Prof. David Mutch, a nutritional biochemist in the Department of Human Health and Nutritional Science, was interviewed by The Scientist magazine about whether nutritional services promising scientifically tailored supplements or advice are scientifically sound.

Several new companies have emerged promising personalized nutrition, fitness, and lifestyle recommendations based on DNA tests, blood biomarker tests, and questionnaires.

Mutch said while he sees such companies as “paving the way for precision nutrition or personalized nutrition” — an area he sees as promising — the science to back it up is still not clear.

Even scientists like him working in the field would struggle to evaluate the evidence behind personalized nutrition companies’ products “because it’s really a bit of a black box,” he said

Mutch leads a nutrigenomics research program at U of G investigating how fatty acid and gene interactions contribute to the development of obesity and obesity-related complications.