The Nutrition for Precision Health (NPH) study has set out to answer a compelling question: Can a personalized diet improve health and help prevent chronic diseases? This national initiative, part of the National Institutes of Health’s All of Us program, is exploring how individual factors like genetics and lifestyle shape our responses to food.
The UNC Nutrition Research Institute’s expertise in precision nutrition made it an ideal study site for NPH. The program is split into three separate modules. The first two are active now at the NRI. In Module 1 of the study, participants follow their typical diet for 8-10 days while tracking their food intake and completing surveys. They use wearable technology and at-home data collection materials provided by the study. During this period, they go about their daily lives as usual while recording their dietary habits. They also visit our Clinical Research Core, where researchers collect physical measurements and biospecimens.
In Module 2, participants follow three distinct, color-coded diets while tracking their food intake and completing surveys. Researchers collect the same data as in Module 1 to observe how dietary variations impact health. In Module 2, each dietary plan lasts 14 days with a minimum two-week ‘washout period’ between plans in which the participants go back to their regular diets. These insights help develop tailored dietary guidelines that seek to meet individual needs.
“By considering an individual’s genetics, gut microbiome, and various lifestyle, biological, environmental, and social factors, we are working towards personalized dietary recommendations to enhance health and prevent disease,” says Deborah Tate, PhD, study Principal Investigator and Interim Director of the UNC Nutrition Research Institute.
METABOLIC KITCHEN
A key player in this effort is the NRI’s advanced metabolic kitchen. “This phase is exciting for the NRI in particular because we will utilize our state-of-the-art metabolic kitchen in a way we’ve never done before,” explains Julie Stegall, the NRI’s lead project manager on the study. This specialized facility is central to the study, producing scientifically precise meals that align with rigorous research standards. The metabolic kitchen has produced well over 5,000 meals, each dish reflecting a carefully planned dietary pattern—whether high in carbohydrates, rich in protein, or emphasizing fruits, vegetables, and whole grains—to support the study’s goal of understanding how different foods impact health. These meals are designed to help researchers understand how specific diets influence vital health markers like blood glucose levels and gut microbiota.
HEALTH RESEARCH FOR ALL
The NPH study stands out for its commitment to inclusivity. By recruiting participants from diverse backgrounds, including groups often underrepresented in biomedical research, the study ensures its findings benefit as many people as possible. Participants’ health data, including blood glucose, dietary habits, and physical activity, is carefully monitored to paint a comprehensive picture of how different bodies respond to food. Frannie Williams, a current study participant shared her experience, expressing her motivation for joining, “I participate in research so that generations beyond me will have more knowledge about their health journeys than I unfortunately had. We know research has not specifically been done on Black women in a large capacity and much of the information we receive health wise does not pertain to our own bodies. I want to be a part of changing that narrative and this is my stone in advocating for better healthcare for Black women.”
THE IMPACT OF NPH
The potential impact of Module 2 and the larger NPH study is immense. The study moves beyond generalized dietary guidelines to explore how individual differences in genetics, lifestyle, and biology influence responses to food. The goal is to create more effective, personalized nutrition recommendations that improve health outcomes for everyone.
By uncovering the unique factors that influence dietary responses, NPH aims to revolutionize how we think about food and health. At the NRI, we are proud to play a pivotal role in this transformative work, leveraging our scientists’ expertise and our state-of-the-art facilities to drive Nutrition for Precision Health forward.
Join the NPH Study!
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