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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2024 Apr 13.
Published in final edited form as: Annu Rev Nutr. 2023 Aug 21;43:385–407. doi: 10.1146/annurev-nutr-061021-025153

Table 1.

Proposed key terms to describe levels of nutrition guidancea

Term Target Definition Optimized Examples
Personalized Individuals Specific dietary recommendations provided on the person level, usually based on intrinsic host biology including genetic predisposition, microbiome, and immunological response, among others When genetic or other unique biological or physiological factors cause a differential need for consumption or avoidance of nutrients or food substances or foods/beverages based on host response Lactose intolerance; celiac disease; phenylketonuria; food allergies and intolerance; responders and nonresponders
Precision Population subgroups Specific tailored dietary recommendations that exist on a distribution of risk profiles or on the bases of growth, development, or life stage Risk profiles that predispose to end points that can be ameliorated or managed by diet among identifiable subgroups Sex, age, and life-stage groups; those at risk for type 2 diabetes
Public health Entire population Broad-based guidance to most in the population When most people react in similar and predictable ways and low risk of harm exists Fortification programs to prevent deficiency disorders; strong scientific agreement
a

These definitions put forth are not the first to try to describe the nuances of these terms, and our proposed list builds off the original work of others (14, 57, 62, 89).