ZOE, the UK personalised nutrition company, has reported that 83 percent of a group of its app users lost weight over 12 to 15 weeks, at an average of 3 kg each. The figures come from an analysis by ZOE scientists and researchers at King's College London of a subset of data from the company's PREDICT studies, covering 5,048 people who were overweight or living with obesity at the start, 80 percent of them female, with a mean age of 59. About 34 percent lost 5 percent or more of their body weight, the threshold researchers usually treat as clinically meaningful. Among the 2,200 participants who reached a ZOE diet score of 70 or more, average loss was 3.6 kg and 42 percent lost at least 5 percent of body weight. The results were released to media on 27 and 28 August 2026, and the coverage does not name a peer-reviewed journal.
Why the design matters
This is an observational analysis of paying customers run by the company that sells the product, with weights self-reported by participants and no comparison group following different advice. That design cannot separate the effect of personalised food scores from the effect of tracking, paying and being watched. "You don't need to count a single calorie to lose weight," said Dr Federica Amati, ZOE's head nutritionist. Sarah Berry, ZOE's chief scientist, said those "who followed their personalised advice most closely also saw the greatest weight loss," which is an association within an unblinded group of self-selected users rather than a tested comparison.
What this means for your health spending
ZOE's randomised trial, published in Nature Medicine in May 2024, is the stronger evidence and it was narrower: 347 participants over 18 weeks, with a significant reduction in triglycerides but no significant difference in LDL cholesterol against controls. Nicola Guess of the University of Oxford argued at the time that the trial compared "the Zoe program, with all its support, self-monitoring, education and other bells and whistles" against "a leaflet on generic healthy eating advice and a few emails". None of this says personalised nutrition does not work. It says a press release about app users is not the same class of evidence as a trial, which is worth knowing before any subscription goes on the household budget alongside Perqen's membership pricing and everything else.
How Perqen members save
Membership at Perqen is 4.99 pounds a month or 29.99 pounds a year, and it unlocks member pricing across all 1,393 products; guests can still buy at standard prices. The FAQs set out how member pricing is calculated.
This article reports published news and research and is for information only. Food supplements are not a substitute for a varied diet or medical care, and no product mentioned is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Speak to your GP or pharmacist before changing what you take, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking prescribed medicines.
Sources
- Personalized nutrition promotes weight loss without counting calories - News-Medical
- Personalized Nutrition: 80% Shed Weight Without Counting - Mirage News
- Zoe hails personalized nutrition trial success, results come under scrutiny - NutraIngredients
- Effects of a personalized nutrition program on cardiometabolic health: a randomized controlled trial - Nature Medicine