Fortification, supplementation, and nutrient balance.

Area of Science:

• Nutritional Science
• Public Health
• Preventive Medicine

Background:

• Nutrient deficiencies are addressed via supplementation and food fortification.
• Supplementation and fortification are also used to reduce chronic disease risk in healthy populations.
• Diet-chronic disease links have driven interest in nutritional interventions for prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of nutrient supplementation and food fortification in preventing chronic diseases.
• To explore the role of dietary patterns in chronic disease risk reduction.
• To understand the impact of genetic heterogeneity on nutrient requirements.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on nutrient supplementation and fortification efficacy.
• Analysis of studies linking dietary patterns to chronic disease outcomes.
• Consideration of genetic factors influencing individual nutrient needs.

Main Results:

• Supplementation effectively reduces micronutrient deficiencies globally.
• Evidence for supplementation preventing chronic diseases in healthy individuals is limited, except for folic acid in preventing neural tube defects.
• Dietary patterns, like the Mediterranean diet, are associated with reduced chronic disease risk, especially cardiovascular diseases.

Conclusions:

• Nutrient supplementation is crucial for deficiency correction but less proven for chronic disease prevention in the general healthy population.
• Personalized nutrition based on genetic variability may identify specific groups benefiting from targeted nutrient intake.
• Dietary patterns represent a promising strategy for chronic disease risk reduction.