A Medilink East Midlands business headed by pharmacist and specialist in nutritional medicine, Michael Wakeman, is celebrating victory in the prestigious International Nutraingredients award for an on-line personalised nutrition initiative www.vitmedics.com, which also coincides with the publication of its’ book -Medicated malnourishment. The initiative is the culmination of his research carried out to complete a PhD and especially examines the effects that medications can have upon our nutritional health and wellness.
“Not many healthcare professionals – myself included until I researched the topic – are aware that many commonly used medicines can impact and deplete our bodies of many vitamins and minerals essential to good health. Of the top 20 medications prescribed in England each year, around 90% affect our body’s nutrient levels in some way via a host of different means by altering, for example, absorption, processing and elimination” Michael explained “Hence, because many people living beyond their 50’s and 60s might well be taking multiple medications, this may mean decades of usage of drugs affecting nutritional status. This can ultimately result in issues that might typically impact upon immune, or bone and nerve function, which could be mitigated by optimising nutritional status” he added.
Michael has amassed a database of over 4000 instances where medications available in the UK can impact upon the body’s vitamin and mineral status and has put together this information in an interactive database for use by healthcare professionals to help them better understand which micronutrients should be recommended alongside any medicine in order to optimise dietary needs. The database collects relevant data about life stage, lifestyle, diet and medication and accrues any negative impacts in a cumulative way using a sophisticated algorithm Michael has developed.
These findings are now also widely accessible to everyone for free via a new personalised nutrition service at www.vitmedics.com. The website delivers easy to follow recommendations about how to rectify any deficits through diet and if necessary, with a personalised supplement prescription. Moreover, users of the site can directly access and review any of the scientific data used to reach any advice provided, offering a degree of transparency to information sources.
Commenting on the launch of his www.vitmedics.com service, Michael Wakeman notes: “We are all at different stages in life and have varying lifestyles so it makes sense that nutritional advice should also be more bespoke based on specific needs and requirements. That is why I decided to develop VitMedics and it is powered by a very smart, science-backed algorithm – the VitCheck Assessment tool – which is driven by the very latest thinking on vitamins and minerals borne out of my book – Medicated Malnourishment as well as research papers I’ve had published in scientific journals.
“Recommendations about what you should eat always come first, but where sufficient nutrients for whatever reason cannot be obtained from the diet, a VitMedics supplement prescription delivers the very best nutrition, personalised to the user. What makes Vitmedics totally different from any other “personalised nutritional” assessment is the ability not only to assess the effects of a person’s life stage, but also their lifestyle and dietary intakes to deliver a recommendation. The additional ability to also assess the cumulative impact of multiple medications provides a much more comprehensive overview of an individual’s vitamin and mineral status. Plus, the fact that users can validate any recommendation made by directly accessing the published scientific literature means advice is evidence-based and totally transparent.”
In selecting www.vitmedics submission for the personalised nutrition award ahead of industry heavyweights such as the food giant Danone, the Nutraingredients expert judges “commended the clever and pragmatic approach of the initiative, and strong evidence to meet consumer needs”. And Dr Campbell Murdoch-NHS England and Royal College of General Practitioners, Clinical Adviser commented on the science research behind the platform “That’s excellent Mike. Congratulations, a really important paper”
A delighted Mike reported “We launched Vitmedics.com in the UK only a month ago, and already it has won a prestigious international personalised nutrition award, and also since we’ve been shortlisted for a UK industry equivalent-Food Matters Live. We’ve also had significant positive interest from consumers and healthcare professionals, as well as leading players in the international pharmacy and supplement sectors and the response from journalists, has been amazing, generating pages of coverage in the National press”.
“However, the great versatility of the vitcheck database is that it can be adapted to fit onto any commercial offering. So, for example any supplement vendor can plug Vitcheck into their platform, and we can work with them regarding personalised recommendations from their product portfolio. Hence, any third-party player can use Vitcheck to enhance their presence in the field of personalised nutrition. And because of the transparent evidence-based content, it is also a persuasive tool for healthcare professional engagement” he added.
So, if you would like to know more about vitmedics or the unique vitcheck algorithm that underpins it, please contact mike@vitmedics.com
This article was written by Medilink EM Member, VitMedics.