Molecular Nutrition and Genomics pot

[...]... genome and thousands of gene products in a multidimensional view of cellular processes that we now refer to as nutrigenomics This is the dawn of the age of molecular nutrition Molecular nutrition is a far more multidisciplinary subject than the nutritional sciences of old It can address fundamental questions of human health that provide exquisite mechanistic explanations of cause and effect Human nutritional... endeavor to explain the very nature of mankind, and our ascent to planetary dominance blends both nutrition and molecular biology into the fields of nutritional genetics and nutrigenomics These new disciplines exploit our knowledge of the human genome and its variability to explain how nutrients, their dependent proteins, and encoding genes conspire to forge and maintain our species These interactions not... level Nutrigenomics refers to the interface between environmental nutrients and cellular/genetic processes, whereas sociogenomics blends genomics with neuroscience, behavioral biology, and evolutionary biology Other disciplines such as “pharmacogenomics” and “toxicogenomics” are highly applied in their goals of searching for improved therapeutic interventions From recent research in these and related... perspective is well understood, and is expanded upon later, but how can we explain evolutionary change at the molecular level based on nutrient availability? Is it possible to concoct a recipe for Adam and Eve? xii Chapter 1 Defining Important Concepts 1.1 KEY CONCEPTS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY FOR THE STUDY OF HUMAN NUTRITION Until very recently, the study of human nutrition and molecular biology were considered... help students and teachers at the university level gain a new perspective on an old subject I have written it in a way that I hope engages students drawn from a range of relevant disciplines that extend from molecular nutrition, nutritional sciences, and nutrition and dietetics to anthropology ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Given the challenging workload of today’s university academic, and the time demands of writing... about food, its constituents, and how they prevent disease or contribute, to it As this book proves, nutrition is a far more diverse and philosophically deep subject than many students (and educators) think, and one that has never been more relevant than it is today The two novel subdisciplines within nutrition that are now increasingly important are nutrigenomics and nutritional genetics Peter Gillies... polymorphisms and clinical experience.” These are sound definitions, and worthy of reiteration for all students of the subject As our knowledge of the “nutriome” improves and the gaps within the interactome are filled in, it seems likely that the buzzwords of today like nutrigenomics and nutritional genetics will ultimately give way to the unifying field of human molecular nutrition Chapter 2 Molecular Mechanisms... family, and so I acknowledge both my wife Jill and daughter Rebecca who continue to keep me buoyant in my personal and professional life, and who pick up the pieces when the pressure gets too much It has been my privilege to work with many kind, generous and able scientists over the years Their encouragement and objective criticism have helped me develop my own perspective on the subject of molecular nutrition, ... a low digestive capacity, which leads to abdominal discomfort when Molecular Nutrition and Genomics: Nutrition and the Ascent of Humankind, Edited by Mark Lucock Copyright C 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Inc 19 20 MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF GENETIC VARIATION LINKED TO DIET Figure 2.1 Incompatibility between programming in our ancestral genes and the dietary consequences of a modern diet in excess of 500 mL of... forms the molecular backbone KEY CONCEPTS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY FOR THE STUDY OF HUMAN NUTRITION 3 Figure 1.2 RNA is the same as DNA except RNA contains uracil, whereas DNA contains thymine Additionally, in RNA, ribose replaces DNA’s 2-deoxyribose of this structure The bases face inward and stabilize the double helix via hydrogen bonds between adjacent T and A bases, and again between adjacent G and C bases . 0 Molecular Nutrition and Genomics i JWDD058-FM JWDD058-Lucock March 19, 2007 8:3 Char Count= 0 ii JWDD058-FM JWDD058-Lucock March 19, 2007 8:3 Char Count= 0 Molecular Nutrition and Genomics Nutrition. Data Lucock, Mark. Molecular nutrition and genomics : nutrition and the ascent of humankind / Mark Lucock. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-470-08159-4 1. Nutrition –. from molecular nutrition, nutritional sciences, and nutrition and dietetics to anthropology. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Given the challenging workload of today’s university academic, and the time demands