Nutrigenomics in public health nutrition: short-term perspectives

Knowledge of the human genome is helping us better understand nutrition. The nutrition-health relationship depends on the adaptive capacity of genes and their functioning with the diet consumed. The greater the efficiency of the system, the lower the metabolic wear suffered. Several epidemiological studies have reported that early-life metabolic imprinting occurs in Man. Both in the uterus and during the first years of life, under and overfed mother-child units imprint gene changes that lead to chronic metabolic problems in later life. Many other mechanisms can modify gene performance, such as gene silencing, gene compensation by a vitamin or a bioactive phytochemical, or simply DNA multiplication during cell reproduction and polyploidisation. The new area of science related to the lateral transfer of recombinant genes is opening new horizons to the nutritional sciences changing the nutritional value or the organoleptic characteristics of food, or even changing genes in persons at risk of chronic disease. Many recent studies provide details about the kinds of diet, nutrients and other compounds that are the best for Man; biotechnology is becoming an instrument enabling food to be offered in the best of conditions.