Nutrigenomics is a method for modeling biological systems. This approach assesses the impact of nutrition on the full scale of metabolism, from the level of the gene ((opens in a new window)genomics), through to messenger RNA ((opens in a new window)transcriptomics), proteins ((opens in a new window)proteomics) and finally metabolites ((opens in a new window)metabolomics).
Nutrigenomics information, combined with other more traditional health and environmental assessments such as dietary intake, physical activity, body composition and blood biochemistry, can be used to fully assess an individual’s nutritional phenotype. The nutritional phenotype therefore aims to represent the health of the whole individual, from the activities in their body cells all the way to their level of functional capacity and some physical characteristics.
Aims of the JINGO Project
The JINGO Nutritional Phenotype Database has been constructed by experts in molecular nutrition, epidemiology, public health nutrition and clinical medicine, and it has future relevance for all sections of society namely other researchers, health professionals, industrial partners, policy makers and the general public. It:
- Provides more information within the area of gene-diet interaction research by identifying those nutrients which interact with particular genes to increase the likelihood that an individual will develop a certain disease. It thereby serves as a national resource, vital for carrying out future food and health research, aiding in the prevention of obesity and chronic diseases of ageing where gene-nutrient interactions are emerging as key factors.
- Relates certain nutritional phenotypes to specific transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic signatures, which could result in more accurate means of establishing healthy dietary and nutritional profiles.
- Develops better functional foods, targeting them at the right groups, furthering the concept of “personalised nutrition”.
