Journal of Nutraceuticals and Health

Nutrigenomics

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Nutrigenomics refers to the science of how nutrition affects a person's genetic makeup. Nutrigenomics is a new science that is centered on personalized nutrition, where one's diet is customized to fit their genetic makeup to maximize health and avoid disease. Nutraceuticals are very relevant in nutrigenomics since they can help to treat particular genetic tendencies towards conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. By realizing the connection between nutrition and genes, people can make proper food choices to improve their health.

Nutritional science began as a discipline focused on individuals who were deficient in specific nutrients, examining the resulting health issues, such as scurvy caused by a lack of vitamin C. As the prevalence of other diet-related conditions, like obesity, increased, the scope of nutritional science broadened to include these concerns. Today, nutritional research primarily emphasizes prevention, aiming to determine which nutrients or foods can either increase or decrease the risk of diseases and harm to the human body.

The Mediterranean diet refers to the natural foods that were originally found in Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain before the 20th century's food globalization. Research in nutritional genomics suggests that this diet is among the most nutritionally advantageous, showing a positive correlation with lower mortality rates by offering protective benefits against metabolic diseases, heart disease, and various cancers. It typically includes a high intake of fruits, vegetables, olive oil, legumes, and whole grains, along with moderate consumption of red wine. Foods that are higher in fat and dairy are eaten in smaller quantities.

Coronary heart disease

The body's sensitivity to food reflects genetic factors associated with nutrition. Research on coronary heart disease (CHD) has identified two alleles at the E and B apolipoprotein loci that are connected to the condition. Variations in these loci lead to different individual responses to fat consumption. While some people with specific genetic variations do not experience significant weight gain or an increased risk of CHD, others do. Studies have shown a clear correlation between reduced fat intake across all demographics and a decreased risk of CHD.

Obesity

One of the most extensively researched subjects in nutritional genomics is obesity. Each person may react differently to nutrition because of genetic differences. The goal of the field is to propose dietary modifications that could prevent or lessen obesity by investigating the relationship between genetic variables and food patterns.

Phenylketonuria
PKU, or phenylketonuria, is a rare autosomal recessive metabolic disease that manifests after childbirth, although nutritional therapy can reverse its crippling symptoms.