Genetic Determinants of Nutrient Processing
Emmanuel C. Opara, Sam Dagogo-Jack in Nutrition and Diabetes, 2019
To critically assess the role of genetics and nutrition, the field of nutritional genomics is aimed at understanding the components of both nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics and how these impact human health [76]. While both are interrelated, nutrigenetics assesses how genetic variation impacts the interaction between dietary components and the health and disease potential of an individual. Nutrigenomics assesses the effects of dietary components on the genome—the genetic material, proteome—the total set of expressed proteins, and metabolome—the biochemical fingerprint of the cell [77]. In 2008, the International Society of Nutrigenetics/Nutrigenomics was formed to increase the understanding through research on the role of genetic variation and dietary response and the role of nutrients in gene expression [78].
Searching for the Optimal Diet Which Is Best?
Mary J. Marian, Gerard E. Mullin in Integrating Nutrition Into Practice, 2017
A newly emerging concept in the search for the “holy grail” is nutritional genomics, the study of how foods affect our genes.23 Scientific investigation into the influence of nutrients upon gene expression commenced over 70 years ago. Food can influence genetic expression without altering the sequence of DNA by chromatin remodeling, DNA methylation, genomic imprinting, or RNA interference (RNAi).24 The human genome has changed little over the past 40–50,000 years but diet and morphology barely resemble our ancestors. In terms of the scientific advances in understanding the effects of nutritional genomics with the goal of creating personalized medicine—a diet that is designed to allow your genetics to be best expressed—there is still a tremendous amount of research needed.
The Concept of Nutritional Status and Its Measurement
James M. Rippe in Lifestyle Medicine, 2019
In summary, the predictive value of genetic tests and phenotypic markers is limited today, but it is improving rapidly. Direct-to-consumer blood and genetic tests require professional interpretation of the results to minimize the possible harms of misinformation and ensure that the implications of this sensitive personal information are properly understood. Giving very specific and rigorous dietary advice and recommendations based on inconclusive knowledge is harmful when it results in unnecessary restrictions in lifestyle or sows worry with only doubtful health effects. There is little evidence that medicalizing diet with elaborate food plans is effective; it promotes “healthism” and needless worries. A commentary on how to best measure dietary exposures for use in nutritional genomics explores some interesting other issues.133
Personalized Nutrition: Translating the Science of NutriGenomics Into Practice: Proceedings From the 2018 American College of Nutrition Meeting
Published in Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 2019
Okezie I Aruoma, Sharon Hausman-Cohen, Jessica Pizano, Michael A. Schmidt, Deanna M. Minich, Yael Joffe, Sebastian Brandhorst, Simon J. Evans, David M. Brady
Nutritional genomics is the study of the effects of foods and food constituents on gene expression. Nutritional genomics aims to develop a rational means to optimize nutrition through the identification of the person's genotype and this defines the relationship between nutrients and human health. Individuals cannot change their genetics, but they can eat the right foods to support genetic predispositions, take the right supplements to support gene variations, and promote normal cell function and structure. Indeed, poor diet can be a risk factor of disease. Given that dietary components can alter gene expression and that the degree to which diet influences health and disease depend upon an individuals genetic make up, the use of pharmacogenomics technologies should be well defined in order to fully embrace their potential application for diagnostic and prognostic purposes. There are many inroads ahead in this realization.
From Food for Survival to Food for Personalized Optimal Health: A Historical Perspective of How Food and Nutrition Gave Rise to Nutrigenomics
Published in Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 2019
Angelos K. Sikalidis
Nutrition has been transformed from covering the basic need for survival to the development of optimized personalized diets to yield maximal health. Nutritional genomics technologies are developing toward integration with databases of genomic sequences, interindividual genetic variability, and disease susceptibility. By this knowledge, elucidation of the role of nutrients on hypertension, cancer, CVD, diabetes, and other life-threatening diseases is sought. In a subsequent step, design of functional foods stemming from nutrigenomics research is possible to prevent or reduce onset and impact of complex diseases, such as T2DM, CVD, and quite possibly some forms of cancers. To what extent the promised contributions of nutrigenomics will be delivered remains debatable, with mixed results and no clear consensus. Whether food products can be tailored to promote the health and well-being of groups in the population identified on the basis of individual genomes is theoretically possible yet practically still unattainable. Complexity of genome–genome and genome–environment interactions, complexity of metabolic diseases, as well as population-wide genetic variation are issues that all pose significant challenges regarding the application and/or translation of nutrigenomics research. More research, especially translational research, is warranted, along with effective science communication through thoughtful public/official statements from experts to further advance the science of nutrigenomics in a responsible and beneficial towards the public manner.
Toward the Definition of Personalized Nutrition: A Proposal by The American Nutrition Association
Published in Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 2020
Corinne L. Bush, Jeffrey B. Blumberg, Ahmed El-Sohemy, Deanna M. Minich, Jóse M. Ordovás, Dana G. Reed, Victoria A. Yunez Behm
Nutritional genomics is a specific area of research exploring the interaction between genes, nutritional components, and health outcomes (43). Nutritional genomics research informs a broadening and deepening understanding of the interactions of genes, nutritional components, and health toward the application of personalized approaches, particularly within certain populations with similar traits (43). Many variants are being prioritized for future research of genotype-directed population-specific nutrition strategies.
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