The concept of Nudgeomics is it helping people through a unique, world-first DNA-based dietary App. The App has been developed by DnaNudge, a company associated with Imperial College London. The Founder of DnaNudge, Regius Professor Christofer Toumazou, is in collaboration with researchers at the Centre for Bio-Inspired Technology (CBIT) at Imperial College London. For more information on DnaNudge please click here.

The App, developed by researchers at both DnaNudge and CBIT, integrates Nudge Theory with DNA-based dietary guidelines to provide personalised food recommendations to individuals. It allows a person to scan food items whilst they are shopping and provides advice on whether the food product is suited to their personalised DNA-based dietary guidelines. It also provides alternative product recommendations that may be better suited to their DNA.

The concept is to create an environment where an individual is ‘nudged’ towards healthier lifestyle choices based on their DNA while still maintaining authority and responsibility over their decisions. For example, a genetic result indicating that a person is highly sensitive to sugar may lead to the individual choosing a packet of biscuits with a reduced sugar content as recommended by the App. However, it is up to the individual to choose whether they buy the recommended product.

To further understand the impact that Nudgeomics has on an individual’s health and lifestyle choices, a clinical trial is being conducted in 2018. The trial, called the ASPIRE-DNA clinical trial is the first research project of Nudgeomics. ASPIRE-DNA is investigating how combining DNA-based dietary guidelines could be effective in improving an individual’s metabolic health. If successful, this technology could be a low-cost, scalable preventative technique in mitigating the risk of type 2 diabetes in people with pre-diabetes.

For more information on the ASPIRE-DNA clinical trial, or to see if you are eligible to participate, please see ASPIRE-DNA Clinical Trial.

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Picture 2: The DNA-based dietary app can help to nudge you towards healthier options in the supermarket more suited to your DNA