The company calls the plan its 3Care BioSystems Program, and the plan pares the practitioner-patient nutritional interaction down to just three products, a high protein shake to be taken in the morning, an omega-3 supplement, and an additional targeted nutraceutical based on individual patient needs.
The program is administered via a basic software program. 3Care, based in Costa Mesa, CA, says the program’s simplicity makes it both easy for practictioners to incorporate, and easy for patients to follow, enhancing compliance. The software application also steers participants toward more of a Mediterranean style of meal plan.
Growth of personalized nutrition
Personalized nutrition has been one of the ways in which companies have sought to encourage customers' allegiance to their products as well as success in using them. But it is backed by science, according to experts in the field.
"We found there are so many pandemic diseases, like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, all of this related to the food. In most cases the pharmaceuticals are not working for that. So there is a tremendous opportunity in this area to developed personalized nutrition for personalized food," said Dilip Ghosh, PhD, the founder and director of Sydney, Australia-based consultancy NutriConnect. Ghosh said the personalized nutrition sphere is being driven by strong science results, building upon the information delivered by the publication of the Human Genome Project data in 2004.
“People want to supplement, but they want to customize their nutrition and that’s what I think is driving functional foods and beverages, and practitioners are now getting in on that," said Jeff Hilton, chief marketing officer and co-founder of BrandHive, a Salt Lake City-based marketing and brand development firm.
“Certain types of testing that will identify certain types of imbalances that supplements can address. This is opening up a whole new area of what we call ‘assess and address’ for practitioners, and that is exciting.”
Based on macronutrient function
3Care says the program is designed to take advantage of current science about macronutrients and their effect on major hormonal signaling in the body. The program aims to target the macro-biological systems that impact overall health by tailoring nutritional inputs with an eye to how these affect gene expression.
The patient answers a short questionnaire to assess their needs and health challenges. Most patients participating in the program will leave the office with just three products to take, including 3Care’s high proteim, low glycemic breakfast meal supplement called MacroCare, which the company says aims to control the macro-signaling associated with satiety and the reduction of overall caloric intake. The shake is based on whey plrotein, and includes a full suite of vitamins and minerals, most at 100% of RDA. That is paired with an omega 3 supplement that is meant to support cellular function and a targeted nutracuetical, based in part on answers from the questionnaire.
The company says the cost to patients is about $110 a month, which it says is partly offset by lower costs for breakfast food.
“The beauty of this program lies in its simplicity and clinical soundness,” said Doug Gaynor, president of 3Care Therapeutics. “After twenty-three years of observing the challenges for both patient and practitioners, it became clear that we needed a more streamlined approach, encompassing both ease of use and how the treatment platforms themselves can more efficiently address major health challenges. This new approach can be accomplished by combining powerful nutritional protocols which address macro-cellular signaling with simplified software administration. Together, they create an easier point of entry and increase the odds of compliance. The result is better health outcomes for patients and a healthy nutrition practice.”
3Care was founded on its omega 3 expertise. It sources its fish oil in Peru and Chile, and the refined omega 3 oils are produced by a partner in Norway. In addition to lower concentration omega 3 products, the company offers a ‘prescription strength’ omega 3 product with 1840 mg of EPA and 1520 mg of DHA. The company also offers an omega 3-6-9 product, a blended krill/squid/fish omega 3 product as well as other nutraceutical formulas addressing cardiovascular health, men’s and women’s health and a probiotic supplement.