The Bombay Technologist

Nutrigenomics : A Revolution in Nutrition Science

Madhuvanti Kale

E. Mahati

Keywords: Nutrigenomics, Nutrigenetics, Transcritpomics, Proteomics, Metabolomics.

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Abstract

The execution of the Human Genome Project has led to the development of a so far unexplored avenue in nutrition science - Nutrigenomics. There is a growing realization amongst scientists that an individual's health or disease status is not only a function of his or her genetic make up, but also of environmental factors, specifically food intake and nutrient exposure. The Inception and progression of some common diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus has been found to be very closely linked with diet and nutrient exposure. The basic concept of nutrigenomics is to modulate dietary constituents so as to control and regulate gene expression in the body. Nutrient regulation of gene expression can be studied in various ways. Transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics are the major approaches currently being used for this purpose. These hold great promise to increasing our knowledge of interactions between the diet and life processes, and may eventually lead to the development of novel functional foods to improve the health status of the general population. Also, an era of 'personalized nutrition' wherein each person's diet is designed based on his genetic make-up, now seems to be close at hand, thanks to this budding wonder-science.