Personalized Prevention: Shaping the Future of Health in Europe

15 October 2026, European Parliament

Why should prevention treat us as if we were all the same? At the European Parliament in Brussels, we explored this question during the event “Personalized Prevention: Harnessing Science, Technology, and Smarter Nutrition for a Healthier Europe”, organised in partnership with SME Connect and hosted by MEP Kristian Vigenin.

Personalized prevention adapts health strategies to individual biology, lifestyles and needs. The discussion explored how scientific advances are improving our understanding of individual responses to food, and how artificial intelligence, wearable devices and digital technologies could translate these findings into practical health guidance.

The future of prevention should not be about controlling people’s lifestyles, but empowering individuals to make healthier choices.

For Europe, this represents an opportunity to improve public health while strengthening innovation, competitiveness, and individual autonomy.

Beyond nutrition, participants considered the role of portions, frequency, dietary variety, physical activity, sleep and everyday habits. The debate also addressed scientific validation, data privacy, accessibility and individual autonomy: essential conditions for helping people make informed choices and take greater control of their health.

Alongside Pietro Paganini, Chair & Curiosity Officer of Competere, the panel featured Dr. Frans Kok — Emeritus Professor of Nutrition & Health at Wageningen University — and Dr. Anayanci Masís-Vargas — nutrition specialist, physiologist and neuroscientist — as well as Horst Heitz, Chair of the Steering Committee of SME Connect, and Members of the European Parliament Kristian Vigenin and Brando Benifei.

Download the speakers’ bio

Discussion & Key Takeaways

People are not averages. Precision Nutrition offers opportunities to tailor dietary recommendations to individual biological characteristics, behaviors, and health conditions. General nutritional principles remain essential, but personalized approaches can complement them.
Health depends on lifestyle, not just nutrients. Precision Lifestyle expands the perspective beyond food to include physical activity, sleep, mental well-being, and social connections. Prevention must address the multiple factors influencing health.
Technology should empower, not control. AI, wearables, and digital health tools can support more informed decisions, provided they are scientifically validated, trustworthy, accessible, and respectful of individual freedom.

Pietro Paganini

Dr. Frans Kok

Dr. Anayanci Masís-Vargas