Prakriti and its associations with metabolism, chronic diseases, and genotypes: Possibilities of new born screening and a lifetime of personalized prevention.

Abstract

Ayurveda is one of the oldest health sciences of the world with concepts of tridosha and prakriti being core philosophies. These core concepts allow implementation of ways for not only personalized medicine and treatment but also personalized prevention. In the light of modern or current science, evidence has surfaced connecting the concepts of tridosha and prakriti with metabolic pathways, chronic diseases, and various genotypes. Such evidence has thrown up insights about the universality of Ayurvedic concepts as well as their apparent association with concepts in current science. This review was undertaken to consolidate the evidence of such associations which exist between prakriti and metabolic systems, chronic diseases, and genotypes with the objective that a case can be made for drawing out the clear linkages that might exist for prakritis being distinct phenotypes representing certain genotypes. A corollary to such discoveries can be the possibility of newborns being screened for their prakriti by genetic testing, which will enable the prevention of various chronic diseases for such children via the implementation of various dietary, lifestyle, and habitual changes, as required, from an early age. This implementation of preventive practices from an early age may result in such children leading healthy, disease-free, more productive lives. Thus, eventually, this can be an opportunity to practice personalized preventive health, which is not a possibility in other systems of medicine especially western systems of medicine. Personalized preventive health is one step further than personalized medicine and is a very novel idea with far-reaching implications.