Source: http://www.sonima.com/food/personalized-nutrition/
The promise of personalized nutrition is an exciting one. Rather than buying into the latest one-size-fits-all trend (low-carb! Paleo!), you can now access eating plans tailored to your body’s genetic makeup, gut microbiome, food sensitivities, nutritional deficiencies, and more. One might assume a personalized approach is more likely to produce the results that you are seeking—right? In theory, yes, but unfortunately the actual promise of complete diet personalization is still far from being realized.
With each passing month, more research is being published and our understanding of effective means for personalizing diets grows. Last month a study was published in the journal Cell entitled “Personalized Nutrition by Prediction of Glycemic Responses.” Since then it has been making big waves in the media being touted by some as the diet study that changes everything we know about dieting. While this hyperbolic statement is grossly misleading, the study itself is very interesting, reinforcing things that we already knew about individual diet response and while also shedding light on some new areas. As interesting and useful as this study maybe, it is important to note that this study only looked at individuals’ blood sugar response following meals and throughout the day. This is a good predictor of future health and risk of diabetes, but it is far from a single comprehensive marker of health.
What Does Personalized Nutrition Real…