Retailers are ramping up on personalized nutrition, finally

Jan 19, 2022 2:13pm

We're only three weeks into 2022, and the year is already filled with plenty of action and surprises. One thing we are not surprised about is that retailers are now taking Personalized nutrition seriously demonstrated by the rapid rise in Smarteating tools as you'll read below.

 

This week’s newsletter: The latest research, Sifter partners with Walmart, Lingo offers biowearable to measure glucose, ketones and lactate, Youfit gyms partner with EATLOVE, Myfitnesspal ventures into wellness, Spoonguru launches new health tool and I am confirmed to speak in San Francisco in May

Happy reading and stay safe! 

Mariette & The rest of the Qina team

 

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Research update

An Open-Source Approach to Solving the Problem of Accurate Food-Intake Monitoring

"This paper presents an open-source solution to the problem of portion-size estimation consisting of a pocket-sized kitchen scale and a demo mobile application. It is implemented as a soft real-time, low-power consuming embedded system with a Bluetooth connection to the smartphone. Releasing both the hardware and software of the system as open-source paves the way towards accurate nutrition tracking and personalized nutrition".

 

The effect of dietary fiber on gut barrier function, gut microbiota, short-chain fatty acids, inflammation and clinical outcomes in critically ill patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis

"The purpose of this review (21 studies involving 2084 patients) was to explore the effect of dietary fiber (DF) on gut barrier function, gut microbiota, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), inflammation, and clinical outcomes in critically ill patients". The results show there was a significant reduction in intestinal permeability on day 8 in DF supplement group. The relative abundance (RA) of gut microbiota and some SCFAs producers increased in the DF supplement group. There was a significant decrease in C-reactive protein on day 14 and the duration of hospital stay after the DF supplement.

 

The NRF-ai ("ai" for adequate intake) is an alternative Australian Nutrient Rich Food index. This index, uses all nutrients, in this way avoiding judgments about which nutrients to include. Separate models were developed for females and males, selected age groups, reflecting differences in nutrient requirements and usual intake. In addition, the new nutrient profiling model is used to explore other sustainability aspects, including affordability (NRF-ai per AUD) and ecoefficiency (NRF-ai/environmental impact score).

 

Perspectives of health practitioners and adults who regained weight on predictors of relapse in weight loss maintenance behaviors: a concept mapping study

This study aimed to explore predictors of relapse in physical activity and dietary behavior from the perspectives of health practitioners and persons who regained weight and identify new predictors of relapse beyond existing knowledge. The results identified 43 predictors of which the majority belonged to the individual domain rather than the environmental domain. Practitioners indicated a change in daily structure, stress, maladaptive coping skills, habitual behavior, and lack of self-efficacy regarding weight loss maintenance as the most important recurrent (mentioned in all groups) predictors. On the contrary, persons who regained weight, indicated lifestyle imbalance or experiencing a life event, lack of perseverance, negative emotional state, abstinence violation effect, decrease in motivation, and indulgence as most important recurrent predictors. This study may provide an opportunity to enhance lifestyle coaching.

 

Technology News

Abbott’s new biowearables offer “window to body” for personalized nutrition

"Lingo" is a new biowearable brand designed by Abbott that will measure biomarkers like glucose, ketones, and lactate. The biowearable is based on sensor technology and will be used in several wide-ranging applications like health and wellness, sports, diabetes, weight loss, or keto diet. In Europe, the prediction is to launch later in 2022.

Related Articles:

PNU 35.2021 Latest version of Health2Sync app features CGM data

PNU 28.2020 Abbott’s Tiny Freestyle Libre 3 Cleared in EU

 

Walmart partners with Sifter to offer personalized nutrition tool

Walmart's new "Shop-by-Diet" tool, powered by Sifter’s technology rolling out today, will help shoppers find foods and supplements that fit their personal dietary and lifestyle goals with greater variety and flavor. Walmart customers will be able to discover and shop for foods based on allergens such as nuts or dairy; medical diets such as diabetes and heart health; and dozens of lifestyle diets, from vegan to keto to kosher. Shoppers also can use the Shop-by-Diet tool to sort through products based on responsible practices like grass-fed, or find products that won’t interact with medications.

 

NHS gamifies healthy eating for UK children with app-centric campaign

According to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), one in four (27.7%) children aged 4 to 5 are overweight or obese and, this increases to four in ten (40.9%)  aged 10 to 11, in the UK. With this serious problem in public health, NHS has reinforced the Obesity Strategy campaign. The multimedia campaign, Better Health, includes a film with Patel, a family being active on Netmums, pop singer Nadine Coyle and new features for the NHS Food Scanner App. Using the NHS Food Scanner App, families can scan the barcodes of purchased products, and the app will suggest healthier alternatives to help them make an easy swap when shopping.

 

Unilever partners with Holobiome to unlock secrets to a healthy gut biome

Holobiome is a company that is specialized in microbiome research. With the largest human microbiome collections in the world, also known as the “Microbiome Vault”, Holobiome saves the result of their researches on Holobiome’s “Microbiome Atlas.” With a Human Gut Simulator (HuGS) that simulates the microbial communities in humans, Holobiome has invested decades into growing and screening bacteria for functional capabilities. Now, Unilever has partnered with Holobiome, to identify specific food ingredients that interact with key gut bacteria. "The long-term ambition is to enhance ingredients in certain foods and refreshment products across Unilever’s portfolio to naturally boost levels of certain calming neurotransmitters in the gut, in turn improving mental well-being."

Related Articles:

PNU 05.2021 - Unilever and Kellogg discuss innovation priorities for 2021: From gut health to next-gen plant proteins

Arla finds two-thirds of Northern European consumers “nutrition blind” when eating sustainably

An Arla Foods study tried to understand if nutrition can be associated with sustainable diets. It found that: "66% of consumers in the UK, Denmark, Sweden, and Germany do not see nutrition as part of sustainable diets. Moreover, half (49%) of the 8,000 consumers surveyed feel confused about how to eat sustainably, and 52% state that they would like more information." With more than half of the European population overweight, consumers are paying attention to carbon footprint, biodiversity, packaging, animal welfare, and other determinants of sustainable diets, but nutrition is something people tend to overlook - only 34% say that they associate nutrition with sustainable diets, reveals the survey.

 

Sustainable and plant-based to evolve throughout 2022 as COVID-19 accelerates trends

“What was important to consumers in 2021 is likely to still be important to consumers in 2022", spotlight experts from FrieslandCampina Ingredients, Symrise, and PharmaLinea. As the COVID-19 pandemic stretches into its third year, it will continue to shape the nutrition sector. The tendencies around Planet's sustainability will continue to gain force. With "over a third of consumers (36%) now consider themselves to be flexitarians, increasing their intake of plant-based products while mindfully balancing their diet with nutritious animal-based products.” Other trends pointed by the experts were: E-Commerce and online representation; Local sourcing and trust partnership; In-home cooking; Health and well-being and Mood.

 
 

Resources:

 

MHRA guidance on the use of real-world data in clinical studies to support regulatory decisions

This document provides an introduction to the MHRA’s real-world data (RWD) guideline series and points to consider when evaluating whether a RWD source is of sufficient quality for the intended use.

RWD is defined as data relating to patient health status or delivery of health care collected outside of a clinical study. Sources of RWD include electronic healthcare records (EHR) defined as structured, digital collections of patient-level medical data, primary and secondary care records, disease registries, and administrative data on births and deaths. Other sources of RWD include patient-reported outcomes (PRO) data and data which is collected outside of a clinical study setting such as through wearable devices, specialized/secure websites, or tablets.

 

Upcoming Events:

 Food Innovation and Investment Summit, Kisaco Research, San Francisco, California, 18-19 May 2022

 

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