What foods should we eat for better health? The answer is simple: consume plenty of vegetables, choose whole grains over refined carbohydrates, and maintain a balanced diet with a variety of foods. While this may sound familiar, the fundamentals of a healthy diet are not overly complicated.
But does following the same dietary principles lead to similar responses in everyone? Not necessarily. Some individuals experience a significant spike in blood sugar after eating the same amount of rice, while others see a more gradual increase. Even with identical meal plans, changes in weight and blood lipid levels can vary widely among individuals. Research has shown that blood sugar and triglyceride responses to the same foods can differ significantly from person to person. These differences cannot be attributed solely to the food consumed; they are influenced by genetic traits, health status, physical activity, and gut microbiome, among other factors.
Precision nutrition begins with the concept of 'same food, different responses.' While traditional nutrition science has established general guidelines for healthy eating applicable to many, precision nutrition delves deeper into individual characteristics and responses. It moves beyond the question of 'What should I eat to be healthy?' to 'What should I eat to be healthy for me?'
Countries around the world are also focusing on individual dietary responses. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States is conducting research through its 'Nutrition for Precision Health' initiative, which uses data on diet, genetic information, gut microbiota, and metabolic information to predict individual dietary responses using artificial intelligence (AI). The UK's PREDICT study and Israel's research on personalized post-meal blood sugar responses are notable examples demonstrating that metabolic responses to the same foods can vary among individuals. These studies aim to understand different dietary responses and provide a basis for tailored nutritional management.
In the U.S., the 'Food Is Medicine' movement is gaining traction, actively utilizing food and nutrition for health promotion and disease management. This approach emphasizes not only the importance of healthy eating but also connects meal plans and food prescriptions tailored to specific health conditions with medical and community services. Various departments and agencies, led by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, are collaborating to advance related policies and initiatives.
South Korea has also begun laying the groundwork for its own precision nutrition framework. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety plans to conduct precision nutrition research over five years starting in 2025. This research will link and analyze genomic and clinical data produced by the National Integrated Bio Big Data project with newly collected precision nutrition data.
To achieve this, dietary and dietary supplement intake, lifestyle logs, and lifestyle information will be collected from a total of 7,500 participants, with additional gut microbiome and metabolite information gathered from about 3,000 of them. Furthermore, intervention studies considering genomic and gut microbiome characteristics will accumulate evidence on individual dietary responses. The goal is to develop a Korean precision nutrition prediction model and create personalized nutritional management guidelines.
The Korean dietary culture, which includes eating rice, soup, various side dishes, and enjoying fermented foods, differs from Western practices. Some genetic traits related to nutrient metabolism also vary among population groups. Therefore, it is essential to establish evidence that reflects the genetic characteristics, dietary habits, and living environments of Koreans rather than directly applying findings from foreign studies.
Importantly, the work begins after the research. Simply accumulating data and creating predictive models will not integrate precision nutrition into the lives of citizens. For research findings to translate into chronic disease management, food and meal service sectors, and digital health services, a national policy and implementation system that connects these areas is necessary. This includes standardizing data, establishing a personal information protection system, and developing scientific bases and utilization standards for services.
Precision nutrition does not replace existing healthy eating guidelines; rather, it adds a layer of 'individual differences' to them. For precision nutrition to take root in the lives of citizens, everyone must be able to trust and utilize dietary information tailored to their health status and lifestyle. We must now prepare to move beyond the age-old question of 'What should I eat to be healthy?' to answer 'What should I eat to be healthy for me?'
* This article has been translated by AI.
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