Nutrigenomics: Science Fact or Fiction?

Filed in archive Food and Agriculture on March 4, 2006

Nutrigenomics is the science looking at understanding the molecular basis of the interaction of individual nutrients on both genetics and metabolism of the consumer. Its basic aim is to provide consumers with quick genetic test to let them know which foods and supplements to take to reduce the risks of certain diseases.

Manuela Rist, Uwe Wenzel and Hannelore Daniel; experts from the Technical University of Munich said that food science and nutritional research have been historically geared towards metabolites. The applications of transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolic technologies in nutritional studies are innumerable when it comes to basic preclinical research both in cell cultures and animal models. But once to human studies, there are undeniable limitations and implications.

Many countries like New Zealand and the Netherlands are onto their own nutrigenomics project . The European Nutrigenomics Organisation (NuGO) is funded by the EU. Several universities in the US like the UC Davis and Pen State U have established centers of excellence for nutrigenomics.

However, current technology is not ready to fully exploit the possibilities of this new science. Experts are convinced that more powerful bioinformatics and chemometrics need to be developed to cope with the ever increasing mountain of data that studies are beginning to generate. But this doesn't stop sections in the food and nutrition industries to see nutrigenomics as a key part of their long-term growth.

Source: [NutraIngredients]