PharmacoNutrition Reviewed

The facts stated in the current editorial of Nature (Vol. 454) on the bad shape of global nutrition & dietary habits are certainly not new to most of us; nonetheless, I very much liked the comment on the state of current funding practices in the field of nutrition as it - at least for me - is the cause of nutrition still being considered mainly as a soft science.

For those interested, here some brief information on a new book by Mark S. Meskin, Wayne R. Bidlack & R. Keith Randolph that’s going to be published in a few days (8 April 2008) by CRC Press.
That’s what you can expect from the book:

* Discusses the role of phytochemicals in healthy aging and disease prevention
* Covers polyphenols, flavonoid analysis, botanical therapeutics, chronic disease prevention, and more
* Presents the most current research for food companies and supplement manufacturers developing functional food
* Provides a section on personalized nutrition using nutrigenomics to determine nutrition therapy

Source: Am. J. Physiol. Regul. Integr. Comp. Physiol. (2007) [Epub]
Article Type: Original Research
Authors: Martin-Gronert et al.

This is now the third time I am writing about the impact of in utero and early postnatal nutrition on fitness in later life.  Whereas before we learned some new insights in how changes in maternal dietary iron or fat might affect offspring life, the new paper by Martin-Gronert et al. addresses the question how dietary postnatal protein levels regulate key molecules believed to markedly control the aging process.

When pups of normally-fed dams were nursed by low-protein-fed (8% vs. 20% in the control group; iso-caloric diets) dams, dramatic biochemical changes (measured at day 21 post partum) occurred that might explain the earlier reported increased lifespan in these animals. The authors not only found that insulin sensitivity was improved but also a significant upregulation (measured in kidney tissue) of IRbeta, IGF1-R, Akt1, Akt2 as well as SIRT1. In addition, the expression of important antioxidant enzymes, i.e. catalase, CuZnSOD and GPx1, was elevated.

Martin-Gronert et al. conclude that “the findings of this study are in agreement with Hormesis Hypothesis, which has been proposed to explain the life-extending action of calorie restriciton. The hypothesis postulates that a low-intensity biological stressor exerts defence responses in the organism that help protect it against the causes of aging. The enhanced coping with intense stressors and restriction of senescent deterioration lead to retardation of age associated diseases and increased longevity. It seems that a similar process may underlie the association between early nutrition and the aging process.”

A candidate for the effect of restricted protein intake on lifespan has also been recently identified by Naudi et al.: methionine (whose restriction leads to upregulation of uncoupling proteins (UCP4) and an increase in mitochondrial biogenesis).

Poor mums-to-be: your burden of doing things right during pregnacy and nursing are certainly on the rise.

Image taken from: jupiterimages.com

Source: J. Pediatr. (152) 2008: 79-84
Article Type: Original Research
Authors: Aaltonen et al.

Alcohol consumption and smoking have long been the only concerns regarding the time we spend in utero. This, however, changed with the publication of the so-called Barker hypothesis in the 1980s. Barker postulated that maternal under-/malnutrition might have long-lasting effects on the susceptibility and occurrence of various diseases (especially cardiovascular disease) in the life of their children (’fetal or in utero programming‘).

Aaltonen et al. studied the effect of fat-modified diets consumed during pregnancy on the blood  pressure of 6-month old infants (n=256). After dividing the dietary intake into quartiles and correcting for various confounding variables, the authors found:

1) a U-shape association maternal mono-unsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) intake and infant diastolic blood pressure

2) a U-shape association between maternal carbohydrate intake and infant diastolic and systolic blood pressure

“One of the most interesting findings in our study was the complex interaction between maternal carbohydrate intake and infant blood pressure. This finding may be linked to the pathogenesis of gestational diabetes in which altered glucose metabolism in the mother exposes the fetus to high levels of blood glucose and subsequent hyperinsulinemia. Due to the anabolic properties of insulin, hyperglycemia (even in temporary peaks) may lead to cardiac hypertrophy and functional abnormalities. Therefore, a high maternal carbohydrate intake, particularly consumption of refined carbohydrates in the diet, could result in subclinical maternal hyperglycemia and mild fetal hyperinsulinemia, resulting in higher blood pressure in infancy. This concept is supported by the observation that the higher systolic blood pressure in the neonatal period is linked to increased umbilical cord insulin concentrations, which may be driven by even minor maternal hyperglycemia. In view of the adverse fetal metabolic programming of intrauterine hyperglycemia in gestational diabetes in combination with a postnatal nutritional imbalance manifesting itself in a clustering of the cardiovascular risk factors at even early ages, the long-term sequelae of our finding warrant further investigation.”

Taken together, this study again indicates that the environmental conditions (i.e. maternal diet, body weight, etc.) we are exposed to in utero might be a lot more important for our teenage and adult life than many of us previously thought.

Image taken from: pregnancy.about.com

For all those interested in improving their daily diet, here some information on a book entitled “Personalized Nutrition: Principals and Applications” that is soon going to be published (August 2007) by CRC Press.

The content will cover the follwoing topics (taken from the CRC Press webpage):

From one person to the next, optimal health is governed by a huge array of minor genetic differences. When modulated by a variety of food bioiactives, these differences result in changes in gene expression and subsequent phenotypic expression. Combining biomedical and social science with contributions from leaders in both fields, Personalized Nutrition: Principles and Applications illustrates molecular, physiological, epidemiological, and public health aspects with examples from major diseases and discusses the behavioral, ethical, and consumer perspectives that will influence a successful introduction of personalized nutrition. Divided into three sections, the book answers pertinent questions crucial to the mainstream acceptance of personalized nutrition: to what extent is this personal diet-and-health relationship practically valid? how can nutrition science demonstrate this? And what is the proposition of stakeholders in society, including the consumer?The book begins with an overview of the state-of-the-science in nutrigenomic technologies including transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics. It covers the use of genomics technology for a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in major diet-related chronic disorders such as chronic inflammation, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and obesity. Section two compares the practices and opinions of scientists, food companies, consumers, competitive athletes, and health care providers on the subject of personalized nutrition. It reviews marketing potential, consumer attitudes, and the ethical issues surrounding personalized advice.The final section focuses on humanitarian concerns related to developing countries and calls for international efforts to develop best practices, collaboration, and dataset sharing. The authors also consider ongoing innovations in food technology, nutrigenomics, and food delivery systems.Demonstrating scientific principles, varying opinions, and future perspectives, Personalized Nutrition, Principles and Applications presents a wealth of information on this revolutionary advancement in nutrition and health.