“The biggest benefit of nutrigenomics—the reason that people are so drawn to it—is because it’s truly personalized medicine. People want to know ‘what’s right for my body?'” says Ginger Hutlin, M.S., RDN, owner of ChampagneNutrition and author of Anti-Inflammatory Diet Meal Prep. “I want answers to what I need for my unique situation.”
For Lipman, nutrigenomics capability is “huge as it can help individualize what types of nutrients (whether in food or supplements) can help different people.” Admittedly, moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach, “nutrigenomics can help us target treatments to someone’s nutritional, genetic strengths and weaknesses,” he says.
Further, the application of nutrigenomics to human health paves the way to better understand the interaction between metabolic processes and environmental influences, in both disease and optimal health. This has significant implications for developing more targeted treatment strategies for clients and patients. “Whether they’re recalling health information more accurately, or having an increased awareness around how important diet and lifestyle changes are, nutrigenomics seems to pique client interest,” Hutlin says. “And the information they learn sticks with them when it’s combined with health counseling by a qualified, credentialed professional.”