Recent research suggests that traditional BMI may not provide an accurate assessment of metabolic health as it doesn't consider factors such as muscle mass, bone density, or fat distribution, leading to a misclassification of 30% of individuals with normal weight. To address this, experts recommend incorporating additional measures like body composition and waist circumference for a more comprehensive evaluation. Additionally, biological BMI, a multi-dimensional molecular measure of BMI based on blood measurements, is considered more accurate than traditional BMI and can identify individuals with disrupted metabolic health who are not currently monitored or treated. Combining biological BMI and traditional BMI measures could lead to more precise assessments and improved health outcomes.
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The convergence of systems science, big data, and patient-activated social networks is leading to the practice of predictive, preventive, personalized, and participatory (P4) Medicine. We believe that this approach will transform healthcare by decreasing costs, increasing healthcare quality, and promoting innovation in a new paradigm of medical practice.
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The New Science of Wellness media project has been created by Scientific American Custom Media for Phenome Health and is sponsored by Google Cloud. On November 8, 2022, this issue was launched in New York City and will be distributed globally in print and digital formats.
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As we reach the quarter point of the 21st Century, breakthroughs in science and technology are enabling the diagnosis of thousands of diseases from vials of blood. However, our healthcare systems are slow to integrate these advancements that have the potential to revolutionize the way medicine is practiced. While some of these technologies have yet to be clinically validated, the primary barrier for their integration into our healthcare systems is not scientific—it is economic. Here, we explore the potential economic impact and clinical benefits of integrating new technologies into standard clinical practice.
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Your Body Mass Index (BMI) is used frequently as a proxy for your health—but depending on your body type it can be misleading. For example, Arnold Schwarzenegger would have been classified as obese in his prime by BMI alone.
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Variation in the composition of your gut microbiome explains inter-individual variability in statin response, with a more diverse microbiome possibly interfering with statin on-target effects. The plasma metabolite HMG is a robust marker of both statin use and statin on-target effects, which also reflects known genetic variability in statin responses. HMG could be used in conjunction with LDL-cholesterol to evaluate statin effects
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Single-cell profiling technologies look at individual cells instead of cell populations, providing valuable insights into subpopulations that—while small—dominated metabolic trends. Metabolomic data can be used to stratify COVID-19 patients, supplying valuable data to physicians that could potentially inform treatment regimens. The observed disease classification could be fundamental characteristics of how the immune system responds to COVID-19 and thus could help guide the identification of therapeutic targets
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Our analysis shows significant interaction between plasma metabolites and cell-type-specific metabolic reprogramming networks, which is associated with disease severity—an important factor in predicting survival among patients.
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Our guts are full of resident microbes that make up our “gut microbiome”. The microbiome ecosystem plays a significant role in our health and likely impacts how well we age
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This study evaluated the blood of 10 cancer patients, compared to 69 controls from a longitudinal wellness study
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An important part of the Pioneer 100 study was profiling the gut microbiome of study participants. We know the importance of gut health in maintaining wellness and its impact on diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease and diabetes. Our gut ecology may also influence how we metabolize different foods, which can lead to personalized diets to maximize wellness.
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In this study, we developed an approach using risk scores for over fifty diseases using multi-omic profiling and by testing the blood plasma from thousands of mostly healthy individuals.
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Almost all of us have been impacted by cancer in some significant way. After a certain age, we've likely all had run-ins with this complex disease, either personally or through a family member or loved ones.
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Deep phenotyping–or the approach of integrating genomic data with human phenotypic data, such as clinical, physiological, multi-omic, behavioral, and imaging data–is a powerful tool for pregnant mothers to ensure their health over the nine months of pregnancy and beyond by predicting and preventing complications before they compromise the health of mom and baby.
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The rapid spread of COVID-19 changed the global health landscape in a matter of months. The scientific community responded to this complicated disease by initiating research to identify disease biomarkers or biological molecules found in blood and other body fluids that are signals of the disease. This research helps us know not only if someone has contracted COVID, but also its severity level: will the patient need to be hospitalized? Or put on a ventilator?
Read ArticleDid you know that your gut is its own complex, unique ecosystem? That’s right, your gut is home to billions of microorganisms and bacteria: the “gut microbiome.”
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You are one-of-a-kind. We all are. Each of us is a singular blend of genetic, lifestyle, and environmental characteristics, comprising a wellness profile that holds a wealth of valuable information for living a long, healthy life. We understand the importance of actively participating in our own wellness, but we also understand that there is more to wellness than just "diet and exercise" advice that everybody routinely hears from our doctors.
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Blood tells the unique, complex story of our own personal health and wellness. We have come to expect having it drawn and evaluated, and some of us cross our fingers that the all-familiar blood panel will come back showing normal levels of everything from cholesterol to white blood cell counts. But what does our blood really say about us?
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Have you ever heard "age is nothing but a number?" As it turns out, there is some truth to the saying. Traditionally, your biological age is treated as the most significant risk factor to your health, but age is more complex than how many times you've circled the sun. Here, we introduce you to the concept of biological age and the science behind it.
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This is our “proof of concept” study and resulting paper, which is at the very heart of Phenome Health. It outlines our holistic approach to P4 Medicine, or healthcare that is able to predict and prevent disease, and that is individually personalized, allowing for life-long participation in support of your overall wellness.
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