DNA-based personalized food choices to prevent Type 2 diabetes onset in test with Imperial College, London and Waitrose (UK)

Can DNA analysis and an app help prevent Type 2 diabetes onset in the pre-diabetic? The problem of preventing Type 2 diabetes in people determined to be pre-diabetic is multi-factorial, but one approach is diet to control 1) obesity and 2) improve glucose regulation. DnaNudge, which has developed a DNA analysis from a cheek swab, is being used in a clinical trial conducted by Imperial College London’s NIHR (National Institute for Health Research) Imperial Clinical Research Facility to determine whether DnaNudge’s scanner and app, used while shopping at Waitrose & Partners stores, can prevent the development of Type 2 diabetes in prone individuals.

To this Editor’s knowledge, this is the first time that personalized DNA testing and an app have been used in conjunction with retail food choices.

[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/MyDNA-Report-Sample.png” thumb_width=”125″ /][grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/product-feedback-recommended.png” thumb_width=”150″ /]How it works is that the individual’s DNA is analyzed first and then used to match what food choices are best for that person via a simple thumbs up or down indicator on the app. 

  • Using a sterile cotton swab, users sweep the inside of their cheek to capture a sample of saliva.
  • The swab is inserted in a processing cartridge plugged into the DnaNudgeBox, a small instant DNA analyzer
  • The analysis of specific genetic traits related to nutrition is completed in minutes and uploaded to the DnaNudge app on the smartphone via a wearable ‘capsule’, the DnaBand (left #1)
  • The wearer then can scan individual food items as that person shops, receiving the ‘thumbs up’ for good choices and ‘thumbs down’ for ones not so good, with alternatives suggested for the latter (left #2)

The 12-month clinical trial was launched last week, with Waitrose contacting customers in the North London area with information on how to take part. Professor Nick Oliver from Imperial College London, who is leading the clinical study at the NIHR Imperial Clinical Research Facility, stated in the release: “This key trial with DnaNudge allows us – for the very first time – to study in detail the outcomes of DNA-personalised food choices for pre-diabetic individuals, and to explore whether this type of accessible technology can deliver a proactive and sustainable solution to managing nutrition, and preventing the development of Type 2 diabetes in people at highest risk of this long-term condition.” It is not clear from the release whether there’s further information provided on the food choices or other education.

DnaNudge was co-founded by Regius Professor Professor of Engineering at Imperial College London Chris Toumazou and published geneticist and leukemia researcher Dr. Maria Karvela. Waitrose has staked out a healthy food position with the introduction of 100 Healthy Eating Specialists, shop floor specialists who direct customers who ask towards healthier choices. This tie-in is interesting, and if it works, this Editor can see it in use in a CVS-Aetna test or Walgreens, as both have edged into food retailing in many locations, albeit with not many apparent healthy choices, unless one considers Milky Ways fine food.