In an ideal world, everybody would get all the nutrients they need, in exactly the right doses, from delicious, locally sourced, organic foods. But let's be real. For the vast majority of the human race, that simply is not possible. We can’t all be like Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen, who have personal chefs that whip up swiss chard summer rolls and pineapple cucumber gazpacho whenever they want. So many of us get the nutrients we lack in our diet from multivitamins. Or at least we think we do. In reality it’s not that simple. First off, no two bodies and lifestyles are exactly alike. The vitamins your body needs and is capable of absorbing might be completely different from the vitamins someone else needs. Secondly, most of the nutrients and minerals in generic drugstore multivitamins don’t actually get into your system because of poorly designed delivery methods. That means most of them just get flushed out of your body and right down the toilet. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Thanks to modern science and a high-tech wellness startup called Rootine, now you can create personalized vitamins and nutrient supplements based on a comprehensive analysis of your DNA, lifestyle, and blood nutrient levels.
Intrigued? You should be. So let’s roll up our sleeves and talk science.
The Problem With One-Size-Fits-All Vitamins
The basic multivitamins you get at your local drugstore have two primary problems: it’s hard to actually get them into your system, and it’s almost impossible to tell if you’re getting the quantities your body actually needs.
The first problem is a result of the standard oral delivery method, which has intrinsically poor bioavailability. That means the vitamins are flushed out of your body before they can be absorbed into the bloodstream.
The second problem is a result of genetics. While the labels on all the vitamin bottles may list recommended daily values, the reality is your body may be genetically predisposed to over-absorb some vitamins and under-absorb others.
The good news is that Rootine has developed solutions to both of these problems. First, they created a slow-release microbead delivery system. These microbeads gradually get dissolved and absorbed over the course of 10+ hours so that not a single microgram of nutrition gets flushed down the toilet. Second, Rootine created a system that uses nutrigenetics and metabolomics to determine exactly what nutrients your body needs and is capable of absorbing.
Nutrigenetics is the study of how slight genetic variations affect the way your body absorbs and metabolizes nutrients. Metabolomics is the systematic identification and quantification of metabolites, which are the byproducts of metabolic processes in cells. By assessing levels of certain metabolites, we can get an idea of how the body processes specific nutrients.
Rootine uses a DNA Test to determine how your genetics impact nutrient absorption. This test analyzes over 50 single nucleotide polymorphisms that have been proven to impact nutrient absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and receptor function. If you want to take things a step further, Rootine can also use blood test results to analyze metabolites and determine how nutrients function in your body. This analysis can only be performed by a handful of labs around the world, and it reveals nutrient deficiencies that traditional blood testing misses.
Creating Your Personalized Vitamins With Rootine
While the science behind Rootine is pretty complicated, actually using their service is not. When you sign up, you start by taking a two-minute “lifestyle quiz.” Rootine then sends you an easy-to-use cheek swab DNA test. After you send it back, Rootine runs their tests, analyzes your samples, and creates a custom report with nutrient dose recommendations, all of which is shared via their secure online customer dashboard. Then they create daily personalized vitamins and ship a 90-day supply right to your door.
Rootine’s vitamin packs contain 18 nutrients that research has conclusively proven to be beneficial to humans. These include vitamin B12, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin D, folate, magnesium, zinc, calcium, iron, and many more.
No two bodies are exactly alike. And no two bodies have the exact same nutritional needs. So isn’t it time you ditched one-size-fits-all multivitamins? Sign up for Rootine, take their DNA test, and get a bespoke multivitamins regimen created specifically for you.
Futurism fans: To create this content, a non-editorial team worked with an affiliate partner. We may collect a small commission on items purchased through this page. This post does not necessarily reflect the views or the endorsement of the Futurism.com editorial staff.
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