With the rapid nutrition and lifestyle transition in the past few decades, the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers has increased worldwide, especially in China, which now holds the largest obese and type 2 diabetic populations in the world. Compelling evidence shows that NCDs are largely preventable, but there is no sign that the prevalence of major NCDs and associated morbidities and mortalities will decline considerably in the near future. Although unhealthy diet and sedentary lifestyle are known to be the major drivers for cardiometabolic diseases, different genetic susceptibility and varied phenotypes have been show to play a role between ethnic groups and also between individuals. Precision health and precision nutrition involve emphasizing prevention with targeted diet and lifestyle modifications for stratified populations/individuals have attracted increasing attention with the adaptation of advanced omics technologies in big cohorts and in intervention trials. By using a holistic approach and integrating traditional methods with systems epidemiology (genome, epigenome, transcriptome, proteome, metabolome, and microbiome), we have the opportunity to learn about underlying mechanisms of human health. This approach will allow us to develop proper nutrition recommendations and preventive strategies for controlling NCDs, which will ultimately improve human health and quality of life.  

This conference of Precision Health and Precision Nutrition is co-organized by the Basic Nutrition Research for the Chinese Nutrition Society, the Key Laboratory of Nutrition and Metabolism, the Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences in the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), which is the leading national research organization in life sciences and nutrition metabolism in China. The conference will provide cutting-edge knowledge about state-of-art technology involving precision health and nutrition and will create a unique opportunity for scientific exchange and collaboration for scholars from inside and outside of China. The conference will be led by approximately 30 world renowned experts from Oxford University, Harvard University, Cornell University, Vanderbilt University, as well as from Beijing University, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiaotong University and the CAS.