The Study
Effects of a personalized nutrition program on cardiometabolic health: a randomized controlled trial
This study is like a fair race between two diets: one tailored to your body and one general advice. It found that the tailored diet helped people lower their blood fats and lose a little weight better than the regular advice. But it doesn't prove it's the best diet ever—just better than this one kind of advice in this group of people.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
This study tested a diet app that gives you custom food advice based on your blood sugar, fat levels, and gut bacteria — and compared it to regular USDA diet tips.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 580 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1These changes are modest but meaningful — even small drops in triglycerides and waist size lower heart disease risk, and better diet quality is linked to long-term health.
- 2People using the app lost 2.46 kg, reduced waist size by 2.35 cm, improved diet quality by 7 points, and lowered triglycerides by 0.21 mmol/L — all more than those following standard advice.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Nature Medicine
Year
2024
Authors
K. Bermingham, I. Linenberg, Lorenzo Polidori, F. Asnicar, Alberto Arrè, J. Wolf, Fatema Badri, Hannah Bernard, J. Capdevila, W. Bulsiewicz, C. Gardner, José M. Ordovás, R. Davies, G. Hadjigeorgiou, Wendy L Hall, L. Delahanty, Ana M. Valdes, N. Segata, T. Spector, Sarah E Berry
Related Content
Claims (6)
There is not enough clinical trial evidence to confirm that personalized nutrition apps work as intended.
Among healthy adults aged 41–70, a personalized nutrition plan tailored to individual blood sugar, fat response, gut bacteria, and health history lowered fasting triglycerides more than standard USDA dietary advice.
In adults aged 41 to 70, a personalized nutrition program over 18 weeks led to an average weight loss of 2.46 kilograms and a waist reduction of 2.35 centimeters, which was greater than the changes seen with standard USDA dietary advice.
Adults aged 41–70 who followed a personalized nutrition program improved their diet quality by 7.08 points on the Healthy Eating Index, while those who followed standard USDA advice showed no significant change.
Among adults aged 41–70, a personalized nutrition program changes the gut microbiome more than standard dietary advice, leading to higher levels of microbial species associated with better heart and metabolic health.
Adults aged 41–70 who closely followed a personalized nutrition plan had lower HbA1c levels and smaller waist circumferences than those who did not follow the plan closely.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.