Nutritional modulation of ageing: genomic and epigenetic approaches

Dietary factors have a profound effect on many aspects of health including ageing and do so, at least partly, through interactions with the genome which result in altered gene expression. The application of high throughput genomics technologies in nutritional research (nutrigenomics) offers a new approach to understanding the molecular mechanisms by which nutrition affects ageing. To date, transcriptional profiling techniques have been applied in studies of the mode of action of energy (caloric) restriction. Two further areas which appear to be particularly promising are (i) nutritional modulation of DNA damage and repair and (ii) nutritional modulation of epigenetic markings. Epigenetic-mediated changes in gene expression in response to dietary and other lifestyle exposures appear to be a major molecular mechanism linking environmental factors with the genome with consequences for cell function and health throughout the life course.