Instead of following fad diets, look into your biomarkers and metabolism in order to find out what your body really needs.
Personalised nutrition, according to the Global Wellness Summit (GWS), is one of this year's biggest trends, driven by science, low-cost medical testing and new technologies employed by various companies to identify the right foods for each individual in achieving well-being and specific health goals.
DNA-based dietary advice is provided by Nutrigenomix, whose genetic testing looks at how genes impact weight loss and body composition, nutrient metabolism, heart health, performance, fertility, food intolerance and eating habits.
Eating more or less of certain foods based on your DNA can decrease the risk of developing chronic diseases and optimise health, performance and fertility. Since 2015, Habit has been offering nutrition guidance, based on analyses of an at-home blood test, DNA cheek swab, body metrics and a behavioural survey.
Snap a photo and get nutritional information from the Calorie Mama app.
Blood tests are also taken after drinking The Habit Challenge Shake -- a beverage with ingredients containing macronutrients -- which tells how the body handles carbs and fats, along with required protein.
All of the information obtained is used to recommend ideal meals following a nutrition plan, accessible through an app.
The American start-up was recently acquired by Viome, whose gut microbiome analysis observes how bacteria, viruses, yeasts, fungi and mould work symbiotically with the body to provide the nutrition for health and vitality. When the microbes are out of balance, the body can't absorb nutrients the way it should.
Viome uses RNA sequencing technology and artificial intelligence to understand what is going on in the body at a molecular level. Personalised diet and lifestyle recommendations are then given based on each person's unique biology.
Onegevity Health also uses microbiome sequencing and AI to deliver personalised products and services that support skin and heart health as well as cognition and sports performance. An at-home test collects a faeces sample for the gut microbiome analysis, with results given online within three to four weeks.
Habit at-home blood tests are taken after drinking The Habit Challenge Shake.
A painless push-button blood collection tool is used by Baze to monitor nutrients levels every three months and then prescribe personalised vitamins.
Lumen is a device that measures CO2 concentration in your breath to identify the type of metabolic fuel and volume being burnt by the body. Developed by Israel-based Metaflow, the Lumen system tracks your metabolism, which is the process by which the body converts food into energy for immediate use or to be stored for later.
AI and Machine Learning technologies are integrated into Lumen's application component, which stores and analyses health data, collected from the breath measurements. Users can see how yesterday's meals and activities are affecting today's metabolism. In the morning, breathe into the device and get a personalised daily nutrition plan.
Other AI-powered apps include those by Pinto and Calorie Mama that crunch the numbers of nutrients and calories on the plate in front of you.
