AGTC Genomics Chief Dietitian Samantha Wong Highlights the Future of Personalized Nutrition
Nutrigenomics, nutriepigenomics and polygenic risk scores are transforming nutrition and dietetics towards more personalized, preventive and evidence-informed care
KUALA LUMPUR — Samantha Wong, Chief Dietitian at AGTC Genomics, recently shared her experience and insights on the rapidly evolving fields of nutrigenomics, nutriepigenomics and precision nutrition at the Entrepreneurial Leadership Forum: “Scaling Innovation for a One Health Future.”
During the forum, Samantha highlighted how advances in genomic science are changing the way dietitians understand individual responses to food, nutrients and lifestyle — moving nutrition practice beyond broad population recommendations towards strategies that are increasingly tailored to a person’s biology, health risks and environment.
At the heart of this transformation is a simple but important principle: people do not respond to the same food or dietary intervention in exactly the same way.
Genetic variation can influence nutrient metabolism, appetite regulation, lipid and glucose responses, caffeine metabolism, vitamin utilization and susceptibility to diet-related conditions. At the same time, diet and lifestyle can influence how genes are regulated through epigenetic mechanisms.
According to Samantha, this is creating an important opportunity for nutrition and dietetics to evolve from a predominantly generalized approach towards precision nutrition.
From Nutrigenomics to Nutriepigenomics
Samantha explained that nutrigenomics examines how genetic differences influence an individual’s response to nutrients and dietary patterns.
Nutriepigenomics, on the other hand, explores how nutrition and lifestyle can influence gene regulation through epigenetic mechanisms.
Together, these fields provide a more complete understanding of the relationship between:
genetics + nutrition + lifestyle + environment + health
This changes the question from simply:
“What is a healthy diet?” to “What should we prioritize for this particular individual based on their biology and health risks?”
Polygenic Risk Scores Are Changing Nutrition Practice
One of the key developments highlighted by Samantha was the increasing use of polygenic risk scores, or PRS.
Many common chronic diseases are not caused by a single gene. Instead, they result from the combined influence of hundreds or thousands of genetic variants, each contributing a small amount of risk.
PRS models integrate these genetic signals to estimate an individual’s inherited predisposition to conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidaemia and cardiovascular disease.
For nutrition and dietetics, this represents a significant development.
Traditional nutritional assessment remains essential and includes factors such as body composition, blood pressure, glucose levels, lipid profile, medical history, dietary habits and lifestyle.
However, PRS can add an additional layer of information by helping identify underlying genetic susceptibility before disease becomes clinically apparent.
This allows dietitians to potentially intervene earlier and focus attention on the areas where an individual may have greater long-term risk.
“Genetics tells us about predisposition, not destiny,” Samantha said. “The value is in combining genetic information with biomarkers, diet, lifestyle and clinical assessment so that we can help individuals make better health decisions earlier.”
From Trial-and-Error to Data-Guided Nutrition
Samantha also highlighted how precision nutrition can help move dietetics towards a more data-guided approach.
Instead of relying solely on generalized dietary advice, personalized nutrition can increasingly integrate:
genomics + polygenic risk + biomarkers + body composition + microbiome + lifestyle + dietary behaviour + epigenetic information
For example, someone with a higher inherited predisposition to insulin resistance may benefit from earlier and more focused attention to glucose control, body composition and carbohydrate quality.
An individual with greater genetic susceptibility to dyslipidaemia or cardiovascular disease may require greater emphasis on dietary fat quality, fibre intake, weight management and cardiometabolic monitoring.
The objective is not to create a rigid “DNA diet”, but to use additional biological information to help dietitians decide what matters most for each individual.
Helping Individuals Stay Healthy for Longer
Personalized nutrition is particularly relevant to preventive health.
Instead of waiting until obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease or other metabolic conditions become established, genomic and metabolic information may help identify areas of vulnerability earlier.
This can support more focused interventions around:
weight and body composition;
glucose metabolism;
cardiovascular and cholesterol risk;
nutrient metabolism;
inflammation;
healthy ageing; and
long-term disease prevention.
Samantha emphasized that the potential of personalized nutrition is therefore not simply about treating disease, but about helping individuals understand their biological risks and take action earlier to maintain health.
Why Precision Nutrition Matters to One Health
Samantha also linked the discussion to the broader One Health concept.
One Health recognizes that human health, food systems, animal health and environmental health are interconnected.
Nutrition sits directly at the centre of this relationship.
The foods people consume are influenced by agriculture, food production systems, food availability, environmental sustainability and culture. In turn, dietary patterns strongly influence chronic disease risk, population health and healthcare burden.
Personalized nutrition adds another dimension by allowing dietary recommendations to become more relevant to the individual while still considering broader food and environmental systems.
By supporting healthier individuals and potentially reducing preventable chronic disease, precision nutrition can contribute to healthier communities and more sustainable healthcare systems.
The Dietitian’s Role Is Becoming More Important
Samantha emphasized that genomic technologies are not intended to replace dietitians.
Instead, they make professional interpretation even more important.
A genomic report alone cannot tell an individual exactly what to eat.
Meaningful nutrition advice still requires consideration of:
clinical history, laboratory findings, body composition, dietary habits, cultural preferences, lifestyle and personal health goals.
This places the modern dietitian increasingly at the intersection of nutrition science, genomics, metabolic medicine, behavioural health and preventive care.
“Precision nutrition is not about replacing clinical judgement with an algorithm,” Samantha said. “It is about giving dietitians more information so that recommendations can become more relevant, practical and individualized.”
Towards the Next Generation of Dietetics
For Samantha, nutrigenomics, nutriepigenomics and PRS represent an important evolution in modern dietetics.
The goal is not to develop a “perfect diet” based solely on DNA.
It is to help dietitians and individuals answer a more meaningful question:
“Based on this person’s biology, lifestyle and health risks, what should we focus on today to help them stay healthier for longer?”
That shift — from generalized nutritional advice towards personalized, preventive and evidence-informed nutrition — may become one of the most important changes in the future of dietetics and precision health.
About AGTC Genomics
AGTC Genomics is a Malaysian precision genomics and molecular diagnostics company focused on translating advanced genomic technologies into clinically meaningful applications. Its capabilities span precision oncology, inherited disease, pharmacogenomics, nutrigenomics, epigenomics, microbiome analysis, infectious disease genomics and personalized health, supported by next-generation sequencing, molecular diagnostics and advanced bioinformatics.
Within personalized nutrition, AGTC Genomics is developing an integrated approach that combines genomic information with metabolic, lifestyle and other biological data to help healthcare professionals better understand individual health risks and guide more personalized preventive strategies. The company believes the future of precision health will increasingly involve the integration of genomics, epigenomics, microbiome science, biomarkers and clinical expertise, rather than relying on any single test in isolation.
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