The Need
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) overweight and obesity are major risk factors for a number of chronic diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Most of the world's population lives in countries where overweight and obesity kill more people than underweight (this includes all high-income and most middle income countries). Overweight and obesity, as well as their related non-communicable diseases, are largely preventable. Supportive environments and communities are fundamental in shaping people’s choices, making the healthier choice of foods and regular physical activity the easiest choice (accessible, available and affordable), and therefore preventing obesity.
According to country estimates over 50% of both men and women in the WHO European Region are overweight, and roughly 23% of women and 20% of men are obese. Rising overweight and obesity are also linked to the rise in other non-communicable diseases related to diet and lifestyle.
Fortunately obesity and its related diseases are largely preventable. According to the WHO, diet and exercise are key to addressing these problems. This is a struggle for many European/global citizens. People struggle with properly planning meals, buying healthy foods, balancing nutrition, etc. It can be even more difficult for people with food allergies or health problems such as Diabetes as they don´t always know what they should eat or avoid eating, the correct portions, or ingredients etc. People often turn to diets to help them “eat healthy” and lose weight. However, personalized diets (via a nutritionist) are often expensive and restrictive, and fad diets are aimed at losing weight quickly rather than achieving a healthy and balanced diet. Additionally they are not meant for people who suffer from these diseases.
Recently the science of nutrigenetics has been uncovering the keys to the best ways to feed our bodies. Nutrigenetics is the science of the effect of genetic variation on dietary response and the role of nutrients and bioactive food compounds in gene expression, respectively . This science is helping us understand how to eat and exercise right on an individual level without the need for hard to follow diets.
At Líder Doctor we have been part of the scientific community studying the effects our genes have on our health. This research and our background in the medical research guided our development of a simple, innovative and inexpensive solution in the form of a mobile app to help individuals manage their diets simply and effectively in their daily lives. We adapt our diets to multiple pathologies and diseases and thanks to genetic studies we can use them to act from a preventive medicine point of view rather than simply treating/managing a disease that is already present.
Nutrigen seeks to provide prevention and treatment for individuals’ health, based on highly personalized nutrition plans and genetic adaptations via digital services with a focus on preventive medicine at the onset of the main pathologies of society. We have developed an artificial intelligence algorithm that provides personalized diet and nutrition recommendations in the form of personalised meal plans through our free app, Nutrigen Service.
Overall Objectives
The overall objective of the project is structured by several specific objectives that will centre Líder Doctor efforts into obtaining a new platform design, the enhancement of the new functionalities, integration of third parties functionalities, validation of the solution by end users and potential clients, obtaining partnership agreements; and implement commercial and communication activities in order to maximize the growth of the company.
