“Science as the Northern Star”: American Nutrition Association formed to harness personalized nutrition

28 Nov 2019 --- In a bid to harness personalized nutrition to curb poor diets in the US, five nutrition organizations have come together to form the American Nutrition Association (ANA). The participating groups are American College of Nutrition, Board for Certification of Nutrition Specialists, Center for Nutrition Advocacy, Accreditation Council for Nutrition Professional Education and American Nutrition Association Foundation. With over half of US consumers suffering from chronic disease, ANA hopes to address this at its root of poor nutrition.

“We now have a deep body of science underscoring the impact of nutrition as the single most powerful and modifiable determinant of our health,” says ANA Board Chair Jeffrey Blumberg. “Genetics represents only a very small portion of the risk for chronic disease, while the overwhelming majority of the risk comes from modifiable actions we take every day. Personalized nutrition interventions hold the potential to have a profound impact.”

Personalized nutrition is a field that leverages human individuality to drive nutrition strategies that prevent, manage and treat diseases and optimize health. AMA argues that it is the most important lever for preventing and reversing chronic illness and obesity since poor nutrition poses a greater threat than tobacco, inactivity or any other risk factor.

Michael Stroka, CEO of the American Nutrition Association, notes that as a unified professional association, the ANA addresses the chronic disease crisis by equipping health professionals with the science and practice of personalized nutrition. The “nutrition gap” is also profound, with Stroka explaining that “relative to its power, we vastly underutilize nutrition in our health system and culture. One key reason is that most health professionals are untrained in nutrition science and practice.”

A recent Lancet study also concluded that a lack of nutritional training in medical studies results in physicians missing out on possibilities to provide patients with comprehensive counseling on nutrition and dietary behavior. 

Personalized nutrition is on the rise and moving beyond tailored diets.“Our group of forward-thinking nutrition scientists, health professionals and thought leaders realized that a comprehensive solution was required, targeting each root of the nutrition gap. Therefore, our organizations made a historic decision to unite. As one unified voice, we have a powerful platform to educate, certify, advocate and connect, to champion personalized nutrition,” adds Corinne Bush, Board Director of the ANA. “What especially excites me is that we are deeply steeped in science, not tied to a specific ideology. Science is our North Star.”

Personalization for the masses? 
Personalized nutrition is on the rise and moving beyond tailored diets as technology expands to allow people’s healthcare to be as unique as they are. DSM has recognized this and is strengthening its personalized nutrition pillar accordingly. Most recently, this was through the acquisition of digital health platform AVA, which provides artificial intelligence-powered nutritional coaching and recommendations.

The digestive space is particularly keen on personalized nutrition, with a collaboration between Seed Health and Atmo Biosciences to see an ingestible gas-sensing capsule technology monitor key gases produced within the gut in real-time. Additionally, FoodMarble is partnering with Carbiotix to examine whether breath hydrogen can be used as a non-invasive, real-time measure of changes in microbiome composition. 

However, the President of Nutrigenomix recently told NutritionInsight that barriers remain in bringing personalized nutrition to the masses. His company offers genetic tests for general health as well as for athletic performance and fertility. 

Edited by Katherine Durrell