The ability to connect,
synthesize, and apply information coherently using an integrated,
whole systems-based lens to nutrition care led to the
development of the Integrative and Functional Medical
Nutrition Therapy (IFMNT) Radial [1]. Recent updates to
the IFMNT Radial (referred to as the Radial) were based on
emerging data on nutritional science, systems biology medicine,
omics technologies, and the microbiome.

​

The Systems
sphere radiates from the core of the Radial and underscores
the imbalances that are created by poor diet, unhealthy lifestyle
behaviors, and environmental exposures such as chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, digestive and detoxification
disturbances, metabolic chaos, neuro-endocrine-immune
disruption, and nutritional depletion.

Personalized nutrition extends beyond these general principles
of healthy eating and targets the underlying root causes
of system imbalances, is specific to the individual’s unique
nutrient requirements, and is designed with biological compatibility
and lifestyle in mind [13]. It seeks to understand
how diet and lifestyle-related modulators act together and coconspire
to create the perfect storm of complex, chronic disease.

​Thus, consideration of
personal variables including sex, age, genetics, biomarkers,
lifestyle, and environmental factors must be taken into
account in tailoring a personalized nutrition prescription
[14].