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<p><strong>Nutrigenomics</strong> is the study of molecular relationships between <font color="#002bb8">nutrition</font> and the response of <font color="#002bb8">genes</font>, with the aim of extrapolating how such subtle changes can affect <font color="#002bb8">human health</font>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-0"><font color="#002bb8"><span>[</span>1<span>]</span></font></sup> Nutrigenomics focuses on the effect of nutrients on the <font color="#5a3696">genome</font>, <font color="#002bb8">proteome</font>, and <font color="#002bb8">metabolome</font>. By determining the mechanism of the effects of <font color="#002bb8">nutrients</font> or the effects of a nutritional regime, Nutrigenomics tries to define the <font color="#002bb8">relationship</font> between these specific nutrients and specific nutrient regimes (diets) on human health. Nutrigenomics has been associated with the idea of personalized nutrition based on genotype. While there is hope that nutrigenomics will ultimately enable such personalised dietary advice, it is a science still in its infancy and its contribution to <font color="#002bb8">public health</font> over the next decade is thought to be minor.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-muller_1-0"><font color="#002bb8"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></font></sup></p>
+
<p><font color="#000000"><strong>Nutrigenomics</strong> is the study of molecular relationships between nutrition and the response of genes, with the aim of extrapolating how such subtle changes can affect human health.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-0"><span>[</span>1<span>]</span></sup> Nutrigenomics focuses on the effect of nutrients on the genome, proteome, and metabolome. By determining the mechanism of the effects of nutrients or the effects of a nutritional regime, Nutrigenomics tries to define the relationship between these specific nutrients and specific nutrient regimes (diets) on human health. Nutrigenomics has been associated with the idea of personalized nutrition based on genotype. While there is hope that nutrigenomics will ultimately enable such personalised dietary advice, it is a science still in its infancy and its contribution to public health over the next decade is thought to be minor.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-muller_1-0"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></sup></font></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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<p><font color="#000000">&nbsp;</font></p>
<h2><span class="mw-headline">Definitions</span></h2>
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<h2><span class="mw-headline"><font color="#000000">Definitions</font></span></h2>
<p>Nutrigenomics focuses on the effect of nutrients on the <font color="#5a3696">genome</font>, <font color="#002bb8">proteome</font>, and <font color="#002bb8">metabolome</font>. It is applying the sciences of <font color="#002bb8">genomics</font>, <font color="#002bb8">transcriptomics</font>, <font color="#002bb8">proteomics</font> and <font color="#002bb8">metabolomics</font> to human <font color="#002bb8">nutrition</font> in order to understand the <font color="#002bb8">relationship</font> between <font color="#002bb8">nutrition</font> and <font color="#002bb8">health</font>. Nutrigenomics is a new science and has several different definitions. Nutrigenomics has been defined as the application of high-throughput genomic tools in nutrition research.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-muller_1-1"><font color="#002bb8"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></font></sup> The term <font color="#002bb8">high throughput</font> tools in nutrigenomics refers to genetic tools that enable literally millions of genetic screening tests to be conducted at a single time. When such high throughput screening is applied in nutrition research, it allows the examination of how nutrients affect the thousands of genes present in the human genome. Nutrigenomics involves the characterization of <font color="#002bb8">gene products</font> and the physiological function and <font color="#002bb8">interactions</font> of these products. This includes how nutrients impact on the production and action of specific gene products and how these proteins in turn affect the response to nutrients. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2"><font color="#002bb8"><span>[</span>3<span>]</span></font></sup></p>
+
<p><font color="#000000">Nutrigenomics focuses on the effect of nutrients on the genome, proteome, and metabolome. It is applying the sciences of genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics to human nutrition in order to understand the relationship between nutrition and health. Nutrigenomics is a new science and has several different definitions. Nutrigenomics has been defined as the application of high-throughput genomic tools in nutrition research.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-muller_1-1"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></sup> The term high throughput tools in nutrigenomics refers to genetic tools that enable literally millions of genetic screening tests to be conducted at a single time. When such high throughput screening is applied in nutrition research, it allows the examination of how nutrients affect the thousands of genes present in the human genome. Nutrigenomics involves the characterization of gene products and the physiological function and interactions of these products. This includes how nutrients impact on the production and action of specific gene products and how these proteins in turn affect the response to nutrients. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2"><span>[</span>3<span>]</span></sup></font></p>
<p><font color="#002bb8"></font></p>
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<p><font color="#000000"></font></p>
<h2><span class="mw-headline">Background and preventive health</span></h2>
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<h2><span class="mw-headline"><font color="#000000">Background and preventive health</font></span></h2>
<p>Throughout the 20th century, <font color="#002bb8">nutritional science</font> focused on finding <font color="#002bb8">vitamins</font> and <font color="#002bb8">minerals</font>, defining their use and preventing the <font color="#002bb8">deficiency diseases</font> that they caused. As the nutrition related health problems of the <font color="#002bb8">developed world</font> shifted to <font color="#002bb8">overnutrition</font>, <font color="#002bb8">obesity</font> and <font color="#002bb8">type two diabetes</font>, the focus of <font color="#002bb8">modern medicine</font> and of nutritional science changed accordingly.</p>
+
<p><font color="#000000">Throughout the 20th century, nutritional science focused on finding vitamins and minerals, defining their use and preventing the deficiency diseases that they caused. As the nutrition related health problems of the developed world shifted to overnutrition, obesity and type two diabetes, the focus of modern medicine and of nutritional science changed accordingly.</font></p>
<p>In order to address the increasing <font color="#002bb8">incidence</font> of these diet-related-diseases, the role of diet and nutrition has been and continues to be extensively studied. To prevent the development of disease, nutrition research is investigating how nutrition can optimize and maintain cellular, tissue, organ and whole body <font color="#002bb8">homeostasis</font>. This requires understanding how nutrients act at the molecular level. This involves a multitude of nutrient-related interactions at the gene, protein and metabolic levels. As a result, nutrition research has shifted from <font color="#002bb8">epidemiology</font> and <font color="#002bb8">physiology</font> to <font color="#002bb8">molecular biology</font> and <font color="#002bb8">genetics</font><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-muller_1-2"><font color="#002bb8"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></font></sup> and nutrigenomics was born.</p>
+
<p><font color="#000000">In order to address the increasing incidence of these diet-related-diseases, the role of diet and nutrition has been and continues to be extensively studied. To prevent the development of disease, nutrition research is investigating how nutrition can optimize and maintain cellular, tissue, organ and whole body homeostasis. This requires understanding how nutrients act at the molecular level. This involves a multitude of nutrient-related interactions at the gene, protein and metabolic levels. As a result, nutrition research has shifted from epidemiology and physiology to molecular biology and genetics<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-muller_1-2"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></sup> and nutrigenomics was born.</font></p>
<p>The emergence and development of nutrigenomics has been possible due to powerful developments in <font color="#002bb8">genetic</font> <font color="#002bb8">research</font>. Inter-individual differences in genetics, or <font color="#002bb8">genetic variability</font>, which have an effect on metabolism and on phenotypes were recognized early in nutrition research, and such phenotypes were described. With the progress in genetics, biochemical disorders with a high nutritional <font color="#002bb8">relevance</font> were linked to a genetic origin. <font color="#002bb8">Genetic disorders</font> which cause pathological effects were described. Such genetic disorders include the polymorphism in the gene for the hormone <font color="#002bb8">Leptin</font> which results in gross obesity. Other gene <font color="#002bb8">polymorphisms</font> were described with consequences for human nutrition. The <font color="#002bb8">folate</font> metabolism is a good example, where a common polymorphism exists for the gene that encodes the <font color="#002bb8">methylene-tetrahydro-folate reductase (MTHFR)</font>.</p>
+
<p><font color="#000000">The emergence and development of nutrigenomics has been possible due to powerful developments in genetic research. Inter-individual differences in genetics, or genetic variability, which have an effect on metabolism and on phenotypes were recognized early in nutrition research, and such phenotypes were described. With the progress in genetics, biochemical disorders with a high nutritional relevance were linked to a genetic origin. Genetic disorders which cause pathological effects were described. Such genetic disorders include the polymorphism in the gene for the hormone Leptin which results in gross obesity. Other gene polymorphisms were described with consequences for human nutrition. The folate metabolism is a good example, where a common polymorphism exists for the gene that encodes the methylene-tetrahydro-folate reductase (MTHFR).</font></p>
<p>It was realized however, that there are possibly thousands of other gene polymorphisms which may result in minor deviations in nutritional biochemistry, where only marginal or additive effects would result from these deviations. The tools to study the physiological impact were not available at the time and are only now becoming available enabling the development of nutrigenomics. Such tools include those that measure the transcriptome - <font color="#002bb8">DNA microarray</font>, <font color="#002bb8">Exon</font> array, Tiling arrays, <font color="#002bb8">single nucleotide polymorphism</font> arrays and <font color="#002bb8">genotyping</font>. Tools that measure the <font color="#002bb8">proteome</font> are less developed. These include methods based on <font color="#002bb8">gel electrophoresis</font>, <font color="#002bb8">chromatography</font> and <font color="#002bb8">mass spectrometry</font>. Finally the tools that measure the <font color="#002bb8">metabolome</font> are also less developed and include methods based on <font color="#002bb8">nuclear magnetic resonance imaging</font> and <font color="#002bb8">mass spectrometry</font> often in combination with <font color="#002bb8">gas and liquid chromatography</font>.</p>
+
<p><font color="#000000">It was realized however, that there are possibly thousands of other gene polymorphisms which may result in minor deviations in nutritional biochemistry, where only marginal or additive effects would result from these deviations. The tools to study the physiological impact were not available at the time and are only now becoming available enabling the development of nutrigenomics. Such tools include those that measure the transcriptome - DNA microarray, Exon array, Tiling arrays, single nucleotide polymorphism arrays and genotyping. Tools that measure the proteome are less developed. These include methods based on gel electrophoresis, chromatography and mass spectrometry. Finally the tools that measure the metabolome are also less developed and include methods based on nuclear magnetic resonance imaging and mass spectrometry often in combination with gas and liquid chromatography.</font></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
<p><font color="#000000">&nbsp;</font></p>
<h2><span class="mw-headline">Rationale and aims of nutrigenomics</span></h2>
+
<h2><span class="mw-headline"><font color="#000000">Rationale and aims of nutrigenomics</font></span></h2>
<p>In nutrigenomics, nutrients are seen as <font color="#002bb8">signals</font> that tell a specific <font color="#002bb8">cell</font> in the body about the <font color="#002bb8">diet</font>. The nutrients are detected by a sensor system in the cell. Such a sensory system works like <font color="#002bb8">sensory ecology</font> whereby the cell obtains information through the signal, the nutrient, about its environment, which is the <font color="#002bb8">diet</font>. The sensory system that interprets information from nutrients about the dietary environment include <font color="#002bb8">transcription factors</font> together with many additional proteins. Once the nutrient interacts with such a sensory system, it changes <font color="#002bb8">gene</font>, <font color="#002bb8">protein expression</font> and metabolite production in accordance with the level of nutrient it senses. As a result, different diets should elicit different patterns of gene and <font color="#002bb8">protein expression</font> and metabolite production. Nutrigenomics seeks to describe the patterns of these effects which have been referred to as <em>dietary signatures</em>. Such dietary signatures are examined in specific cells, tissues and organisms and in this way the manner by which nutrition influences <font color="#002bb8">homeostasis</font> is investigated. Genes which are affected by differing levels of nutrients need first to be identified and then their <font color="#002bb8">regulation</font> is studied. Differences in this regulation as a result of differences in genes between individuals are also studied. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-muller_1-3"><font color="#002bb8"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></font></sup></p>
+
<p><font color="#000000">In nutrigenomics, nutrients are seen as signals that tell a specific cell in the body about the diet. The nutrients are detected by a sensor system in the cell. Such a sensory system works like sensory ecology whereby the cell obtains information through the signal, the nutrient, about its environment, which is the diet. The sensory system that interprets information from nutrients about the dietary environment include transcription factors together with many additional proteins. Once the nutrient interacts with such a sensory system, it changes gene, protein expression and metabolite production in accordance with the level of nutrient it senses. As a result, different diets should elicit different patterns of gene and protein expression and metabolite production. Nutrigenomics seeks to describe the patterns of these effects which have been referred to as <em>dietary signatures</em>. Such dietary signatures are examined in specific cells, tissues and organisms and in this way the manner by which nutrition influences homeostasis is investigated. Genes which are affected by differing levels of nutrients need first to be identified and then their regulation is studied. Differences in this regulation as a result of differences in genes between individuals are also studied. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-muller_1-3"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></sup></font></p>
<p>It is hoped that by building up knowledge in this area, nutrigenomics will promote an increased understanding of how nutrition influences <font color="#002bb8">metabolic pathways</font> and homeostatic control, which will then be used to prevent the development of <font color="#002bb8">chronic</font> diet related diseases such as <font color="#002bb8">obesity</font> and <font color="#002bb8">type two diabetes</font>. Part of the approach of nutrigenomics involves finding <font color="#002bb8">markers</font> of the early phase of diet related diseases; this is the phase at which <font color="#002bb8">intervention</font> with nutrition can return the patient to <font color="#002bb8">health</font>. As nutrigenomics seeks to understand the effect of different <font color="#002bb8">genetic predispositions</font> in the development of such diseases, once a <font color="#002bb8">marker</font> has been found and measured in an individual, the extent to which they are <font color="#002bb8">susceptible</font> to the development of that disease will be quantified and personalized dietary recommendation can be given for that person.</p>
+
<p><font color="#000000">It is hoped that by building up knowledge in this area, nutrigenomics will promote an increased understanding of how nutrition influences metabolic pathways and homeostatic control, which will then be used to prevent the development of chronic diet related diseases such as obesity and type two diabetes. Part of the approach of nutrigenomics involves finding markers of the early phase of diet related diseases; this is the phase at which intervention with nutrition can return the patient to health. As nutrigenomics seeks to understand the effect of different genetic predispositions in the development of such diseases, once a marker has been found and measured in an individual, the extent to which they are susceptible to the development of that disease will be quantified and personalized dietary recommendation can be given for that person.</font></p>
<p>The aims of nutrigenomics also includes being able to demonstrate the effect of <font color="#002bb8">bioactive</font> food compounds on health and the effect of health foods on health, which should lead to the development of <font color="#002bb8">functional foods</font> that will keep people healthy according to their individual needs.</p>
+
<p><font color="#000000">The aims of nutrigenomics also includes being able to demonstrate the effect of bioactive food compounds on health and the effect of health foods on health, which should lead to the development of functional foods that will keep people healthy according to their individual needs.</font></p>
<p>Nutrigenomics is a rapidly emerging science still in its beginning stages. It is uncertain whether the tools to study protein expression and metabolite production have been developed to the point as to enable efficient and reliable measurements. Also once such research has been achieved, it will need to be integrated together in order to produce results and dietary recommendations. All of these technologies are still in the process of development.</p>
+
<p><font color="#000000">Nutrigenomics is a rapidly emerging science still in its beginning stages. It is uncertain whether the tools to study protein expression and metabolite production have been developed to the point as to enable efficient and reliable measurements. Also once such research has been achieved, it will need to be integrated together in order to produce results and dietary recommendations. All of these technologies are still in the process of development.</font></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
<p><font color="#000000">&nbsp;</font></p>
<h2><span class="mw-headline">References</span></h2>
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<h2><span class="mw-headline"><font color="#000000">References</font></span></h2>
 
<div class="references-small">
 
<div class="references-small">
 
<ol class="references">
 
<ol class="references">
     <li id="cite_note-0"><strong><font color="#002bb8">^</font></strong> Chavez A, Munoz de Chavez M (2003). &quot;<em>Nutrigenomics in public health nutrition:</em> short-term perspectives<em>&quot;. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 57(Suppl. 1)97-100</em> </li>
+
     <li id="cite_note-0"><font color="#000000"><strong>^</strong> Chavez A, Munoz de Chavez M (2003). &quot;<em>Nutrigenomics in public health nutrition:</em> short-term perspectives<em>&quot;. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 57(Suppl. 1)97-100</em> </font></li>
     <li id="cite_note-muller-1">^ <sup><em><strong><font color="#002bb8">a</font></strong></em></sup> <sup><em><strong><font color="#002bb8">b</font></strong></em></sup> <sup><em><strong><font color="#002bb8">c</font></strong></em></sup> <sup><em><strong><font color="#002bb8">d</font></strong></em></sup> M&uuml;ller M, Kersten S. (2003). &quot;<em>Nutrigenomics: Goals and Perspectives.</em>&quot;. Nature Reviews Genetics 4. 315 -322 </li>
+
     <li id="cite_note-muller-1"><font color="#000000">^ <sup><em><strong>a</strong></em></sup> <sup><em><strong>b</strong></em></sup> <sup><em><strong>c</strong></em></sup> <sup><em><strong>d</strong></em></sup> M&uuml;ller M, Kersten S. (2003). &quot;<em>Nutrigenomics: Goals and Perspectives.</em>&quot;. Nature Reviews Genetics 4. 315 -322 </font></li>
     <li id="cite_note-2"><strong><font color="#002bb8">^</font></strong> Trayhurn P. (2003). &quot;<em>Nutritional genomics-&quot;Nutrigenomics&quot;</em>&quot;. British Journal Nutrition. 89:1-2 </li>
+
     <li id="cite_note-2"><font color="#000000"><strong>^</strong> Trayhurn P. (2003). &quot;<em>Nutritional genomics-&quot;Nutrigenomics&quot;</em>&quot;. British Journal Nutrition. 89:1-2 </font></li>
 
</ol>
 
</ol>
 
</div>
 
</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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<p><font color="#000000">&nbsp;</font></p>
<h3><span class="mw-headline">Articles</span></h3>
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<h3><span class="mw-headline"><font color="#000000">Articles</font></span></h3>
 
<ul>
 
<ul>
     <li>Kaput J, Perlina A, Hatipoglu B, Bartholomew A, Nikolsky Y. <font color="#3366bb">&quot;Nutrigenomics: concepts and applications to pharmacogenomics and clinical medicine&quot;</font> Pharmacogenomics. 8(4) 2007 </li>
+
     <li><font color="#000000">Kaput J, Perlina A, Hatipoglu B, Bartholomew A, Nikolsky Y. &quot;Nutrigenomics: concepts and applications to pharmacogenomics and clinical medicine&quot; Pharmacogenomics. 8(4) 2007 </font></li>
 
</ul>
 
</ul>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
<p><font color="#000000">&nbsp;</font></p>
<h2><span class="mw-headline">See also</span></h2>
+
<h2><span class="mw-headline"><font color="#000000">See also</font></span></h2>
 
<ul>
 
<ul>
     <li><font color="#002bb8">Diet (nutrition)</font> </li>
+
     <li><font color="#000000">Diet (nutrition) </font></li>
     <li><font color="#002bb8">Nutritional genomics</font> </li>
+
     <li><font color="#000000">Nutritional genomics </font></li>
     <li><font color="#002bb8">Public Health Genomics</font> </li>
+
     <li><font color="#000000">Public Health Genomics </font></li>
 
</ul>
 
</ul>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
<p><font color="#000000">&nbsp;</font></p>
<h2><span class="mw-headline">External links</span></h2>
+
<h2><span class="mw-headline"><font color="#000000">External links</font></span></h2>
 
<ul>
 
<ul>
     <li><a class="external text" title="http://nutrigenomics.ucdavis.edu" rel="nofollow" href="http://nutrigenomics.ucdavis.edu/"><font color="#3366bb">Center for Nutritional Genomics, University of California, Davis multi-disciplinary research in nutritional genomics</font></a> </li>
+
     <li><a class="external text" title="http://nutrigenomics.ucdavis.edu" rel="nofollow" href="http://nutrigenomics.ucdavis.edu/"><font color="#000000">Center for Nutritional Genomics, University of California, Davis multi-disciplinary research in nutritional genomics</font></a><font color="#000000"> </font></li>
     <li><a class="external text" title="http://www.nugo.org" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.nugo.org/"><font color="#3366bb">NuGO - the European Nutrigenomics Organisation</font></a> </li>
+
     <li><a class="external text" title="http://www.nugo.org" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.nugo.org/"><font color="#000000">NuGO - the European Nutrigenomics Organisation</font></a><font color="#000000"> </font></li>
     <li><a class="external text" title="http://www.nutrigenomics.org.nz" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.nutrigenomics.org.nz/"><font color="#3366bb">The New Zealand Nutrigenomics Collaboration</font></a> </li>
+
     <li><a class="external text" title="http://www.nutrigenomics.org.nz" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.nutrigenomics.org.nz/"><font color="#000000">The New Zealand Nutrigenomics Collaboration</font></a><font color="#000000"> </font></li>
     <li><a class="external text" title="http://www.isnn.info/isnn.html" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.isnn.info/isnn.html"><font color="#3366bb">ISNN - International Society of Nutrigenetics/Nutrigenomics</font></a> </li>
+
     <li><a class="external text" title="http://www.isnn.info/isnn.html" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.isnn.info/isnn.html"><font color="#000000">ISNN - International Society of Nutrigenetics/Nutrigenomics</font></a><font color="#000000"> </font></li>
 
</ul>
 
</ul>
 
<ul>
 
<ul>
     <li><a class="external text" title="http://content.karger.com/ProdukteDB/produkte.asp?Aktion=ShowPDF&amp;ProduktNr=223064&amp;ArtikelNr=59578&amp;filename=59578.pdf" rel="nofollow" href="http://content.karger.com/ProdukteDB/produkte.asp?Aktion=ShowPDF&amp;ProduktNr=223064&amp;ArtikelNr=59578&amp;filename=59578.pdf"><font color="#3366bb">&quot;Genetic Variation and Dietary Response&quot; from World Review of Nutrition and Dietetics, Vol. 80</font></a> </li>
+
     <li><a class="external text" title="http://content.karger.com/ProdukteDB/produkte.asp?Aktion=ShowPDF&amp;ProduktNr=223064&amp;ArtikelNr=59578&amp;filename=59578.pdf" rel="nofollow" href="http://content.karger.com/ProdukteDB/produkte.asp?Aktion=ShowPDF&amp;ProduktNr=223064&amp;ArtikelNr=59578&amp;filename=59578.pdf"><font color="#000000">&quot;Genetic Variation and Dietary Response&quot; from World Review of Nutrition and Dietetics, Vol. 80</font></a><font color="#000000"> </font></li>
 
</ul>
 
</ul>

Revision as of 02:55, 11 January 2009

Nutrigenomics is the study of molecular relationships between nutrition and the response of genes, with the aim of extrapolating how such subtle changes can affect human health.[1] Nutrigenomics focuses on the effect of nutrients on the genome, proteome, and metabolome. By determining the mechanism of the effects of nutrients or the effects of a nutritional regime, Nutrigenomics tries to define the relationship between these specific nutrients and specific nutrient regimes (diets) on human health. Nutrigenomics has been associated with the idea of personalized nutrition based on genotype. While there is hope that nutrigenomics will ultimately enable such personalised dietary advice, it is a science still in its infancy and its contribution to public health over the next decade is thought to be minor.[2]

 

Definitions

Nutrigenomics focuses on the effect of nutrients on the genome, proteome, and metabolome. It is applying the sciences of genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics to human nutrition in order to understand the relationship between nutrition and health. Nutrigenomics is a new science and has several different definitions. Nutrigenomics has been defined as the application of high-throughput genomic tools in nutrition research.[2] The term high throughput tools in nutrigenomics refers to genetic tools that enable literally millions of genetic screening tests to be conducted at a single time. When such high throughput screening is applied in nutrition research, it allows the examination of how nutrients affect the thousands of genes present in the human genome. Nutrigenomics involves the characterization of gene products and the physiological function and interactions of these products. This includes how nutrients impact on the production and action of specific gene products and how these proteins in turn affect the response to nutrients. [3]

Background and preventive health

Throughout the 20th century, nutritional science focused on finding vitamins and minerals, defining their use and preventing the deficiency diseases that they caused. As the nutrition related health problems of the developed world shifted to overnutrition, obesity and type two diabetes, the focus of modern medicine and of nutritional science changed accordingly.

In order to address the increasing incidence of these diet-related-diseases, the role of diet and nutrition has been and continues to be extensively studied. To prevent the development of disease, nutrition research is investigating how nutrition can optimize and maintain cellular, tissue, organ and whole body homeostasis. This requires understanding how nutrients act at the molecular level. This involves a multitude of nutrient-related interactions at the gene, protein and metabolic levels. As a result, nutrition research has shifted from epidemiology and physiology to molecular biology and genetics[2] and nutrigenomics was born.

The emergence and development of nutrigenomics has been possible due to powerful developments in genetic research. Inter-individual differences in genetics, or genetic variability, which have an effect on metabolism and on phenotypes were recognized early in nutrition research, and such phenotypes were described. With the progress in genetics, biochemical disorders with a high nutritional relevance were linked to a genetic origin. Genetic disorders which cause pathological effects were described. Such genetic disorders include the polymorphism in the gene for the hormone Leptin which results in gross obesity. Other gene polymorphisms were described with consequences for human nutrition. The folate metabolism is a good example, where a common polymorphism exists for the gene that encodes the methylene-tetrahydro-folate reductase (MTHFR).

It was realized however, that there are possibly thousands of other gene polymorphisms which may result in minor deviations in nutritional biochemistry, where only marginal or additive effects would result from these deviations. The tools to study the physiological impact were not available at the time and are only now becoming available enabling the development of nutrigenomics. Such tools include those that measure the transcriptome - DNA microarray, Exon array, Tiling arrays, single nucleotide polymorphism arrays and genotyping. Tools that measure the proteome are less developed. These include methods based on gel electrophoresis, chromatography and mass spectrometry. Finally the tools that measure the metabolome are also less developed and include methods based on nuclear magnetic resonance imaging and mass spectrometry often in combination with gas and liquid chromatography.

 

Rationale and aims of nutrigenomics

In nutrigenomics, nutrients are seen as signals that tell a specific cell in the body about the diet. The nutrients are detected by a sensor system in the cell. Such a sensory system works like sensory ecology whereby the cell obtains information through the signal, the nutrient, about its environment, which is the diet. The sensory system that interprets information from nutrients about the dietary environment include transcription factors together with many additional proteins. Once the nutrient interacts with such a sensory system, it changes gene, protein expression and metabolite production in accordance with the level of nutrient it senses. As a result, different diets should elicit different patterns of gene and protein expression and metabolite production. Nutrigenomics seeks to describe the patterns of these effects which have been referred to as dietary signatures. Such dietary signatures are examined in specific cells, tissues and organisms and in this way the manner by which nutrition influences homeostasis is investigated. Genes which are affected by differing levels of nutrients need first to be identified and then their regulation is studied. Differences in this regulation as a result of differences in genes between individuals are also studied. [2]

It is hoped that by building up knowledge in this area, nutrigenomics will promote an increased understanding of how nutrition influences metabolic pathways and homeostatic control, which will then be used to prevent the development of chronic diet related diseases such as obesity and type two diabetes. Part of the approach of nutrigenomics involves finding markers of the early phase of diet related diseases; this is the phase at which intervention with nutrition can return the patient to health. As nutrigenomics seeks to understand the effect of different genetic predispositions in the development of such diseases, once a marker has been found and measured in an individual, the extent to which they are susceptible to the development of that disease will be quantified and personalized dietary recommendation can be given for that person.

The aims of nutrigenomics also includes being able to demonstrate the effect of bioactive food compounds on health and the effect of health foods on health, which should lead to the development of functional foods that will keep people healthy according to their individual needs.

Nutrigenomics is a rapidly emerging science still in its beginning stages. It is uncertain whether the tools to study protein expression and metabolite production have been developed to the point as to enable efficient and reliable measurements. Also once such research has been achieved, it will need to be integrated together in order to produce results and dietary recommendations. All of these technologies are still in the process of development.

 

References

  1. ^ Chavez A, Munoz de Chavez M (2003). "Nutrigenomics in public health nutrition: short-term perspectives". European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 57(Suppl. 1)97-100
  2. ^ a b c d Müller M, Kersten S. (2003). "Nutrigenomics: Goals and Perspectives.". Nature Reviews Genetics 4. 315 -322
  3. ^ Trayhurn P. (2003). "Nutritional genomics-"Nutrigenomics"". British Journal Nutrition. 89:1-2

 

Articles

  • Kaput J, Perlina A, Hatipoglu B, Bartholomew A, Nikolsky Y. "Nutrigenomics: concepts and applications to pharmacogenomics and clinical medicine" Pharmacogenomics. 8(4) 2007

 

See also

  • Diet (nutrition)
  • Nutritional genomics
  • Public Health Genomics

 

External links