Personalized Lifestyle Intervention and Functional Evaluation Health Outcomes SurvEy: Presentation of the LIFEHOUSE Study Using N-of-One Tent-Umbrella-Bucket Design

Precision prevention in occupational health: a conceptual analysis and development of a unified understanding and an integrative framework

Introduction

Precision prevention implements highly precise, tailored health interventions for individuals by directly addressing personal and environmental determinants of health. However, precision prevention does not yet appear to be fully established in occupational health. There are numerous understandings and conceptual approaches, but these have not yet been systematically presented or synthesized. Therefore, this conceptual analysis aims to propose a unified understanding and develop an integrative conceptual framework for precision prevention in occupational health.

Methods

Firstly, to systematically present definitions and frameworks of precision prevention in occupational health, six international databases were searched for studies published between January 2010 and January 2024 that used the term precision prevention or its synonyms in the context of occupational health. Secondly, a qualitative content analysis was conducted to analyze the existing definitions and propose a unified understanding. Thirdly, based on the identified frameworks, a multi-stage exploratory development process was applied to develop and propose an integrative conceptual framework for precision prevention in occupational health.

Results

After screening 3,681 articles, 154 publications were reviewed, wherein 29 definitions of precision prevention and 64 different frameworks were found, which can be summarized in eight higher-order categories. The qualitative content analysis revealed seven themes and illustrated many different wordings. The proposed unified understanding of precision prevention in occupational health takes up the identified themes. It includes, among other things, a contrast to a "one-size-fits-all approach" with a risk- and resource-oriented data collection and innovative data analytics with profiling to provide and improve tailored interventions. The developed and proposed integrative conceptual framework comprises three overarching stages: (1) data generation, (2) data management lifecycle and (3) interventions (development, implementation and adaptation).

Discussion

Although there are already numerous studies on precision prevention in occupational health, this conceptual analysis offers, for the first time, a proposal for a unified understanding and an integrative conceptual framework. However, the proposed unified understanding and the developed integrative conceptual framework should only be seen as an initial proposal that should be critically discussed and further developed to expand and strengthen both research on precision prevention in occupational health and its practical application in the workplace.

LIFEHOUSE’s Functional Nutrition Examination (Physical Exam, Anthropometrics, and Selected Biomarkers) Informs Personalized Wellness Interventions

Each individual has a unique and interacting set of genetic, lifestyle, and environmental factors that are reflected in their physical exam and laboratory biomarkers and significantly impact their experience of health. Patterns of nutrient deficiency signs and biomarker levels below health-promoting thresholds have been identified in national nutrition surveys. However, identifying these patterns remains a challenge in clinical medicine for many reasons, including clinician training and education, clinical time restraints, and the belief that these signs are both rare and recognizable only in cases of severe nutritional deficiencies. With an increased interest in prevention and limited resources for comprehensive diagnostic evaluations, a functional nutrition evaluation may augment patient-centered screening evaluations and personalized wellness programs. During LIFEHOUSE, we have documented physical exam, anthropometric, and biomarker findings that may increase the recognition of these wellness-challenging patterns in a population of 369 adult employees working in two occupational areas: administrative/sales and manufacturing/warehouse. Distinct and significant physical exam differences and constellations of biomarker abnormalities were identified. We present these patterns of physical exam findings, anthropometrics, and advanced biomarkers to assist clinicians in diagnostic and therapeutic interventions that may stem the loss of function that precedes the development of the non-communicable chronic diseases of aging.

Exploring human biology with N-of-1 clinical trials

Studies on humans that exploit contemporary data-intensive, high-throughput 'omic' assay technologies, such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics, have unequivocally revealed that humans differ greatly at the molecular level. These differences, which are compounded by each individual's distinct behavioral and environmental exposures, impact individual responses to health interventions such as diet and drugs. Questions about the best way to tailor health interventions to individuals based on their nuanced genomic, physiologic, behavioral, etc. profiles have motivated the current emphasis on 'precision' medicine. This review's purpose is to describe how the design and execution of N-of-1 (or personalized) multivariate clinical trials can advance the field. Such trials focus on individual responses to health interventions from a whole-person perspective, leverage emerging health monitoring technologies, and can be used to address the most relevant questions in the precision medicine era. This includes how to validate biomarkers that may indicate appropriate activity of an intervention as well as how to identify likely beneficial interventions for an individual. We also argue that multivariate N-of-1 and aggregated N-of-1 trials are ideal vehicles for advancing biomedical and translational science in the precision medicine era since the insights gained from them can not only shed light on how to treat or prevent diseases generally, but also provide insight into how to provide real-time care to the very individuals who are seeking attention for their health concerns in the first place.

A Sedentary and Unhealthy Lifestyle Fuels Chronic Disease Progression by Changing Interstitial Cell Behaviour: A Network Analysis

Managing chronic diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, chronic lung disease and Alzheimer’s disease, account for a large proportion of health care spending, yet they remain in the top causes of premature mortality and are preventable. It is currently accepted that an unhealthy lifestyle fosters a state of chronic low-grade inflammation that is linked to chronic disease progression. Although this is known to be related to inflammatory cytokines, how an unhealthy lifestyle causes cytokine release and how that in turn leads to chronic disease progression are not well known. This article presents a theory that an unhealthy lifestyle fosters chronic disease by changing interstitial cell behavior and is supported by a six-level hierarchical network analysis. The top three networks include the macroenvironment, social and cultural factors, and lifestyle itself. The fourth network includes the immune, autonomic and neuroendocrine systems and how they interact with lifestyle factors and with each other. The fifth network identifies the effects these systems have on the microenvironment and two types of interstitial cells: macrophages and fibroblasts. Depending on their behaviour, these cells can either help maintain and restore normal function or foster chronic disease progression. When macrophages and fibroblasts dysregulate, it leads to chronic low-grade inflammation, fibrosis, and eventually damage to parenchymal (organ-specific) cells. The sixth network considers how macrophages change phenotype. Thus, a pathway is identified through this hierarchical network to reveal how external factors and lifestyle affect interstitial cell behaviour. This theory can be tested and it needs to be tested because, if correct, it has profound implications. Not only does this theory explain how chronic low-grade inflammation causes chronic disease progression, it also provides insight into salutogenesis, or the process by which health is maintained and restored. Understanding low-grade inflammation as a stalled healing process offers a new strategy for chronic disease management. Rather than treating each chronic disease separately by a focus on parenchymal pathology, a salutogenic strategy of optimizing interstitial health could prevent and mitigate multiple chronic diseases simultaneously.

Diffusion of a Lifelog-Based Digital Healthcare Platform for Future Precision Medicine: Data Provision and Verification Study

We propose a method for data provision, validation, and service expansion for the spread of a lifelog-based digital healthcare platform. The platform is an operational cloud-based platform, implemented in 2020, that has launched a tool that can validate and de-identify personal information in a data acquisition system dedicated to a center. The data acquired by the platform can be processed into products of statistical analysis and artificial intelligence (AI)-based deep learning modules. Application programming interfaces (APIs) have been developed to open data and can be linked in a programmatic manner. As a standardized policy, a series of procedures were performed from data collection to external sharing. The proposed platform collected 321.42 GB of data for 146 types of data. The reliability and consistency of the data were evaluated by an information system audit institution, with a defects ratio of approximately 0.03%. We presented definitions and examples of APIs developed in 17 functional units for data opening. In addition, the suitability of the de-identification tool was confirmed by evaluating the reduced risk of re-identification using quasi-identifiers. We presented specific methods for data verification, personal information de-identification, and service provision to ensure the sustainability of future digital healthcare platforms for precision medicine. The platform can contribute to the diffusion of the platform by linking data with external organizations and research environments in safe zones based on data reliability.

Functional Medicine Past, Present, and Future

Embedded within the Functional Medicine model is the potential for reversibility of altered function. This perspective is inherently different from the Mendelian concept of genetics, which is grounded in the construct of dominate and recessive genetic characteristics. Mendel's work was obviously groundbreaking, but it has also contributed to a deterministic mindset about disease. Many people-even today-believe that health and disease are locked into the genes of every individual. Modern genomic research continues to reveal that the concept of genetic determinism can be (and should be) challenged. The functional interaction of our lifestyle, diet, environment, behavior, and social structure with our genome and epigenome greatly determines our health outcomes. It has been discovered that our aging epigenome can even be rejuvenated. The epigenomic structure is also a powerful predictor of disease outcome and life expectancy. As our understanding of genetic and epigenetic expression patterns grows, the implications for personalized Functional Medicine intervention programs are truly revolutionary.

Individualized Biological Age as a Predictor of Disease: Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES) Cohort

Chronological age (CA) predicts health status but its impact on health varies with anthropometry, socioeconomic status (SES), and lifestyle behaviors. Biological age (BA) is, therefore, considered a more precise predictor of health status. We aimed to develop a BA prediction model from self-assessed risk factors and validate it as an indicator for predicting the risk of chronic disease. A total of 101,980 healthy participants from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study were included in this study. BA was computed based on body measurements, SES, lifestyle behaviors, and presence of comorbidities using elastic net regression analysis. The effects of BA on diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension (HT), combination of DM and HT, and chronic kidney disease were analyzed using Cox proportional hazards regression. A younger BA was associated with a lower risk of DM (HR = 0.63, 95% CI: 0.55-0.72), hypertension (HR = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.68-0.81), and combination of DM and HT (HR = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.47-0.91). The largest risk of disease was seen in those with a BA higher than their CA. A consistent association was also observed within the 5-year follow-up. BA, therefore, is an effective tool for detecting high-risk groups and preventing further risk of chronic diseases through individual and population-level interventions.

Genetic Biomarkers of Metabolic Detoxification for Personalized Lifestyle Medicine

Metabolic detoxification (detox)—or biotransformation—is a physiological function that removes toxic substances from our body. Genetic variability and dietary factors may affect the function of detox enzymes, thus impacting the body’s sensitivity to toxic substances of endogenous and exogenous origin. From a genetic perspective, most of the current knowledge relies on observational studies in humans or experimental models in vivo and in vitro, with very limited proof of causality and clinical value. This review provides health practitioners with a list of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located within genes involved in Phase I and Phase II detoxification reactions, for which evidence of clinical utility does exist. We have selected these SNPs based on their association with interindividual variability of detox metabolism in response to certain nutrients in the context of human clinical trials. In order to facilitate clinical interpretation and usage of these SNPs, we provide, for each of them, a strength of evidence score based on recent guidelines for genotype-based dietary advice. We also present the association of these SNPs with functional biomarkers of detox metabolism in a pragmatic clinical trial, the LIFEHOUSE study.