Transcript Nutrition Professionals in Industry/Business

Emerging Trends in
Foods and Nutrition
Functional Foods and
Nutrigenomics
Nutrition Professionals in
Industry/Business

Areas of employment

Food industry


Companies manufacturing food products,
supplements, etc.
Activities




Dietetics
Sales
Marketing
Communications
Functional Foods
Antioxidants &
Phytochemicals
Functional Foods


Naturally occurring food components
providing demonstrated physiological
benefits or that reduce the risk of chronic
disease
Beyond basic nutrition – health benefits
Functional foods – whole food
Nutraceuticals – isolate component of food
sold in dosage form
Functional Foods

Conventional or
Whole food example

Blueberries
 Ranked #1 in antioxidant activity
 Anthocyanin – the pigment that makes
blueberries blue
 Slow age related loss
 Heart health
 Urinary tract health
 Nutrition
Functional Foods

Added food component – Modified Foods

Ocean Nutrition Canada





Omega-3 milk – Farmer’s Dairy
Prenatal brain development
Children’s brain development
Heart disease prevention
Promotion of registered dietitian
Pre- and Pro-biotics


Influence intestinal microbes
Prebiotics




Refers to substrate
Inulin – from chicory root
Oligofructose (FOS)
Probiotics




Refers to beneficial bacteria
Bifidobacteria
Lactobacilli
Acidophilus
Possible Practical Applications of
Probiotic Agents



Management of pediatric diarrheal
disease
After antibiotic use
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBS)
Future of Prebiotics &
Probiotics

Need to clarify research findings for
consistent professional use of probiotics





Use of probiotic species & specific strains
Dosages & forms for use
Safety of products
Shelf life of products
Prebiotic ‘fibres’ (e.g., inulin)

Poorly understood fermentation profiles &
dosages

Douglas, & Sanders, 2008
Functional Foods

Lead to claims on food labeling



Qualified health claims
 “may” contribute to health situation
Health claims
 Confirmed relationship between food constituents &
disease risk or health condition
Dietary guidance claims
 Health benefits of broad categories of foods


E.g., whole grains, V/F
Structure & Function claims
 Food constituent effect on normal structure & function
of body
Dietitian’s Attitudes


Survey of Canadian dietitians, 2008
60% respondents supported health claims
on labels


BUT only with adequate scientific support
AND with government regulation
Majority felt dietitians needed to become
knowledgeable concerning functional
foods & nutriceuticals

Sheeshka, & LaCroix, 2008
Functional Foods



Why are functional food products
expected to continue to grow in the
coming years?
Should supplements of functional food
components be expected to give similar
results?
What is the safe level of intake for
functional foods?
Nutrition Professional Role &
Responsibilities in Functional Foods

Nutrition professionals should respond by
...?

How does this suggested approach differ
philosophically from traditional nutrition
practice?
Nutrigenomics
Definitions

Nutritional genomics


Is the field of study
Nutrigenomics

Concerned with the environmental influence
on gene expression
Nutrigenomics

Working towards dietary strategies to prevent
and treat chronic disease
Fundamental Principles





Dietary components (bioactive molecules)
that control gene function
Individual genetic makeup and nutrient
requirements
Nutrition and lifestyle manipulated according
to genes
Diet responsive genes and chronic disease
Individualized dietary intervention
Initiators



Human genome project
Nutrients are potent dietary signals
influencing the metabolic programming of
cells
Hereditary factors can predispose complex
chronic disease
Areas of potential benefit

Chronic inflammation



e.g, Catechins (tea), curcumin (turmeric),
resveratrol (grapes), lactones (chicory)
Cardiovascular disease
Osteoporosis
PERIOD2 gene variants


PER2 linked to abdominal obesity
People with minor variant significantly more likely
than non-carriers to:






withdrawal from wt-loss treatment program
experience stress with dieting
display extreme snacking behavior
eat when bored
skip breakfast
Shows need for personalized programs based on
genetic testing and behavioral therapy

Garaulet, et al., 2010
Telomere length & multivitamin
use

Telomere – terminal section of chromosome
involved in replication and stability



Shorten with repeated replications, so may be a marker of
biological aging
Antioxidant vitamins & minerals may affect length
Recent large study (Sisters Study) showed
daily multivitamin users had on average 51% longer
telomeres (~9.8 years age-related loss)
 Only vit C & E from food were related to telomere length
Preliminary findings


Why is this important?

Emerging as key area in nutrition practice




Potential to enhance effectiveness of practice
Opportunities to grow over next 5-10 years
Enhances ability to make diet & lifestyle choices
to improve health & reduce disease risk
Nutrition professionals need to


Keep up with science in area
Use evidence to develop products & services
The Future

Very new science



Many complex mechanisms to understand first


Personalized dietary advice or product development
premature at this point
Positive opinion by public
e.g., how individual genes interact with each other
Lifelong approach to learning essential to be up
to date
Challenges




Health professionals & public not prepared to
effectively integrate research into practice
Lack of knowledge & experts
How to fit into already crowded curricula at
undergrad level
Genetic variations & links to health must be
known



Need valid, reliable genetic testing assays
Testing to occur in credentialed labs
Need to address ethical concerns over misuse