The “Virtual Digital Twins” Concept in Precision Nutrition

Abstract

Nutritional and lifestyle changes remain at the core of healthy aging and disease prevention. Accumulating evidence underscores the impact of genetic, metabolic, and host gut microbial factors on individual responses to nutrients, paving the way for the stratification of nutritional guidelines. However, technological advances that incorporate biological, nutritional, lifestyle, and health data at an unprecedented scale and depth conceptualize a future where preventative dietary interventions will exceed stratification and will be highly individualized. We herein discuss how genetic information combined with longitudinal metabolomic, immune, behavioral, and gut microbial parameters, and bioclinical variables could define a digital replica of oneself, a “virtual digital twin,” which could serve to guide nutrition in a personalized manner. Such a model may revolutionize the management of obesity and its comorbidities, and provide a pillar for healthy aging.

Dietary Management of Obesity: A Review of the Evidence

“…The hereditary nature of this disease as well as the gene-environment interactions explain the wide variation that exists in individuals’ responses to similar environmental and internal cues, and their susceptibility to develop obesity. The role of heredity in the etiology of obesity is estimated to be in range of 40–70%, and while genome wide association studies (GWAS) have identified more than 800 genetic loci associated with obesity, most BMI variability remains unexplained [ 22 , 23 ]. The missing heritability is thought to be partly covered by epigenetic interactions whereby a number of environmental factors such as dietary intake, toxins and pollutants, may induce epigenetic changes such as DNA methylation, histone modifications and non-coding RNAs, that can remain stable and passed on to future generations, further highlighting the complexity of the interplay between external and internal determinants of obesity [ 24 ].…”

Genetically-Guided Medical Nutrition Therapy in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Pre-diabetes: A Series of n-of-1 Superiority Trials

“…Approximately 70 years ago, Williams (53) was the first to envisage personalized nutritional recommendations that take into account "genetic patterns" and suggested that patients are "far from standardized specimens." Although this concept remained dormant for several decades, the potential of precision nutrition in health and disease management is nowadays increasingly recognized (11,13,14,54) and corroborated by several observational studies linking dietary outcomes to genetic variants (55)(56)(57)(58)(59). Along these lines, results from the Diabetes Prevention Program have suggested that, although a standardized intensive lifestyle intervention reduces DM risk (60), its efficacy varies across individuals (61), and is determined by genetic factors (62).…”

A New Paradigm for Clinical Nutrition Services in the Era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution

“…It has a similar meaning to precision nutrition, individualized nutrition, and nutritional genomics [ 35 ]. ICT technology is one of the technical means for a tailored nutritional access, and it is possible to build a personalized nutrition platform by collecting and integrating personal information (genetic trait, metabolism, environment) [ 36 ]. Furthermore, if a clinical dietitian adopts this technique and uses it as a tool to evaluate NCP, it will be possible to provide accurate and reliable personalized nutrition through a more standardized NCP as shown in Figure 2 [ 37 ].…”