The Secret of Long Life Is Personalized, Like Nutrigenomics

By Szabolcs Toró

Following the lines of this book brings us to the subject of nutrigenomics: the research, discovery and understanding of the effects that some of the components of our foods have on the individual person or, more specifically, within that individual. In reality, some components of our foods, be it macro-components (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins) or micro-components (minerals, vitamins, and phytochemicals), have an effect not just on our food preference or on our energy supply, but can also modify our genetic material. This may allow some previously hidden personal characteristics to appear.
Based on the latest publications and reviews available in this exciting field of science, yet formulated in a clearly legible style, the content of this book allows us to gain an understanding of some factors and their interconnections that can influence our well being and ultimately our health.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Szabolcs Toró
• Release date: Feb 24, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311398802

Szabolcs Toró

Szabolcs Toró has a great interest in healthy lifestyle and nutrition as well as in molecular medicine and medical biochemistry. His studies in Food Engineering, MSc. Nutritional Science and MSc. Medical Biotechnology helped him to deepen his knowledge, passion and interest in Life Sciences and to find a link between nutrition, genetics, engineering and biotechnology.

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The Secret of Long Life

Is Personalized, Like Nutrigenomics

by Szabolcs Toró

Published by Szabolcs Toró

Copyright © 2014 by Szabolcs Toró

Smashwords Edition

Author: Szabolcs Toró

Edited by: Szabolcs Toró

Proofreader: J. D. Speight

Cover made by: Szabolcs Toró

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Disclaimer

The information contained in this book is for educational purposes only and is not a suitable substitute for a consultation with your physician or health care professional. The information provided herein is a service, and should only be viewed as opinion. No conclusions on one's condition should be drawn without medical evaluation by an appropriately licensed physician or healthcare professional. The advice in this book is neither intended as, nor appropriate as a substitute for professional care or medical consultations. The information contained herein has been obtained from sources deemed ethical and reliable but is not guaranteed as to accuracy or completeness. It is strictly a resource to assist consumers in making an informed decision regarding their health management. If you have or suspect that you may have a health problem, please consult your health care provider.

In no event shall the author be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, special, exemplary, punitive, or any other monetary or other damages, fees, fines, penalties, or liabilities arising out of or relating in any way to the content of this book provided herein. A user's sole and exclusive remedy for dissatisfaction with the content is to stop using the information provided herein.

Table of contents

Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 1.1: Nutrigenomics

Chapter 2: Three interesting examples of how our digestion of various food-types has changed in the last thousand years

Chapter 3: Certain ingredients of our foods

Chapter 3.1: Amino acids

Chapter 3.1.1: Bioactive peptides

Chapter 3.2: Fatty acids

Chapter 3.2.1: Obesity

Chapter 3.2.2: Trans fatty acids

Chapter 3.2.3: Conjugated fatty acids

Chapter 3.3: Antioxidants

Chapter 3.3.1: Carotenoids

Chapter 3.3.2: Polyphenols

Chapter 3.3.2.1: Digestion

Chapter 3.3.2.2: Absorption

Chapter 4: Oxidative stress

Chapter 4.1: How and where are these reactive oxygen species be generated

Chapter 4.2: The effect of physical activity on oxidative stress

Chapter 4.3: The body’s own antioxidant system

Chapter 5: Molecular gastronomy

Chapter 6: Nutrition – epigenetics – nutrigenomics

Chapter 6.1: Arteriosclerosis and the role of nutrigenomics

Chapter 6.1.1: Dyslipidemia

Chapter 6.2: Nutrigenomics as prevention against cancer?

Chapter 6.3: Microorganisms of the gut and nutrigenomics

Chapter 6.4: Food ingredients beneficial to our health

Chapter 6.5: The Mediterranean diet and nutrigenomics

Chapter 6.5.1: Obesity and Mediterranean diet

Chapter 7: Bibliography

About the Author

1 Introduction

The importance of food in our lives is unquestionable. As for stories of people managing to survive for long periods without food, I must admit to having no idea how such magical feats are achieved. In the mechanised world we observe that machines only function if given some form of fuel (coal, gas, electricity and so forth); they need some kind of energy for the execution of their work. Similarly, in humans, there is a basic need for energy and this is provided by food. However, it may be useful to view the energy needs of humans in terms of the machine rather than the other way round.

2000 years ago, Hippocrates - considered to be the father of western medicine - recognised the effects of food on health, and one of his quotes is still widely heard today: Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.

I believe this sentence conveys the idea of personalized medicine, the concept of maintaining the health of the individual rather than the treatment of people in general. Put another way, Hippocrates does not make the general statement that food should be medicine, he says that the food which you consume, (thy food), should be your medicine thy medicine).

Therefore, because we are all unique, our diet and its effect upon us can also be unique; what is good for me is not necessarily good for you, and what helps you does not necessarily help me. But we can say that if something good can help you, then what helps you is good for you.

Following this line of thought brings us to the subject of nutrigenomics: the research, discovery and understanding of the effects that some of the components of our foods have on the individual person or, more specifically, within that individual. In reality, some components of our foods, be it macro-components (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins) or micro-components (minerals, vitamins, and phytochemicals), have an effect not just on our food preference or on our energy supply, but can also modify our genetic material. This may allow some previously hidden characteristics to appear, or might control the expression of our genes, for example by determining the information that should be translated from our DNA, into proteins with a specific function (enzyme).

Some of the terms and expressions I’ve begun using may well sound alien to the reader, however, in the chapters that follow such terms and expressions, as well as their interrelationships, will become clearer. We will also get closer to an understanding of how we, too, are responsible for what happens in our genes as we make decisions and choices regarding our food intake.

1.1 Nutrigenomics

I mentioned the phrase nutrigenomics. As yet, it is not a common word, but I believe that as society becomes more open to the increasing diversity of health care practices, and as awareness is raised, more and more people will encounter this term.

For some people, perhaps even a decade ago, hearing the words genomics or genetics evoked thoughts of non-mainstream practices, even quack methods. Now however, it is becoming a more widely accepted and recognised term and is slowly becoming commonplace, (even though its meaning often remains shrouded).

Nutrigenomics as a science emerged shortly after 2001. Also around that time, we became aware of the work of the Human Genome Project and the human gene pool. This has brought about (perhaps a little ironically) the re-appearance of that ancient idea put forward by Hippocrates: that ‘my food should be my medicine’, but this time backed by scientific evidence which shows that there is an interrelationship between our genes and the nutrients we consume.

Let’s begin to form an idea of what Nutrigenomics is about, what it deals with, and what the diligent work of scientists in this area can tell us.

As the name suggests, nutrigenomics studies the relationship between food (nutrition) and our genes (genomics).

We can begin to visualize this relationship