Is Personalized Nutrition the Future?

Have you ever wondered how health authorities and organizations can provide general dietary advice when we are all unique individuals? I mean, we are all different, so how come this general perception that we all should eat the same? Wouldn’t it make more sense to have personalized nutrition plan? This is certainly something for the longevity community to put time and effort in. For people who are interested in biohacking, personalized nutrition is a natural part of life.

Personalized nutrition involves eating foods that are tailored for the individual based on DNA testing, health metrics and health assessments. With the information from these tests, we can design personalized diets that promote improved longevity, maximize well-being, and optimize health.

What is Personalized Nutrition?

You’ve probably noticed that people often have different opinions about certain diets. This is likely because there’s no such thing as a ‘one-size-fits-all’ diet. Instead, we are unique individuals with different genetics, sensitivities and nutritional needs. For example, I know that my body struggles to break down carbohydrates. I’ve always felt this, and a gene test from Dynamic Code confirmed that I am predisposed to greater sensitivity to carbohydrates and higher blood sugar levels after meals. So, diets high in carbohydrates or eating five times a day don’t work for me. Instead, I have had good experiences with diets high in fat and protein, such as the Keto Diet. This, combined with a 16:8 intermittent fasting routine, has worked very well for me. However, my partner, for example, would never be able to eat this way.

With DNA tests and wearable devices and health gadgets, we can see what types of food would be optimal for each individual. Our genetics affect what nutritional needs we have, so how come we overlook this when following general advices? Personalized nutrition involves eating a diet that is customized for you only. This based on genes, hormones, activity level, blood sugar levels and sensitivities.

How to create a personalized nutrition plan

By implementing a personalized nutrition plan, you can potentially improve your health and longevity. Just like with your car, you should refuel your body with the right fuel. We all know that everyone respons differently to food, which suggests that it’s probably not ideal that we all eat the same.

Parameters to consider when optimizing nutrition

So, how do we create a personalized nutrition plan? Personalized nutrition is a relatively new phenomenon, so there isn’t much guidance available yet. However, we do know some of the key parameters to consider when optimizing nutrition. Genetics for example, different genes can affect how we process food and how we respons to different nutrients. We recommend taking a DNA test to explore your sensitivities, predispositions, and genetic conditions.

Another parameter to consider is your metabolism. Do you have a fast or a slow metabolism? All individual’s have a unique metabolism and people with a fast metabolism burns calories faster than those with a slow metabolism. According to a study published in the journal Cell Metabolism, a personalized diet based on an individual’s metabolic profile, leads to better health.

Your lifestyle may also impact what food and nutrients you need. For example, if you are very physically active, you need to get more calories and nutrients than if you are just inactive throughout the day. Stress and sleep are other factors that can impact your need for certain nutrients.

Another factor to consider when creating a personalized nutrition plan is your health status. For example, a person with diabetes and high blood pressure will have different dietary needs than an elite athlete with no health issues. The same applies to individuals with other conditions, such as celiac disease.

Setting Your Health Goals

Once you’ve considered all these factor, you are almost ready to create your personalized nutrition plan. Before doing so, it’s important to assess your health goals. What do you want to achieve with your personalized nutrition plan? Is it to improve overall health, build muscle, or prevent specific conditions or diseases? Figure out what it is that you want and it will be a lot easier for you to create your personalized nutrition plan. We also recommend learning the basics of macronutrients to help you determine which diet works best for you.

Personalized Nutrition VS General Guidelines

Even though personalized nutrition is a relatively new phenomenon there is some evidence indicating that it may improve health. For example, it can lower the risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Personalized nutrition can also help with weight loss and to maintaining a healthy weight. Additionally, it may improve mood, energy levels and athletic performance.

Of course, there are benefits to general guidelines as well. For example, it’s a suitable way to give dietary advices to a larger audience. These guidelines are also based on scientific evidence and the advices are easy for most people to implement. By following general guidelines, you can also be confident that you’re getting all the nutrients you need.

Questioning General Dietary Guidelines

Even though most general dietary guidelines and dietary advices are based on scientific evidence, we can’t always be certain that they are truly what’s best for us. We can’t ignore that many studies are sponsored by Big Food companies, which can influence their outcomes. Consider The Seven Countries Study (Read more here), which found a strong correlation between saturated fat and heart disease prevalence. It turned out many years later that the research had significant research bias. Still, some of the dietary advice that we get today, is based on this study. Dietitians often point out fat as the villain, promoting low-fat products instead. But as we all know, when fat is removed from a product, it often has to be replaced with sugar or starch. As far as we know, choosing fat over added sugar is the better option any day.

Conclusion

Our conclusion is that general guidelines might be best suited for those without a specific interest in health and wellness. However, for us health enthusiasts who are willing to do anything to optimize our well-being, personalized nutrition is the way forward. We look forward to seeing what this field will bring in the future.