Getting Personal in Health: Is it the way forward?

In the post-pandemic world, personalised healthcare has gained importance with citizens recognising the need for more effective patient outcomes based on their unique medical history.  Check out this insightful article by Sagarika Gnanaolivu from Scottish Enterprise, CONNECTINGHEALTH project partner, exploring the growing potential of personalised nutrition,

One size really doesn’t fit all. When engaging with stakeholders across the EU continent and beyond through the CONNECTINGHEALTH future workshops, the message is loud and clear one size doesn’t fit all with regard to health.  

In the post-pandemic world, personalised healthcare has gained importance with citizens recognising the need for more effective patient outcomes based on their unique medical history.  How a health condition manifests in one person could be very different to another and will require two different treatments for the best healthcare outcome 1. Personalisation of health covers nutrition, wellbeing, and genomics. It allows the individual to take control of their heath, connects patients and healthcare providers and allows patients to have their say about treatments. 

More recently, the CONNECTINGHEALTH project team have been exploring the potential of personalised nutrition to stimulate digital health innovation across Europe. 

The global personalised nutrition (PN) market is predicted to double in size from $8.2bn in 2020 to $16.4bn by 2025. 2

PN is “the provision of specific dietary information and products based on an individual’s nutritional needs. PN delivery may be through a system including apps, devices, tests and introducing foods that enable an individual to maintain optimal health and contribute to the prevention of non-communicable dietary related diseases.” (British Medical Journal) 

What is driving interest in personalised nutrition? 

• A move towards prevention and personalised healthcare – Consumers are increasingly looking towards improving their health using a preventative approach by adopting healthier diets and lifestyles that support their wellbeing. 
• A move towards digital – Advances in affordable wearable technologies offer opportunities for easier management and monitoring of health and wellbeing. 
• A move towards a world where people and planet converge – Consumers are increasingly concerned about how the choices they make affect the world. They’re increasingly shopping for products that match their beliefs and this includes their approach to food and what it can do for them. 
• A rapidly ageing population – Our ageing population is encouraging healthcare providers to review and revise how and where healthcare can be delivered. 
• Consumer empowerment – A more demanding and informed consumer is driving this opportunity and encouraging businesses to innovate in both products and services using PN as a positive response.

Personalised nutrition is all about prevention. Preventing the onset of chronic illness through improved nutrition. The upcoming CONNECTINGHEALTH report within the ‘Health for Wealth’ focus by Scottish Enterprise looks at the growing opportunity in personalised nutrition. Stay tuned for its release.

1  Morgan, Blake, 2021. The future of Healthcare Personalization. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/blakemorgan/2021/05/03/the-future-of-healthcare-personalization/

2 Statista, 2021. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1201697/personalized-nutrition-market-size-worldwide/?kw=&crmtag=adwords&gclid=CjwKCAjw44mlBhAQEiwAqP3eVtrzuoIswJkfais0z_JoNi1nzrWCUreesD1OsWOZzfIOYsIucOpGABoCrJEQAvD_BwE

Author:

Sagarika Gnanaolivu, Scottish Enterprise