a vital role in our bodily functions by allowing us to break down food.
Viome is one of the most prominent companies in the space. Its at-home tests assess users’ microbes to suggest foods and supplements that could complement them. This includes identifying specific foods amongst wider categories, such as by telling users to skip bell peppers if they find a virus that specifically interferes with the peppers’ digestion. The company has also partnered with the Mayo Clinic to study the microbiome’s role in chronic conditions, with an initial focus on sleep-related disorders like sleep apnea and obesity. Together, they’ll track measures of obesity, metabolism and sleep and analyze how they respond to nutritional modifications. Ultimately, they seek to assess the effectiveness of personalized nutrition as a disease management strategy.
