Startup offers personalized diet plan based on blood samples, DNA
A company that launched in 2017 is trying to enter the crowded diet-plan marketplace by offering consumers something new: personalized recommendations based on blood tests and DNA.
The program from Habit, a startup out of Oakland, California, costs $299 and requires users to submit a DNA swab and three blood samples—one taken after an overnight fast, another 30 minutes after drinking a provided beverage and a third two hours later. The materials are then shipped to a toxicology lab in Nashville, Tennessee, where scientists test how the customers’ bodies process sugar, fats and carbs, according to an article in the Los Angeles Times.
The company also offers personal coaches and plans to roll out custom meal plans across the country this year.
“Diets have typically been one size fits all,” said Denise Morrison, CEO of Campbell Soup, which contributed the entire $32 million in funding for Habit. “Now we have science that can get us to a place where we can recommend a personalized eating system.”
Habit is currently conducting peer-reviewed studies of its system, according to founder and CEO Neil Grimmer.
Read the LA Times’ full story below:
Daniel joined TriMed’s Chicago editorial team in 2017 as a Cardiovascular Business writer. He previously worked as a writer for daily newspapers in North Dakota and Indiana.