Personalized dietary recommendations for weight loss
- 28.09.2021
- English Articles
- Christina Holzapfel
- Christine Dawczynski
- Andrea Henze
- Marie-Christine Simon
Peer-reviewed / Manuscript (original contribuation) received: April 16, 2020 / Revision accepted: September 28, 2020
A scientific perspective from various angles
Background
In recent years, the one size fits all approach to weight loss has come under increasing criticism both in society in general and among experts. It is an outdated approach. Personalized dietary recommendations are gaining ground. Both the lay community and experts are showing an increased interest in exploring various weight loss diets (such as reduced carbohydrate, reduced fat, or Mediterranean diets) and various guidance strategies (such as online, app-based, or face-to-face guidance). The need to explore the promising approach of personalized dietary recommendations is all the more pressing due to the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity.
We have a wide range of food products available, which affords us the opportunity to implement different types of diets and nutritional concepts. Plant-based diets are gaining more and more attention as an alternative to traditional diets, such as the omnivorous, healthy diet recommended by the German Nutrition Society called “Vollwertige Ernährung”. The spectrum of plant-based diets spans from flexitarians to ovo-lacto vegetarians to vegans who only eat foods derived from plants. In addition, the media frequently cover other diets, such as low-carbohydrate diets or the Paleolithic diet. Factors that play a role in the implementation of different diets in practice include the availability of foods, personal preferences and aversions, food intolerances and allergies, life circumstances and personal ideas about optimal health. Therefore, there is a need for development and validation of personalized recipes, consumption recommendations and product recommendations, as well as personalized dietary recommendations that are tailored to the individual’s preferences, health needs, metabolism, genetics and microbiome. ...
Abstract
Given that the metabolic response to meals differs from person to person and given that physiological mechanisms are of a complex nature, the need for tailored dietary recommendations is obvious. Furthermore, weight trajectories exhibit inter-individual variation even when individuals receive the same standardized energy-reduced diet. Personalized nutrition is currently very topical and it is an area that both patients and experts are increasingly focusing on. To date, there is no single, universally accepted definition of personalized nutrition. Various approaches that take genetics, microbiota, physiology and phenotype into account are currently being discussed and such approaches are also offered by some commercial providers as personalized nutritional concepts. Upon closer inspection of these personalized dietary recommendations with regard to scientific evidence and clinical relevance, it becomes clear that the personalized dietary recommendations that are primarily offered by companies are not evidence-based. Currently, it is not yet possible to provide personalized dietary recommendations based on factors such as a person’s genetic background or the composition of their microbiome. However, providing personalized dietary recommendations that take phenotypic characteristics such as age, gender, physical activity, health status and everyday life situation into account is a robust approach that is already being used by qualified nutrition experts and should continue to be used.
Keywords: personalized nutrition, genetics, microbiome, proteome, dietary behavior
