Personalized prenatal care: SNP Therapeutics tailors nutrition and supplements to mother’s genetic profiles
20 Dec 2023 --- SNP Therapeutics is unveiling a personalized prenatal nutrition plan based on women’s genetic makeup. The company says its Genate Prenatal Nutrition will complement its already successful Genate genetic testing product.
The new line includes an individualized base supplement called Genate Essential Prenatal Nutrition, created using the genetic test’s results.
“Current prenatal nutrition vitamin and mineral supplementation is primarily a one-size-fits-all approach to nutrition,” Albert Piechotta, the VP of marketing and operations at SNP Therapeutics, tells Nutrition Insight. “The Genate brand can provide women with an education regarding her body and how it metabolizes critical nutrients important to her pregnancy.”
“It will provide her with a highly comprehensive base prenatal supplement titled Genate Essential Prenatal Nutrition. By offering additional products that address common genetic inefficiencies as well as registered dieticians to provide women with guidance to address further needs via her diet — Genate seeks to provide women a comprehensive, evidence-based approach to nutrition tailored to their specific needs.”
Bridging nutritional gaps
According to SNP Therapeutics, prenatal nutrition has followed a standard approach, often overlooking individual nutritional needs without considering how genetic variations can influence nutrient metabolism.
The company’s genetic testing allows it to create personalized supplements based on individual health needs.
Moreover, it states that national dietary recommendations also fail to consider these genetic differences, leaving many women uncertain about their specific nutritional requirements during pregnancy.
“Precision nutrition approaches represent an opportunity to address sub-populations that can obtain significant health benefits from nutrition,” Piechotta explains. “SNP Therapeutics seeks to be on the forefront of the movement to address metabolic inefficiencies that have a progressive impact on health, by offering both genetic insights and nutritional interventions designed to address those inefficiencies.”
He highlights that the company’s team identified the significance and occurrence of the phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PEMT) gene variants. PEMT is the enzyme that transforms phosphatidylethanolamine into phosphatidylcholine within the liver.
These variants play a crucial role in a mother’s capacity to produce endogenous forms of choline, which are needed for supporting healthy pregnancies.
“By evaluating the genes addressing one carbon nutrient metabolism, including choline, betaine and methylfolate, an overall level of inefficiency can be determined,” Piechotta underscores. “A woman may need to supplement with downstream nutrients to address these metabolic pathway inefficiencies and address each area of inefficiency in these interdependent pathways to ensure enough nutrients are available for the baby’s development.”
Understanding the science
SNP Therapeutics says its Genate Prenatal Nutrition provides an evidence-based, genetics-informed approach to prenatal nutrition, ensuring that women receive a nutrition plan tailored to their unique genetic profile.
The Genate Test utilizes advanced machine learning algorithms to analyze 22 functional genes across 325 variants — known as single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) — in critical nutrient pathways for maternal health and fetal cognitive development. The test also evaluates SNPs in metabolic pathways of nine essential vitamins and minerals crucial during pregnancy.
The resultant Genate Report offers personalized nutrition recommendations, addressing the distinct metabolic needs of each client.
“Machine learning can identify the overall weight of impact for individual variant SNPs and their contribution to the overall efficiency of one carbon nutrient and fatty acid metabolism,” Piechotta reveals.
“Genate report recommendations for nutrient consumption are the result of supporting these five metabolic pathways with the appropriate nutrition to address the level of efficiency within and between these interdependent pathways.”
Women also have access to registered dieticians who can recommend personalized dietary plans.
Personalized supplements
The company’s Essential Prenatal Nutrition dietary supplement is the cornerstone of the Genate Prenatal Nutrition.
“Millennial and Gen Z Moms are much more receptive to genetic reports and the impact their body can have on their developing babies than generations prior to them,” says Piechotta. “Women want to do all they can to support the nutritional needs of their babies in the first 1000 days after conception.”
“By making this test and nutrition available, we seek to provide Mom with peace of mind that she is doing all she can.”
The supplement is allergen-free, gluten-free, vegan, formulated with 20 nutrients and includes nutrients critical for fetal cognitive development and probiotics for a healthy gut flora.
It offers 450 mg of choline, anhydrous betaine, methyl tetrahydrofolate and 425 mg of vegan docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in a small, easy-to-swallow capsule. Additionally, it provides 1800 mg of phosphatidylcholine to bridge the gaps in choline, folate and fatty acids.
Expert support
In addition to the nutrition products, Genate Prenatal Nutrition includes the services of registered dietitians. The company states that these professionals assist women in optimizing their prenatal nutrition with customized meal plans that consider genetic profiles and individual lifestyles and preferences.
“Dietician counseling is not currently mandatory with all purchases but is something that a great majority of our customers choose,” Piechotta concludes. “Genate offers this counseling service via a TeleHealth platform to support their desire to learn more about their body and how they can address their unique needs.”
“If mothers choose to make up for inefficiencies with their diets, counselors can help women to bring the right foods into their meal planning to support her needs.”
By William Bradford Nichols
