The Role of Innovation and Technology in Meeting Individual Nutritional Needs ,

Abstract

Few Americans meet the recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and many do not know how to apply food and nutrition information to develop a personal approach to preventing diet/lifestyle-related diseases. In a time of rapid technologic advancement and rewards for innovation, a critical opportunity in food and nutrition science exists for improving health and reducing disease risk. The National Center for Food Safety and Technology (NCFST) recently established the Health Promoting Foods research platform to support the availability of safe food by using emerging technologies for improving food quality and consumer choice. A workshop convened with leading regulators and nutrition, genetic, medical, toxicological, behavioral, and consumer scientists to: discuss challenges facing personalized nutrition and health, develop strategies to overcome challenges using innovations in food and information technology, and define and prioritize a short- and long-term research agenda for the research platform. The workshop included presentations and in-depth discussions on the state of the science in genomics, behavior, food, and information technology. Workshop participants identified gaps, intersections, and new opportunities for delivering individualized food-based solutions that would be more accessible, affordable, and convenient. The research agenda, which was developed within a framework of providing information and guidance to the food and associated industries, supporting the process for health-related claims, building consumer confidence in data and food-health information, and providing a pathway for implementation of the US Dietary Guidelines for Americans and other public policies, reflects the commitment of the community, government, food industry, health organizations, and academia to improving health.

Inclusion and Exclusion in Nutrigenetics Clinical Research: Ethical and Scientific Challenges

“…As stated by Lewis and Burton-Freeman, and demonstrated by our results, studied populations are often restricted to one ancestral or ethnic group and, as a consequence, the data ‘cannot be reliably applied to all individuals or other populations’ [[77], p. 428S]. In this respect, it is crucial to understand how prevalent a specific polymorphism involved in gene-nutrient interactions has to be to warrant genotype-specific recommendations for subgroups in the population [e.g.…”

Nutrigenomics and Personalized Diets: What Will They Mean for Food?

“…Modulation of gut microbiota could be a key component of personalized nutrition, as gut microbiota and their byproducts have been shown to alter host metabolome, genome, transcriptome, proteome, and health status (Lewis & Burton-Freeman 2010). The gut microbiome of individuals contributes to the variation in systemic energy balance.…”

Promoting healthy dietary behaviour through personalised nutrition: technology push or technology pull?

“…Early D-T-C personalised nutrition initiatives have, on the whole, not been commercially successful. Despite the recent rapid advance in interactive health technology (12) and the potential for societal benefit, there is a dearth of research in the area of personalised nutrition and nutrigenomics from the perspective of the general public (15,16) . Much of what research exists has focused on genetic testing albeit in various contexts, while fewer studies have considered personalised nutrition in particular.…”

“…Awareness of D-T-C genetic tests is increasing among consumers (11) . Those with a stake-hold in the delivery of personalised nutrition see immense potential to transform preventative and therapeutic nutrition and in doing so, to benefit public health and reduce health costs (12) . Personalised nutrition not only has potential for the tailoring of diet to individual health needs, but also to that of groups of people among the general public (13) .…”