influences severity of disease such as obesity, atherosclerosis, asthma, and other
chronic diseases.^20
Functional food represents nutrients with beneficial effects on human health
irrespective of supply of essential physiologic needs. Due to varying individual
response, it is difficult to make general recommendations and statements. Efficacy
of nutrients is affected by polymorphisms in genes regulating absorption, circula-
tion, and metabolism. An example is n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids or
epigallocatechin-3-gallate. More research into interaction between genes and diet
should be conducted to achieve rational selection of functional food, which leads to
optimal health and reduction of the risk of chronic diseases with the aim to establish
useful personalized nutritional counselling.^21
Important component of personalized medicine is the role of citizens in maintaining
their own health and prosperity and in providing data that will aid in achieving
prosperity for others through understanding individual variations, population needs,
and response to therapy and preventive measures. Development of individually tai-
lored therapy and preventive medicine will depend on our ability to interpret the
relevance of biological and environmental variations by using data obtained in large
population. Patients can no longer be only passive acceptor of information given by
medical professionals but should be active participants in the generation and interpre-
tation of own data. Medical doctors are expected to actively participate in the devel-
opment and adoption of new technologies and decision-making systems and
diagnostic algorithms. The sustainability level of the trial-and-error approach is
astonishing, even in cases where knowledge of the abovementioned exists!^22
9 Studies Indispensable for the Development of Personalized
Medicine
Similar to clinical investigations, studies necessary for the development of person-
alized medicine include analysis of data obtained from large population studies
(groups of individuals sharing the same or similar characteristics such as the
environment in which they were born or grew up, age, etc.) and collection of
biological samples (biobanks).^23
Combination of carefully classified biological samples and detailed relevant
clinical information obtained from biobanks comprise the instrumental components
of research infrastructure that will facilitate the generation of much better, more
detailed classification of disease subtypes and act as impetus for the development of
personalized medicine of the twenty-first century.
(^20) M€uller and Kersten ( 2003 ).
(^21) Ries and Castle ( 2008 ).
(^22) Aspinall and Hamermesh ( 2007 ).
(^23) Hewitt ( 2011 ) and Spaventi et al. ( 1994 ).
Personalized Medicine: The Path to New Medicine 13