ADVERTISEMENT Menu Weekly edition Search Subscribe Sign in You are what you eat: January 2035 What if everyone’s nutrition was personalised? How the mass adoption of personalised nutrition is changing people’s health—and the food industry. An imagined scenario from 2035 ADVERTISEMENT Jul 3rd 2021 edition What If? Jul 3rd 2021 DAVOS Editor’s note: This year What If?, our annual collection of scenarios, considers the future of health. Each of these stories is fiction, but grounded in historical fact, current speculation and real science. They do not present a unified narrative but are set in di ff erent possible futures “L et food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” The diktat from Hippocrates, who de fi ned the principles of medicine in ancient Greece, hovers in bright holographic characters over the main stage at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The central theme this year is how to make personalised nutrition more widely available to those unable to a ff ord its bene fi ts. Hot topics include whether metabo-watches, implants and other personal-nutrition trackers should be free for everyone (as they are now in some Nordic countries), why personalised nutrition is good for business and the perennial debate over how governments can best regulate corporate use of consumers’ personal data. Already signed up? Log in Get the whole world for half the Get the whole world for half the price price O ff er ends soon: enjoy 50% o ff an annual digital subscription View subscription options → Cancel at any time The app and economist.com—distinctively distilled analysis Digital newsletters—curated topical opinion Audio version & podcasts—immersive listening The digital archive—all our content since 1997 Webinars and conferences—intelligent debate and informed analysis Flagship franchises—The World in and 1843 magazine Give up to five free articles per month This website adheres to all nine of NewsGuard‘s standards of credibility and transparency. OR Continue reading this article Continue reading this article Register with an email address ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT SIMPLY SCIENCE The best of our journalism and analysis on science Delivered to you every Wednesday example@email.com Sign up More from What If? Freedom to tinker: October 2029 What if biohackers injected themselves with mRNA? The other epidemic: June 2025 What if America tackled its opioid crisis? A tale of two cities: June 2041 What if a deadly heatwave hit India? The Economist explains Why do so few cities want to host the Olympics How common is long covid? Why did the Olympics ditch their amateur-athlete requirement? Podcasts “Three degrees would be disastrous”—the ever more likely outcomes of global warming Uncertainty principles—the Delta variant and the end of economic stimulus “They have form in making small bets on things that end up being very successful”—Net fl ix’s next act 1843 magazine I don’t: my very modern marriage The Tokyo Olympics is on. Can you outrun the jargon? Going for bold: Olympic history in eight out fi ts Terms of Use Privacy Cookie Policy Manage Cookies Accessibility Modern Slavery Statement Do Not Sell My Personal Information Copyright © The Economist Newspaper Limited 2021 . All rights reserved. Subscribe Group subscriptions Reuse our content Help and contact us Keep updated Published since September 1843 to take part in “a severe contest between intelligence, which presses forward, and an unworthy, timid ignorance obstructing our progress.” The Economist About Advertise Press centre The Economist Group The Economist Group The Economist Intelligence Unit The Economist Events The Economist Store Careers Which MBA? GMAT Tutor GRE Tutor Executive Jobs Executive Education Navigator Executive Education: The New Global Order Executive Education: Business Writing