Connecting precision nutrition with the Food is Medicine approach

Top Things to Know

FIM programs can be more effective when they incorporate precision nutrition, allowing for dietary interventions that are tailored to an individual's unique biological and lifestyle profile—moving beyond one-size-fits-all solutions.

AI and wearable technologies can support FIM by enabling real-time monitoring and personalized meal planning, making it easier to deliver the right nutrition to the right person at the right time.

For FIM to fully benefit from precision nutrition, healthcare professionals must be equipped with the knowledge and tools to understand and apply personalized nutrition strategies in clinical and community settings.

Summary of Conclusion/Findings

This study explores how integrating precision nutrition with the Food is Medicine (FIM) approach can enhance efforts to combat malnutrition and diet-related chronic diseases. It finds that while FIM programs like medically tailored meals (MTMs) and produce prescriptions improve food access and diet quality, they often fall short in improving clinical outcomes due to a lack of personalization. Precision nutrition, which tailors dietary recommendations based on individual biological, genetic, and lifestyle factors, can address this gap by optimizing health outcomes. The study highlights the role of artificial intelligence in analyzing complex data to predict individual responses to food and improve intervention design. It also emphasizes the need for better nutrition education among healthcare providers to effectively implement these strategies. Ultimately, the integration of precision nutrition into FIM programs could lead to more effective, equitable, and sustainable health interventions.