How AI is predicting what you will do and want next
Last week in Bilbao at the Food 4 Future event was a blast! It was our first Qina exhibition and we were super proud to be hosted by Blendhub. Very exciting things in the pipeline!
For more on the latest in Personalised nutrition, create a free account below.
In this week's newsletter:
Latest research, Thorne launches first microbiome wipe, our latest executive data brief on Mental health, Nuritas lands $45m investment and US, expansion, NHS launches personalised nutrition fitness service to prep for surgery and more!
Yours in health,
Mariette & the rest of the Qina team
Nutritional Research update
Microbiota alterations in proline metabolism impact depression
This study suggests that the severity of depression may be influenced by the amino acid proline, based on the analysis of the type and amount of amino acids in the diet, blood plasma and faecal samples. The study also indicates that a person’s gut bacteria may affect how proline is processed. The results of this study show that: those who had a higher level of proline in their diet, and higher levels of plasma proline reported more severe depression. Proline can be metabolized to GABA, a neurotransmitter that may help combat depression. However, high levels of proline can disrupt GABA production.
DRD2 and BDNF polymorphisms are associated with binge eating disorder in patients with weight regain after bariatric surgery
This study aims "to analyze the association and susceptibility of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in the DRD2 and BDNF genes with binge eating disorder (BED) in patients with weight regain in the postoperative period of bariatric surgery". The results have shown that "The presence of wild-type alleles for rs1800497 (CC) and rs6265 (GG) was more frequent in patients without BED. Nevertheless, the presence of one or two variant alleles for rs1800497 (CT + TT) and rs6265 (GA + AA) was more frequent in patients with BED. The combination of the two studied SNPs prevailed in patients with BED".
Effect of a Novel Intervention Targeting Appetitive Traits on Body Mass Index Among Adults With Overweight or Obesity - A Randomized Clinical Trial
This study aimed to compare three weight-loss strategies over 12 months of treatment and 12 months of follow-up. The active comparator (AC) strategy provided nutrition education, social support, and mindfulness training. The (behavioural weight loss) BWL program prescribed a diet, restricted calorie-dense foods, reinforced avoidance of cues to overeat, and focused on restricting calories. The combined program (ROC+) integrated the focus on diet and energy intake from the BWL program with the ROC (regulation of cues), including management of hunger cues. The results have shown that "weight loss was comparable after 24 months among individuals in both the Regulation of Cues and the behavioural weight loss program. However, participants in the Regulation of Cues arm stabilized their weight and kept it off while participants in the other groups regained weight at mid-treatment when clinic visits were reduced to monthly".
Heterogeneity in statin responses explained by variation in the human gut microbiome
This study aims to investigate the potential role of the gut microbiome in modifying patient responses to statin therapy. The results have shown that: "plasma HMG levels reflected both statin therapy intensity and known genetic markers for variable statin responses. (...) statin responses were consistently associated with variation in the gut microbiome: Bacteroides-enriched individuals at higher risk of statin-induced metabolic disruption and Firmicutes-dominant individuals at lower risk of statin-induced metabolic disruption".
We have just published our latest Executive data brief on Mental health and Personalised nutrition. This fascinating topic is critical to many companies and their employees to support positive habts at this delicate time in our lives.
Members only
Technology News
Nuritas lands US$45M in funding, announces US expansion
“AI-powered bioactive peptide company Nuritas is expanding across the US with a new facility in Connecticut. Set to be the headquarters for North America, the move follows a US$45 million Series B fundraising round, led by the Chicago, Illinois-based venture fund and accelerator Cleveland Avenue. The commercial and R&D facility will be located in Connecticut, near Yale University. Nuritas’ most recent location anticipates the launch of more solutions, adding to the company’s product portfolio”
Related Articles:
PNU 12.2021: Nuritas & Sumitomo Partner Up in AI-Powered Peptide Discovery Pact
New Study Will Examine Additional Health and Economic Benefits for People with Type 2 Diabetes When Personalized Wellness Technologies Are Paired with a Smart Blood Glucose Ecosystem
ECLIPSE (formally "Evidence for Health Improvement in People with Diabetes Using OneTouch & Partner Solutions") is a new study from Lifescan (a blood glucose monitoring company). This study will evaluate if using the OneTouch Reveal® app with the OneTouch® Verio Reflect meter and Noom, Fitbit, Welldoc, or Cecelia Health solutions can lead to better diabetes management like A1C reductions and cost savings. The study aims to recruit 800 people with type 2 diabetes, with four study arms of 200 participants each focused on a different solution (Noom, Fitbit, Welldoc, or Cecelia Health).
‘Creating scenarios of what should be possible tomorrow’: Givaudan develops ‘advanced’ futurescaping platform
Givaudan has announced the launch of its platform to predict the future of food: "Consumer Foresight". The platform will combine data points, AI, and human expertise, and use multiple sources of proprietary Givaudan data to pre-selected partners. "Customer Foresight is focused on discovering early signs for our customers, that neither they nor their consumers are aware of, nor may have fully articulated. Given the power of the AI technologies used, combined with the expansiveness of the data that will feed Customer Foresight and the depth of expertise of our internal team, the platform will be equipped to help guide customers in a wide range of development needs from broad market shifts to specific ingredients in particular product applications", said D' Amico, Taste & Wellbeing President.
NHS patients to receive £120 private health app featuring a personalised fitness and nutrition plan to get them fit for surgery
The Private healthcare firm Sapien Health will soon begin working with the NHS to provide digital personalized diet plans and exercise programs for patients with scheduled operations and during the recovery phase. "Once patients receive a surgery date and have downloaded the app, a specially trained coach contacts them and goes through a set of questions to determine their fitness level and diet regime. The coaches then design health goals which can be anything from losing weight, to helping patients feel more energized by starting a new activity, all of which are accessed through the app. Each week the coach will have a 20-minute call with the patient to monitor their progress. Each patient who uses the app costs the health service £120. But the experts behind it say it may help to reduce the number of canceled operations every year, many of which are due to patients being too unfit for surgery".
ICMR launches mobile app to improve patient care in inflammatory bowel disease
‘IBD NutriCare App’ is an app launched by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to improve patient care for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). This app provides real-time data which alerts the nutritionist or dietician about adherence issues and incorrect information, thus helping timely dietary interventions. The App will offer a personalized patient response based on their demographic, medications, daily dietary intake, clinical symptoms, and disease course, and will provide a recording of diet variables based on nearly 650 Indian food recipes.
Thorne HealthTech, a leader in personalized health and wellbeing innovations, has relaunched its Gut Health Test which now includes their patent-pending Microbiome Wipe. This first to market approach to microbiome testing eliminates the inconvenience of stool sampling, which often causes users to delay taking the test or avoid taking it all together. The Microbiome Wipe innovation was designed to improve user experience by simplifying stool sample collection and to provide the user with “cutting edge analyses and personalized results with increased efficacy”.
We recently attended the Food 4 Future event in Bilbao. If you missed the event, you can watch a recorded version of the presentation here. I discuss how we are creating the future of nutritious, healthy and sustainable food in partnership with Blendhub.
You can watch the presentation here
Food & Consumer Trends
Diets, Food Prices, Stress and the Power of Gen Z
The 17th annual survey of U.S. consumers has revealed a substantial impact of stress on the way we eat (30% said they had changed their nutrition or diet to reduce stress) and a significant increase in the adoption of specific diets and eating patterns. The new top three are "clean eating" (16%), "mindful eating" (14%), and "calorie counting" (13%), although the top motivations for doing so remained the same as 2021: protecting long-term health (35%) and losing weight (34%). The survey also quotes concerns over food and beverage prices, food priorities, and buying power of Gen Z.
To read the full report: Click here
Resources
Can a Different Diet Reprogram Your DNA?
This episode of Bloomberg’s Prognosis approaches the nutrigenomics field and explores the science that may support it, as well as the marketing being used to sell it.
YOUR HEALTH ON TECH The new cutting edge video series with John Whyte, MD.
"Your Health on Tech" featuring WebMD Chief Medical Officer John Whyte, MD, MPH, focuses on giving consumers the information they need to better understand the benefits, the watch-outs, and the best ways to choose which technologies are right for them. Each 12-minute episode features interviews with digital health experts and frames the discussion around the questions most important for consumers. Dr. Whyte will also speak to consumers about their real-life experiences using technology and test it himself. Throughout the series, he will focus on issues of accuracy, ease of use, and how consumers should interpret their personal health data. The initial episodes explore wearables such as watches and rings, nutrition and healthy eating technologies, at-home lab tests, as well as smart clothing.
Upcoming Events
Food Innovation and Investment Summit, Kisaco Research, San Francisco, California, 18-19 May 2022
2022 KoSFoST International Symposium and Annual Meeting
New Era in Food Science and Biotechnology - Bexco, Busan, Korea July 6-8, 2022
NutraEvent, Nantes, France, October 4th & 5th 2022
Personalized nutrition summit - ANA, San Diego 26-29 October
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.