Predictive, preventative and personalised healthcare is the way of the future, and a growing number of modern-day patients are healthy individuals striving to stay that way.
Today’s health professionals no longer treat only the sick, but serve as guides for the healthy to become even healthier.
Healthcare has become self-care
While anti-aging may previously have been a topical subject among mid-lifers, it has now become a widely recognised priority for young adults as well.
With the steady rise of biotechnology and a ‘hack-your-health’ mindset, it is far easier than ever before to take control over your own health.
Likewise, the digital era in which we find ourselves, has prompted the emergence of numerous health kits, enabling us to order and perform various health tests at home and to receive the results and recommendations via email or a mobile app.
This type of health tracking technology serves as a powerful motivator for self-improvement and also provides an accountability platform for behaviour change.
So, as the new year swings in, embrace its momentum and take your pick of personalised health solutions.
Consumer trends for 2025 include the following:
- Lifestyle genetic testing will elevate personal health awareness
The advancement of consumer genomics has made it possible to become informed of imbedded health risks before the symptoms of disease appear. This way, you can implement disease specific prevention tactics as a way of life, to counteract genetic predisposition.
- Methylation testing will provide deeper insights into physical and mental wellbeing
Methylation is one of the genetic pathways that has been attracting a lot of attention recently, as genetic methylation defects have been associated with various conditions including anxiety, depression, chronic fatigue, atherosclerosis, endometriosis, hormone-sensitive cancers and autoimmune diseases.
To explain this in a nutshell - when molecules of methyl groups attach to specific DNA variants, they can change the body’s ability to process toxins, fight infections, balance hormones, and repair cell damage.
Supplementation with methylated folate and Vitamin B12 can enhance this important biochemical process but is only necessary for individuals with high-risk DNA variants.
Although prophylactic multi-vitamin supplementation has been an acceptable general approach to good nutrition for years, the cost of good quality nutraceuticals makes them far easier to swallow when taken for a specific reason. Therefore, single nutrient supplementation and DNA-driven prescription is largely taking over.
Personalised insights regarding methylation efficiency and customised supplement advice can be achieved through a once-off genetic test at any stage of life.
- Inflammation index testing will reveal the omega 3:6 ratio in your body
These results provide an inflammatory rating of your current diet, a reflection on the efficacy of your current omega supplements, and an indication of further anti-inflammatory intervention required.
- Pharmacogenomic testing will identify the best drug choice for your genetic makeup
The entire landscape of pharmaceutical intervention has changed. Patients can now determine their personal drug-compatibility with far greater accuracy than trial and error under the educated guesswork of doctors and psychiatrists.
A PharmaGene Pharmacogenomics Test will identify which drugs are both suitable and unsuitable for your body, according to your genetic ability to metabolise them.
- A customised gut microbiome reset will optimise the microbial diversity in your gut
A Viome Gut Microbiome Test can determine which microbes are lacking or overabundant in your gut microbiome. This insight can be used to tailor food and supplement prescriptions to manipulate the growth of specific microbes and achieve optimal microbial balance.
- Chrononutrition will be the subject of much debate
This buzz word encapsulates how the timing of food intake can affect different metabolic processes in the body. In other words, no matter which foods you choose to exclude, meal timing may be the key to weight management and sustained energy.
While various forms of fasting have shown popular uptake, it seems that the pendulum may swing back to favour breakfast, as a low GI meal in the morning improves long-term glucose homeostasis.1
However, if the implementation of a fasting window is your preferred method of achieving dietary moderation, experimentation with skipping dinner instead of breakfast may prove to be the better approach.2
- Wearable biotech will track more than ever before.
Today’s fitness trackers can do far more than count you steps. Biohacking has extended to emotional fitness, and your personal device can even facilitate a guided relaxation practice.
As AI assisted technology continues to bridge the gap between medical expertise and individual know-how, you can literally manage many aspects of your health at home. However, as health tracking devices are not necessarily developed for clinical purposes, the marketing of such products often grow at a much faster pace than their scientific validation studies.
This serves as a reminder that although we must certainly embrace the upside of the technology boom, we should also be aware of its limitations and at the same time invest in the advice of trained health professionals.
In summary, digital health tools will give you a boost towards better wellbeing, but they should never replace your doctor’s advice or override how you actually feel.
At Next Biosciences we invest in technology solutions to positively impact people’s health and we source evidence-based biotechnology to support health professionals.
Stay tuned to our social pages @next_biosciences and @nextbio_longevityhealth for more trends and updates.
References:
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28490511/
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9010393/