A prominent trend currently driving the nutrition industry is the concept of “personalized nutrition,” or “condition-specific nutrition.” This idea acknowledges there are various “nutritional types.”

For example, some people prefer sweet over savory treats, and vice-versa, starting as early as childhood; this preference rarely changes over the course of someone’s lifetime.

On a more specific level, of course, there are various food intolerances that may be caused, at least in part, by genetics, leading to food avoidances and to “condition-specific nutrition.”

As a side note, it is worth mentioning at this point that, from a regulatory perspective, in Europe, foods are not and cannot be medicines. Therefore, “condition” in this context is not disease-related. “Tired” may be a fitting condition, or “stressed,” or “menopausal,” or even “vegan.”

PARNUT
Dietetic foods comprise one category that, by definition, caters to condition-specific nutritional needs. Also called Foodstuffs for PARticular NUTritional uses, this category is currently regulated in Europe via Directive 2009/39/EC (to be repealed by EU 609/2013 as of July 2016, Food for Specific Groups).

The products in this category are intended for infants, but also for patients who, due to their diseases, experience difficulty with the uptake of normal foods in one way or another. This includes classical sip-feed nutrition, but also foods enriched with specific nutrients to supply deficiencies caused by impaired food uptake.

As of July 2016, metabolic disorders such as gluten or lactose intolerance, and claims relating to those conditions, will be regulated solely by the labeling directives.

“Specific groups,” for the purposes of this category, are also infants and young children, overweight and obese people. Dosage forms can vary widely, from supplement-like capsules to pulverized meal replacement products and even protein/energy bars.

Foods for diabetics, incidentally, were removed from this category a few years ago, as there is no scientific need for special foods for type 2 diabetics anymore.

Medical Foods & Supplements
“Medical” foods have a clear advantage over regular foods in that they can clearly state the special condition of the persons they are intended for on their labels, even if the condition in question is a disease. Foods, however, cannot make references to diseases at all.

As their name states, food supplements are intended to supplement the normal diet by offering specific nutrients in a concentrated form that may be missing from the diet for whatever reason. Classic ingredients include, of course, vitamins and minerals.

A trend occurring in this market is giving consumers the opportunity to build tailor-made supplement packages based on their individual needs. These “building block supplements” are packages of various supplements that are either offered as is, or can even be assembled individually with online help on the company’s website.

Nutritional needs due to certain conditions almost always involve deficiencies. Having brittle bones with advancing age is often due to a lack of vitamin D, which causes problems regarding the uptake of calcium. Thus, supplements targeting the elderly or menopausal women usually include vitamin D and calcium.

Another typical condition-specific type of dietary supplement targets women. Science has acknowledged that men and women differ on many levels beyond the obvious, including their nutritional needs. Pregnant and lactating women, in turn, have different needs than young or menopausal women. Specific dietary supplements are targeting all of these “conditions.”

Functional & Minus Foods
Functional foods are foods that are fortified with vitamins/minerals or other substances, giving them functionality. They lend themselves very well to condition-specific nutrition, as they conform to the requirement for “natural” products many consumers are adopting, at least more than dietary supplements do.

Popular examples include milk products fortified with calcium and vitamin D, and fruit juices fortified with vitamins.

As opposed to fortified products, “minus” products, or “free-from” products play a large role in condition-specific nutrition. Gluten-free, lactose-free and sugar-free are all claims that are very much in demand. They cater to people with food intolerances, as well as overweight and obese consumers.

Even foods that are not functional—in that they are not fortified or minus products—can be positioned toward condition-specific nutrition. Many foods are naturally functional due to their components.

If these components naturally contain vitamins or minerals, and if analysis shows these substances are present in levels that meet a health claim’s condition of use, then it is possible to use that health claim.

When developing a new product concept, be it a food supplement, a medical food, or a functional food, manufacturers may want to evaluate the opportunities afforded by condition-specific nutrition.

Experienced consultancies such as analyze & realize can advise on the regulatory background required for making health claims.

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Joerg Gruenwald
analyze & realize ag

Dr. Joerg Gruenwald is co-founder of analyze & realize GmbH, a specialized business consulting company and CRO in the fields of nutraceuticals, dietary supplements, herbals and functional food, and author of the PDR for Herbal Medicines. He can be reached at analyze & realize GmbH, Waldseeweg 6, 13467 Berlin, Germany; +49-30-40008100; E-mail: jgruenwald@a-r.com; Website: www.analyze-realize.com.