scholarly journals Personalized nutrition and healthy aging

2020 ◽  
Vol 78 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 58-65
Author(s):  
Jose M Ordovas ◽  
Silvia Berciano

Abstract The human lifespan and quality of life depend on complex interactions among genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. Aging research has been remarkably advanced by the development of high-throughput “omics” technologies. Differences between chronological and biological ages, and identification of factors (eg, nutrition) that modulate the rate of aging can now be assessed at the individual level on the basis of telomere length, the epigenome, and the metabolome. Nevertheless, the understanding of the different responses of people to dietary factors, which is the focus of precision nutrition research, remains incomplete. The lack of reliable dietary assessment methods constitutes a significant challenge in nutrition research, especially in elderly populations. For practical and successful personalized diet advice, big data techniques are needed to analyze and integrate the relevant omics (ie, genomic, epigenomic, metabolomics) with an objective and longitudinal capture of individual nutritional and environmental information. Application of such techniques will provide the scientific evidence and knowledge needed to offer actionable, personalized health recommendations to transform the promise of personalized nutrition into reality.

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 479-519 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana González-Peña ◽  
Lorraine Brennan

Metabolomics is the study of small molecules called metabolites in biological samples. Application of metabolomics to nutrition research has expanded in recent years, with emerging literature supporting multiple applications. Key examples include applications of metabolomics in the identification and development of objective biomarkers of dietary intake, in developing personalized nutrition strategies, and in large-scale epidemiology studies to understand the link between diet and health. In this review, we provide an overview of the current applications and identify key challenges that need to be addressed for the further development of the field. Successful development of metabolomics for nutrition research has the potential to improve dietary assessment, help deliver personalized nutrition, and enhance our understanding of the link between diet and health.


2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Meiliana ◽  
Nurrani Mustika Dewi ◽  
Andi Wijaya

BACKGROUND: An organism’s lifespan is inevitably accompanied by the aging process, which involves functional decline, a steady increase of a plethora of chronic diseases, and ultimately death. Thus, it has been an ongoing dream of mankind to improve healthspan and extend life.CONTENT: There are only a few proposed aging interventions: caloric restriction, exercise, and the use of low-molecular-weight compounds, including spermidine, metformin, resveratrol, and rapamycin. Resveratrol, a constituent of red wine, has long been suspected to have cardioprotective effects. Interest in this compound has been renewed in recent years, first from its identification as a chemopreventive agent for skin cancer, and subsequently from reports that it activates sirtuin deacetylases and extends the lifespans of lower organisms. Resveratrol have been shown to prevent and reduce the severity of age-related diseases such as atherosclerosis, stroke, myocardial infarct, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, osteoarthritis, tumors and metabolic syndrome, along with their ability to extend lifespan.SUMMARY: The purpose of aging research is the identification of interventions that may avoid or ameliorate the ravages of time. In other words, the quest is for healthy aging, where improved longevity is coupled to a corresponding healthspan extension. It is only by extending the healthy human lifespan that we will truly meet the premise of the Roman poet Cicero: “No one is so old as to think that he may not live a year.”KEYWORDS: aging, caloric restriction, mimetic, healthspan, sirtuin activator


BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. e020228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elske Maria Brouwer-Brolsma ◽  
Linde van Lee ◽  
Martinette T Streppel ◽  
Diewertje Sluik ◽  
Anne M van de Wiel ◽  
...  

PurposeDuring the past decades, the number of people with cardiometabolic conditions substantially increased. To identify dietary factors that may be responsible for this increase in cardiometabolic conditions, the Nutrition Questionnaires plus (NQplus) study was initiated. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the study design and baseline characteristics of the NQplus population.ParticipantsThe NQplus study is a prospective cohort study among 2048 Dutch men (52%) and women (48%) aged 20–70 years.Findings to dateAt baseline, we assessed habitual dietary intake, conducted physical examinations (measuring, eg, anthropometrics, body composition, blood pressure, pulse wave velocity, advanced glycation end product accumulation, cognitive performance), collected blood and 24-hour urine and administered a variety of validated demographic, health and lifestyle questionnaires. Participants had a mean BMI of 26.0±4.2 kg/m2, were mostly highly educated (63%), married or having a registered partnership (72%) and having a paid job (72%). Estimated daily energy and macronutrient intakes (mean±SD) were 8581±2531 kJ, 15±2energy (en%) of protein, 43±6 en% of carbohydrates, 36±5 en% of fat and 11±13 g of alcohol. Mean systolic blood pressure was 126±15 mm Hg, total cholesterol 5.3±1.1 mmol/L and haemoglobin A1c 36±5 mmol/mol. A total of 24% of the participants reported to be diagnosed with hypertension, 18% with hypercholesterolaemia and 4% with diabetes mellitus. All measurements were repeated after 1 and 2 years of follow-up.Future plansWe endeavour to continue measurements on the long-term. Moreover, dietary assessment methods used in the NQplus study will be extensively validated, that is, Food Frequency Questionnaires, 24-hour recalls and urinary and blood biomarkers of exposure. As such, the NQplus study will provide a unique opportunity to study many cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between diet and cardiometabolic health outcomes using the best dietary assessment methods available so far.


2016 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helena Gibbons ◽  
Lorraine Brennan

Current dietary assessment methods including FFQ, 24-h recalls and weighed food diaries are associated with many measurement errors. In an attempt to overcome some of these errors, dietary biomarkers have emerged as a complementary approach to these traditional methods. Metabolomics has developed as a key technology for the identification of new dietary biomarkers and to date, metabolomic-based approaches have led to the identification of a number of putative biomarkers. The three approaches generally employed when using metabolomics in dietary biomarker discovery are: (i) acute interventions where participants consume specific amounts of a test food, (ii) cohort studies where metabolic profiles are compared between consumers and non-consumers of a specific food and (iii) the analysis of dietary patterns and metabolic profiles to identify nutritypes and biomarkers. The present review critiques the current literature in terms of the approaches used for dietary biomarker discovery and gives a detailed overview of the currently proposed biomarkers, highlighting steps needed for their full validation. Furthermore, the present review also evaluates areas such as current databases and software tools, which are needed to advance the interpretation of results and therefore enhance the utility of dietary biomarkers in nutrition research.


2005 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 231-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judy Paisley ◽  
Marlene Greenberg ◽  
Jess Haines

Purpose: Canada’s multicultural population poses challenges for culturally competent nutrition research and practice. In this qualitative study, the cultural relevance of a widely used semiquantitative fruit and vegetable food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was examined among convenience samples of adults from Toronto’s Cantonese-, Mandarin-, Portuguese-, and Vietnamesespeaking communities. Methods: Eighty-nine participants were recruited through community-based organizations, programs, and advertisements to participate in semi-structured interviews moderated in their native language. Data from the interviews were translated into English and transcribed for analysis using the constant comparative approach. Results: Four main themes emerged from the analysis: the cultural relevance of the foods listed on the FFQ, words with multiple meanings, the need for culturally appropriate portionsize prompts, and the telephone survey as a Western concept. Conclusions: This research highlights the importance of investing resources to develop culturally relevant dietary assessment tools that ensure dietary assessment accuracy and, more important, reduce ethnocentric biases in food and nutrition research and practice. The transferability of findings must be established through further research.


2010 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 202-217
Author(s):  
Laura Schnackenberg ◽  
Jinchun Sun ◽  
Lisa Pence ◽  
Sudeepa Bhattacharyya ◽  
Bakary Sonko ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-236
Author(s):  
Nadine Saul ◽  
Steffen Möller ◽  
Francesca Cirulli ◽  
Alessandra Berry ◽  
Walter Luyten ◽  
...  

AbstractSeveral biogerontology databases exist that focus on genetic or gene expression data linked to health as well as survival, subsequent to compound treatments or genetic manipulations in animal models. However, none of these has yet collected experimental results of compound-related health changes. Since quality of life is often regarded as more valuable than length of life, we aim to fill this gap with the “Healthy Worm Database” (http://healthy-worm-database.eu). Literature describing health-related compound studies in the aging model Caenorhabditis elegans was screened, and data for 440 compounds collected. The database considers 189 publications describing 89 different phenotypes measured in 2995 different conditions. Besides enabling a targeted search for promising compounds for further investigations, this database also offers insights into the research field of studies on healthy aging based on a frequently used model organism. Some weaknesses of C. elegans-based aging studies, like underrepresented phenotypes, especially concerning cognitive functions, as well as the convenience-based use of young worms as the starting point for compound treatment or phenotype measurement are discussed. In conclusion, the database provides an anchor for the search for compounds affecting health, with a link to public databases, and it further highlights some potential shortcomings in current aging research.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 1503
Author(s):  
Millie Porzi ◽  
Kathryn J. Burton-Pimentel ◽  
Barbara Walther ◽  
Guy Vergères

Recent discoveries in the “omics” field and the growing focus on preventive health have opened new avenues for personalized nutrition (PN), which is becoming an important theme in the strategic plans of organizations that are active in healthcare, food, and nutrition research. PN holds great potential for individual health optimization, disease management, public health interventions, and product innovation. However, there are still multiple challenges to overcome before PN can be truly embraced by the public and healthcare stakeholders. The diagnosis and management of lactose intolerance (LI), a common condition with a strong inter-individual component, is explored as an interesting example for the potential role of these technologies and the challenges of PN. From the development of genetic and metabolomic LI diagnostic tests that can be carried out in the home, to advances in the understanding of LI pathology and individualized treatment optimization, PN in LI care has shown substantial progress. However, there are still many research gaps to address, including the understanding of epigenetic regulation of lactase expression and how lactose is metabolized by the gut microbiota, in order to achieve better LI detection and effective therapeutic interventions to reverse the potential health consequences of LI.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1429-1436
Author(s):  
Jimmy Chun Yu Louie

ABSTRACT Misreporting of added sugar intake has been the major criticism of studies linking high added sugar consumption to adverse health outcomes. Despite the advancement in dietary assessment methodologies, the bias introduced by self-reporting can never be completely eliminated. The search for an objective biomarker for total added sugar intake has therefore been a topic of interest. In this article, the reasons this search may be a wild goose chase will be outlined and discussed. The limitations and inability of the 2 candidate biomarkers, namely urinary sucrose and fructose and δ¹³C isotope, which are based on the 2 only possible ways (i.e., difference in metabolism and plant sources) to identify added sugar based on current knowledge in human physiology and food and nutritional sciences, are discussed in detail. Validation studies have shown that these 2 candidate biomarkers are unlikely to be suitable for use as a predictive or calibration biomarker for total added sugar intake. Unless advancement in our understanding in human physiology and food and nutritional sciences leads to new potential ways to distinguish between naturally occurring and added sugars, it is extremely unlikely that any accurate objective added sugar biomarker could be found. It may be time to stop the futile effort in searching for such a biomarker, and resources may be better spent on further improving and innovating dietary assessment methods to minimize the bias introduced by self-reporting.


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