More Nutrition Precision, Better Decisions for the Health of Our Nation

Nutritional science is evolving to an enhanced emphasis on recent scientific and technological advancements supporting a transition to precision nutrition as a strategy for disease prevention and management across populations. The complexity of chronic disease, which afflicts 6 in 10 adult Americans, is highlighted in the diet-disease relation where it is apparent that there is no one size fits all approach to disease management. Precision nutrition is the study of how individuals respond differently to food and nutrients, and it leads to personalized or classified, evidence-based guidelines that represent the best approach for fighting chronic disease. Enhanced resources are imperative as we transition to a precision nutrition approach that will transform agriculture and nutritional science to support positive health outcomes. Both the USDA and the NIH recognize the need to prioritize research and funding on precision nutrition. Increased federal investment in this realm is critical as we look ahead; it will help lower health care costs, while supporting individual health and quality of life.