are identified in the individuals with increased susceptibility to atherosclerosis.
There is also a relationship between genes and diet: n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids
facilitate, while n-3 fatty acids originating from sea inhibit leukotriene-mediated
inflammation leading to atherosclerosis.^18
Nutrition plays the key role in health and disease. With the development of
molecular biology, there had been a shift from epidemiology and biochemistry to
understanding the molecular mechanisms of action of diet. A new discipline has
emerged, nutrigenomics, which represents the study of the effects of nutrition on
genomic level. Nutrigenomics analyzes the complex relation and consequences of
the interaction between individual genes and environment, including diet.
Nutrigenetics is related to nutrigenomics, and it investigates the effects of genetic
variations on diet–disease interaction. Food components may have adverse effects
on molecular processes like DNA structure, gene expression, and metabolism.
Major methodological challenges would be to integrate genomics, transcriptomics,
proteomics and metabolomics to define the so-called healthy phenotype. Classical
high-throughput methods will be used in parallel with RNAi and
nanobiotechnology. There is urgent need for generation of big versatile ethical
database of genomic profile.^19
Nutrigenomics and functional food create the need for further and intensive
studies on interactions between genes and diet so as to achieve rational selection of
functional food, which paves the way for optimal health and reduction of risks of
chronic diseases. The purpose of such approach is to establish useful personalized
nutritional counselling. Individual genetic variations are important determinants of
differences for nutritional ingredients. This is exemplified by common genetic
polymorphism C/T substitution in the gene coding for methylene tetrahydrofolate
reductase (MTHFR), which results in metabolic changes that modulate the risk of
chronic disease defects of neural tubes in the absence of folate. Increased folate
uptake has different consequences in affected subjects (T/T) in comparison with
normal (C/C) or heterozygotes (C/T).
In future, it will be necessary to adapt nutritional advice on the basis of genotype
and establish a so-called personalized diet. Nutrigenomics is likely to revolutionize
clinical and public nutritional practice by providing more precise “targeting” of
nutritional interventions. In particular, this will prove useful for diseases related to
metabolism and diet such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, some neurological
disorders, age-related diseases, cancer. Individual response to diet varies.
Chemicals from food can bind to receptors and thus regulate gene activity. For
example, genistein (coumarin-like isoflavone derivative) from soya binds to estro-
gen receptors (ER) and induces gene regulation. Individual variations in ER
determine different response to genistein. Interaction between genotype and diet
(^18) Pavelic ́ et al. ( 2014 ), Catchpoole et al ( 2010 ), Subbiah ( 2007 ), and European Science
Foundation ( 2005 ).
(^19) Astley ( 2007 ).
12 K. Pavelic ́et al.