BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBMA) — The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is seeking participants for a groundbreaking nutrition study aimed at understanding individual variations in how our bodies respond to food, with the ultimate goal of tailoring diets to improve overall health and prevent chronic diseases.
Dr. Barbara Gower, a multiple principal investigator for the study, emphasized the critical role of nutrition in determining health outcomes in America. Despite its importance, current dietary recommendations are often generalized and do not account for individual biological differences.
The Nutrition for Precision Health study, conducted in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health, involves six clinical centers, including UAB. It seeks to unravel the complex interplay of factors such as age, genetics, lifestyle, health history, gut microbiome composition, and environmental conditions on an individual’s response to diet.
“This will be the first study in this country to try to collect the data that are needed to develop individual guidelines to optimize diets,” Dr. Gower explained.
The study aims to enroll 10,000 participants from diverse backgrounds, recognizing the need to move away from historic data predominantly based on white male populations.
Participants will engage in three modules:
Completing surveys, recording daily diets, and providing blood, urine, and stool samples for analysis.
Following researcher-selected diets.
Following researcher-selected diets while residing in a research center.
Dr. Gower anticipates that the data collected will revolutionize dietary recommendations by allowing for personalized approaches tailored to individual needs. She emphasized the potential for diet modification to mitigate genetic predispositions to diseases.
UAB’s target is to enroll 1,000 participants for the study, contributing to a landmark effort that could transform how we approach nutrition and health optimization.