New year kicks off PN supplement brands getting snapped up
This week the industry is witnessing a huge confirmation that Personalised nutrition is here to stay with the NIH's commitment of $170m in scientific research on the topic. This is great news and hope that Europe will follow suit!
In this week's newsletter: Latest research, ImpacX's solution with connected reusable packaging, Digbi incorporates ethnic-relevant genetic risk scores, the rise of voice tech and Loewi acquired by Russian based Bioniq and plenty more.
Yours in health,
Mariette
CEO & Founder of Qina
For more news and updates, sign up for a free account.
Nutritional Research update
The Financial Case for Food as Medicine: Introduction of an ROI Calculator
"Diet quality is now established as the single leading predictor of perennial premature death in modern countries". This article aims to construct and test a web-based calculator simulating the return-on-investment associated with FaM (Food as medicine) interventions.
Personalized Lifestyle Intervention and Functional Evaluation Health Outcomes SurvEy: Presentation of the LIFEHOUSE Study Using N-of-One Tent–Umbrella–Bucket Design
The LIFEHOUSE (Lifestyle Intervention and Functional Evaluation-Health Outcomes SurvEy) longitudinal research project explores the impact of personalized lifestyle medicine approaches on functional health determinants. Currently, 369 participants, have their medical history, nutritional physical exam, baseline functional status (utilizing validated tools to measure metabolic, physical, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral functional capacity), serum biomarkers, genomic, and microbiome markers assessed. The project developed personalized health programs that will "facilitate topological analyses focusing on the interactome among each participant’s genomics, microbiome, diet, lifestyle, and environment".
This study evaluated the effectiveness of three food behaviors (meat consumption, food waste, and scratch cooking) implemented by a large UK food retailer. They evaluated the intervention components (online community, ‘ask the expert’ videos and product samples, recipes, and cook-along). The results show: "the intervention mitigated individual barriers to change and had a positive impact on awareness, intention, and behavior which lasted beyond intervention-end. (...). Findings indicate that the online community, ‘ask the expert’ videos and product samples were the most impactful intervention components, while recipes and cook-alongs were less effective."
Influence of a Nutrigenetic Intervention on Self-Efficacy, Emotions, and Rewarding Behaviors in Unhealthy Eating among Mexicans: An Exploratory Pilot Study
This study aims to explore the influence of the GENOMEX (Genome-based Mexican) diet on emotions, self-efficacy, and rewarding behaviors in unhealthy eating among 28 subjects with risk factors for obesity-related chronic diseases, during 6 weeks. The results show: "Mood influenced unhealthy eating in 71.7% of subjects, and 76.9% experienced binge episodes triggered by anxiety. (...) After the intervention, 10.7% of subjects reported a high level of self-efficacy". In conclusion, a culturally acceptable and genetically compatible regional Mexican food diet reduced negative emotions and unhealthy eating while increasing self-efficacy".
New App-Based Dietary and Lifestyle Intervention on Weight Loss and Cardiovascular Health
"Consumer digital technology is rapidly evolving, allowing users to manage their health in a simple, non-invasive manner. However, there are few studies revealing if using digital technology as part of an intervention really has an impact on consumer health compared with traditional strategies. The objective of the current study is to compare two groups of overweight, prehypertensive individuals in losing weight and lowering their blood pressure. Both were provided with nutritionist-guided recommendations, a wearable tracking device, and a dietary supplement that has previously been proven to help lose body weight and lower blood pressure. In addition, one of the groups used a mobile app specifically designed for the intervention for positive habits...In conclusion, the addition of a mobile app with daily reminders to follow healthy lifestyle recommendations increased physical activity and overall improved blood pressure and fat mass levels when compared with a group performing the same intervention but in absence of the mobile application."
Technology News
Loewi gets acquired by Russian health tech startup Bioniq
Loewi founded in 2019 announced today that the personalized nutrition supplement company has been acquired by Bioniq. Bioniq is currently expanding into other regions and will leverage existing Loewi partnerships.
ImpacX unleashes “revolutionary” tech for personalized nutrition in connected reusable packaging
Israel-based ImpacX is launching a pilot of a sustainable and smart-package that can nutritionally personalize supplements. The packaging solution is connected to a cloud-based app that can remind consumers it is time to take their supplements and refill the item. If a user is unsure if they took their supplement on that day, the app will be able to inform them, as the packaging inside the bottle is linked to the app. Consumers have the option to add powder, pill, or gummy forms. The pilots are expected to launch in the second and third quarters of 2022.
Eagle Genomics and Quadram set out on AI-powered microbiome investigation to inspire NPD
“Unmissable opportunity” in personalized microencapsulated ingredients, flags Blendhub CEO
"Blendhub operates a multi-localized network of powder-based food production hubs, while Nucaps is a nanotechnology development platform that can encapsulate bioactives and probiotics for nanocapsules and biocapsules". Now they have teamed up to develop personalized functional ingredients for the nutrition and health industries. Blendhub will provide Nucaps and its customers with its food-as-a-service platform to help any food company design, produce and launch innovative food products anywhere in the world. It will offer this infrastructure-as-a-service to produce locally, closer to raw materials and final consumers. It will also facilitate the validation of new ingredients and formulations through Chemometric Brain’s software-as-a-service.
Related Articles:
Digbi Health incorporates ethnic-relevant genetic risk scores to personalize care for metabolic and mental health conditions associated with gut and obesity
"Specifically, 78% of genetic studies come from people of predominantly European descent and most digital care guidelines are predominantly based on studies done with the white male population, even though they only make up 16% of the population". Digbi's new genetic scores now incorporate ethnic-specific risk scores for nutrition, fitness, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, mental and digestive health across its virtual care program for people living with polychronic physical and mental illness associated with inflammatory gut and weight.
LifeOmic Relaunches LIFE Ascent Personal Health Optimization Program with Focus on Scientific Content for a Healthier Life and Sustainable Weight Loss
LifeOmic has announced the relaunch of LIFE Ascent. The science-based, educational program will focus on 13 specific topics and how each can be influenced by practicing the five pillars of health — physical activity, nutrition, mindfulness, sleep, and intermittent fasting. With the help of leading medical experts that will provide personal coaching, the program content includes daily videos, recipes, exercises, and educational courses from Lifeology, the company's health literacy platform. LIFE Ascent also offers an optional 72-biomarker blood panel and robust success kit that includes tools to help people measure their weight, blood pressure, lung health, grip strength, body fat percentage, and more. The personalized wellness program is performed over a minimum period of 52weeks.
NIH awards $170 million for precision nutrition study
The National Institutes of Health (USA) are awarding $170 million over five years, to clinics and centers across the country for a new study that will develop algorithms to predict individual responses to food and dietary routines. The aim is to collect new data on multiple potential predictive factors and combine them with existing data in the All of Us database to develop a more complete picture of how individuals respond to different foods or dietary routines. The grant will be delivered through 14 awards established by the NPH consortium that includes: six clinical centers, a dietary assessment center, metabolomics and clinical assays center, a microbiome and metagenomics center, a multimodal data modeling and bioinformatics center, a research coordinating center, and additional support to existing All of Us infrastructure.
The rise of Voice of tech and potential for Personalised nutrition
We recently wrote an article on the potential for including voice tech in personalised nutrition solutions. In case you missed it, click on the image below to read it.
Where am I speaking next?
I will be speaking at the upcoming Food innovation & investment summit in San Francisco. The lineup of speakers is excellent and I look forward to sharing insights on Personalised Nutrition. click the image for more info.
Food & Consumer Trends
Increase Demand for Allergen-Free Food is Leading to Larger Selection of Gluten-Free and Trans-Free Options
"Consumer awareness, regarding the labeling of allergen-free and dairy-free products claims, is driving the market for free-from food products. Companies are coming up with innovative products, which meet the allergen-free requirement and provide nutritional benefits". A report from Mordor Intelligence projected that the global free-from-food market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 9.5%, through 2026.
Upcoming Events:
Food Innovation and Investment Summit, Kisaco Research, San Francisco, California, 18-19 May 2022
Qina is the hub for data and insights in Personalised nutrition. Qina offers the world´s first comprehensive and curated database of Personalised nutrition companies in the industry. Qina has a library of expert content and offers consultancy services for innovation projects.