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José M. Ordovás, PhD, is Professor of Nutrition and a Senior Scientist at the USDA-Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts where he also is the Director of the Precision Nutrition Directive. In addition, he is Professor of Genetics and Pharmacology at the School of Biomedical Sciences and Leader of the Nutritional Genomics and Epigenomics Group at IMDEA Food in Madrid, Spain. After receiving his PhD in biochemistry at the University of Zaragoza in Spain, Dr. Ordovas completed postdoctoral work at MIT, Harvard, and Tufts University. His primary research interests focus on the genetic and epigenetic factors predisposing to age-related chronic diseases (i.e., cardiovascular disease, obesity, and diabetes) and their interaction with environmental and behavioral factors with particular emphasis on diet. He is considered one of the most distinguished world experts in gene-diet interactions pertaining to cardiometabolic traits. Dr Ordovas has published over 900 scientific articles in peer review journals. He has a h-index >130 and has trained over 60 scientists in his laboratory. Throughout his career, Dr. Ordovas received multiple honors for his scientific achievements. Dr. Ordovas has been a member of the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academies and the FDA National Toxicology Center Advisory Committee, and he currently serves on multiple national and international steering committees, scientific peer review committees, advisory and editorial boards.

Obesity, a global public health challenge, is influenced by various factors including genetics, diet, and lifestyle. Precision nutrition, which tailors dietary recommendations to individual needs, is gaining attention for its potential to tackle obesity. This talk will address the emerging importance of precision chrononutrition – the timing of nutrition intake based on circadian rhythms, seasonal effects, and life stages. To provide a comprehensive understanding of current knowledge in precision chrononutrition, highlight its implications for obesity and associated disorders, and underscore research gaps warranting further exploration. We will review established literature on chrononutrition and its effects on obesity, focusing on circadian disruptions, especially among the elderly population. The presentation will also consider the impact of seasonal variances and life stages on metabolic outcomes. Current evidence suggests that chrononutrition, when personalized to an individual’s genetic makeup, circadian rhythms, and life stage, can optimize metabolic functions and potentially mitigate obesity risk. Chronodysruption, especially among the elderly, exacerbates metabolic disorders, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions in this demographic. Beyond traditional gene-diet interactions, recognizing broader determinants of health such as socioeconomic and mental well-being factors is crucial. Addressing these in tandem with chrononutrition can offer a more holistic approach to managing obesity. Precision chrononutrition offers a promising avenue for obesity management. Future research should expand beyond traditional perspectives, incorporating wider health determinants to provide comprehensive and effective solutions.

Dr. Leanne Redman is a Professor of Clinical Sciences and an Associate Executive Director at Pennington Biomedical Research Center. Redman is a leading authority on obesity and metabolism and has published more than 200 research papers on these topics as well as nutrition and exercise. She has won national awards in recognition of her mentoring and is the 2023 recipient of The Obesity Society Taking off Pounds Sensibly award for her work in maternal obesity. Late in 2021, Redman led a team of scientists from Pennington Biomedical and LSU Health Sciences Center to develop a clinical center on Precision Nutrition. The grant was awarded and Redman has led the national Nutrition for Precision Health consortium as the Steering Committee Co-Chair. A $170M initiative of the National Institutes of Health, the Nutrition for Precision Health research study powered by All of Us is designed to develop algorithms that predict individual responses to foods and dietary patterns.

Nutrition is at the epicenter of human health and disease. However, our current “one size fits all” approach to clinical nutrition is failing a large segment of the population. Individual factors including genetics, metabolism, physiology, microbiome, behavior, the built and contextual environment all underlie the inherent variability in response to diets. Exciting new research shows that machine learning algorithms can integrate this complex information and predict how someone responds to a given diet. If validated, this innovative approach will provide a radical change in the delivery of personalized nutrition prescriptions to promote health and treat chronic diseases in all people. The goal of the Nutrition for Precision Health (NPH) research study is to study a large and diverse group of American adults and to use machine learning and artificial intelligence models to understand the individual responses to foods and dietary patterns. NPH is the first ancillary study of the All of Us Research Program. The consortium was formed January 2022 and plans to enroll approximately 10,000 participants into the NPH study. Using a discovery science approach study participants will enroll in either one or two modules; Module 1: a cross-sectional study to characterize daily dietary intake and accompanying nutritional status, biological and other measures over 10 days, as well as physiological responses following a liquid mixed meal tolerance test; Module 2 a crossover randomized study of three 14-day dietary interventions implemented in a community dwelling setting; Module 3 a crossover randomized study of the same three dietary interventions as in Module 2, implemented in a domiciled setting. Participants in these three Modules will contribute simultaneous, multimodal measurements (e.g., dietary assessment, anthropometric, physiological, behavioral, social, and contextual measurements) carefully selected for their relevance to understanding responses to foods, including nutrients, food components, and dietary patterns. The rich set of data and biospecimens will be used to inform paradigm shifting approaches that enable large-scale delivery of personalized dietary prescriptions to promote general health, delay cardiometabolic diseases, and importantly address health disparities.

Dr. Eric Ravussin is a Boyd Professor at Louisiana State University. He received his PhD in human physiology at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland.  Dr. Ravussin is an internationally recognized translational investigator in obesity and diabetes research. His research now focuses on the molecular basis of obesity and its co-morbidities. His studies are aimed at understanding the molecular mechanisms that determine the inter-individual variability in energy expenditure, fat oxidation and energy balance in response to caloric restriction, increased or decreased physical activity, overfeeding or physiological conditions such as puberty, pregnancy, or menopause as well as pharmacological treatment. His latest research is in the field of aging with an emphasis on the impact of caloric restriction on human biomarkers of aging and longevity. Dr. Ravussin has published more than 700 peer reviewed manuscripts in the field of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and aging. He has an h index of >115 and has mentored more than 60 postdoctoral fellows. Dr. Ravussin has been the recipient of multiple awards and just ended his 10-y commitment as Editor in Chief of Obesity since 2012.

Nutrition for Precision Health (NPH) is the first ancillary study of the All of Us Research Program. We plan to enroll approximately 10,000 participants into the NPH study. NPH is discovery science research involving modular components, including:

■ Module 1 is a cross-sectional study of approximately 10,000 individuals enrolled in the All of Us Research Program to characterize their daily dietary intake and accompanying nutritional status, biological and other measures measured over approximately 8 to 14 days, as well as physiological responses following a liquid mixed meal tolerance test.

■ Module 2 is a crossover design randomized study of three dietary interventions implemented in a community dwelling setting. This module will enroll approximately 1,500 individuals who have completed Module 1. Participants will undergo three controlled dietary interventions provided for 14-days each, in a sequence determined by cohort randomization, and separated by washout periods. Physiological responses following a diet-specific mixed meal tolerance test will be measured.

■ Module 3 is a crossover design randomized study of the same three dietary interventions as in Module 2, implemented in a domiciled setting. This module will enroll approximately 500 individuals who have completed Module 1. Participation in Modules 2 and 3 will be mutually exclusive. Module 3 participants will be studied in residence and will undergo the three 14-day dietary interventions (as in Module 2), in a sequence determined by cohort randomization, with washout periods of at least 14 days. Physiological responses following a liquid mixed meal tolerance test and a diet-specific mixed meal tolerance test (on separate days) will be measured.

Within these modules, NPH will evaluate the use of novel dietary assessment measures to improve dietary assessments and to prescribe assessments to people in future research with increased precision.

Dr. Saroja Voruganti, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Nutrition and Associate Director for Clinical Research services in Nutrition Research Institute (NRI) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She earned her Ph.D. in Nutrition from The University of Texas at Austin in 2005. She did her post-doctoral training in genetic epidemiology at Texas Biomedical Research Institute. Dr. Voruganti joined the faculty at NRI and Department of Nutrition at UNC Chapel Hill in 2013 and was promoted to Associate Professor in October 2019. Her research focuses on identifying genetic susceptibility to diseases such as obesity, diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases, effect of genetic variation on nutrient metabolism and the effect of nutrients on gene expression related to these diseases. She has extensively investigated the interplay between nutritional and genetic factors influencing disease risk in ethnically diverse populations, especially underrepresented populations such as Mexican American, American Indian, Alaska Native, Parsi Zoroastrian and Hispanic populations.

Nutrition for Precision Health (NPH) study is a NIH Common Fund’s program powered by All Of Us Research Program. whose overall goal is to understand the variation in responses to various diets and the underlying role of genetics, epigenetics, microbiome and metabolism in this variation. The NPH study will generate vast amounts of metabolic and clinical data and results, and thus, recognizes that participants are key to the success of the study, and they have a long-term relationship with participants who are partners in these studies. This presentation will provide an overview of the value of returning general and individual results to participants, the risks and benefits of research results, and the role of increased community and continued participant engagement in a research study cycle.