‘Personalising stuff that doesn’t matter’: the trouble with the Zoe nutrition app

The wellness project claims to help users make smarter food choices' based on world-leading science'. But many scientists claim its fee-based services are no better than generic advice

Your body is unique, so is the food you need." This is the central credo of personalised nutrition (PN), as professed by its leading UK advocate, the health science company Zoe. Since its launch in April 2022, 130,000 people have subscribed to the service - at one point it had a waiting list of 250,000 - which uses a pin prick blood test, stool sample and a wearable continuous glucose monitor (CGM) to suggest smarter food choices for your body".

Like other companies working in this space, Zoe has all the hallmarks of serious science. Its US equivalent Levels counts among its advisers many respected scientists, including Robert Lustig, famous for raising the alarm about the harms of refined carbohydrates such as sugar. Zoe is fronted by King's College London scientist Tim Spector and claims to be created with world-leading science".