An Experiment in Personalized Shopping for Optimal Health, with Integration of Nutrigenetics and Gut Microbiome Information

Background: An individual’s health status is determined by the interaction of genetic, environmental, social, and lifestyle variables. Nutrition plays a fundamental role in disease prevention, a notion widespread among the informed public, which is keen on participating in initiatives for personalized recommendations informed by advanced biological data. Objectives: To evaluate whether a personalized nutrition service can produce measurable changes in nutritional behavior and biological outcomes, we established the GENIE digital platform. This platform delivers personalized online food shopping and recipe recommendation informed by integrated data from (i) biochemical blood markers, (ii) nutrigenetic profiles, (iii) gut microbiota composition, and (iv) consumer preferences. Methods: We conducted a single-arm study in a Spanish cohort that used a specific online retailer for food shopping, totaling 1177 participants. Group 1 (n = 620) had recommendations based only on the biochemical blood test; Group 2 (n = 357) included the nutrigenetic test; and Group 3 had the gut microbiome test (first batch, n = 200; second batch, n = 97). After one month of informed, tailored dietary advice, a quantitative evaluation of the experience was conducted. Results: The GENIE platform led to strong engagement (mean session time 7.07 min; +154% e-commerce use), with 71% of participants following at least part of the recommendations. This was associated with an increase in microbiome diversity in about 70% of participants, after just one month of guided recommendations. Conclusions: The GENIE platform represents a pragmatic model for translating nutrigenetic and microbiome data into actionable dietary recommendations, bridging the gap between scientific evidence and consumer behavior.