Should 'Omics' education be a part of allied health profession curricula?

Sequencing of human genome followed by monumental progress in omics sciences within last two decades has made personalized nutrition for better health is a reality for near future. The complexity of underlying science in making personalized nutrition recommendation has led to the need for training of health care providers. The International Society of Nutrigenetics/Nutrigenomics (ISNN) has mission to increase the understanding among both professionals and the general public of the role of genetic variation and nutrients in gene expression. To bring this mission to fruition, we need trained healthcare professionals ready to educate public. With this in mind, we have surveyed allied health students for their omics knowledge, desire to learn more and their perception of the need of omics education. The results show a need for training in omics in all allied health disciplines and desire of the students to learn more.

"Omics" Education in Dietetic Curricula: A Comparison between Two Institutions in the USA and Mexico.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The completion of sequencing of the human genome and a better understanding of epigenomic regulation of gene expression have opened the possibility of personalized nutrition in the near future. This has also created an immediate need for trained personnel qualified to administer personalized nutrition education. Of all the allied healthcare personnel, dietitians are the most likely to undertake this role. However, dietitians and dietetic students are still deficient in their knowledge of nutrigenomics and other "omics" technologies. Therefore, with the eventual goal of dietetic curriculum reorganization, the International Society of Nutrigenetics/Nutrigenomics (ISNN) has set out to evaluate nutrigenomic knowledge among dietetic students from different countries. In this study, we compared nutrition and dietetic students from Texas Woman's University (TWU) and the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (UANL) for their perceived need for, interest in, and knowledge of different topics within nutritional genomics. METHODS: Students from both universities were sent an e-mail link to the survey which was located at psychdata.com. One hundred twenty-seven students completed the survey. The survey assessed the students' knowledge of, perceived need for, and interest in different omics technologies, as well as their basic knowledge of basic nutrition and genetic topics. Differences were assessed using the χ2 test for homogeneity and Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: Students from TWU and UANL exhibited differences in their knowledge, desire to learn more, and perceived need for omics science in some but not all categories. CONCLUSIONS: Undergraduate nutrition students from both the USA and Mexico lack a high level of knowledge in different omics topics but recognize the role that omics will play in their future as dietitians. There were differences between the 2 universities in terms of the desire to learn more about different omics technologies and to take more classes covering different topics with nutritional genomic components. In order to make personalized nutrition a reality, future dietitians will need to become fluent in different omics technologies.

Bioactive Plant Metabolites in the Management of Non-Communicable Metabolic Diseases: Looking at Opportunities beyond the Horizon.

There has been an unprecedented worldwide rise in non-communicable metabolic diseases (NCDs), particularly cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and diabetes. While modern pharmacotherapy has decreased the mortality in the existing population, it has failed to stem the rise. Furthermore, a large segment of the world population cannot afford expensive pharmacotherapy. Therefore, there is an urgent need for inexpensive preventive measures to control the rise in CVD and diabetes and associated co-morbidities. The purpose of this review is to explore the role of food bioactives in prevention of NCDs. To this end, we have critically analyzed the possible utility of three classes of food bioactives: (a) resistant starch, a metabolically resistant carbohydrate known to favorably modulate insulin secretion and glucose metabolism; (b) cyclo (His-Pro), a food-derived cyclic dipeptides; and (c) polyphenol-rich berries. Finally, we have also briefly outlined the strategies needed to prepare these food-bioactives for human use.

Lifestyle and Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs) Burden: Its Relevance to Healthy Aging.

Uncontrolled continued exposure to oxidative stress is a precursor to many chronic diseases including cancer, diabetes, degenerative disorders and cardiovascular diseases. Of the many known mediators of oxidative stress, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are the most studied. In the present review, we have summarized current data on the origin of circulating AGEs, discussed issues associated with reliable assessment of its steady state level, and changes in its level with age and select metabolic diseases. Lastly, we have made recommendations about life style changes that may decrease AGEs burden to promote healthy aging.

Consumption of a diet rich in cottonseed oil (CSO) lowers total and LDL cholesterol in normo-cholesterolemic subjects.

Animal data indicates that dietary cottonseed oil (CSO) may lower cholesterol; however, the effects of a CSO-rich diet have not been evaluated in humans. Thirty-eight healthy adults (aged 18-40; 12 males, 26 females) consumed a CSO rich diet (95 g CSO daily) for one week. Anthropometric measurements were obtained, and blood was drawn pre- and post-intervention. Serum lipids (total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL), triglyceride (TG), and free fatty acids (FFA)) were assayed. There was no change in weight or waist circumference among participants. There was no change in HDL (Pre: 1.27 ± 0.4 mmol/L; Post: 1.21 ± 0.3 mmol/L) or TG (Pre: 0.91 ± 0.6 mmol/L; Post: 1.06 ± 1.0 mmol/L). Total cholesterol and LDL were reduced (TC Pre: 4.39 ± 0.9 mmol/L; Post: 4.16 ± 0.8 mmol/L; LDL Pre: 2.70 ± 0.8 mmol/L; Post: 2.47 ± 0.6 mmol/L). When data were grouped by sex, total cholesterol was reduced in female participants (Pre: 4.34 ± 0.9 mmol/L; Post: 4.09 ± 0.8 mmol/L). Consumption of a high fat, CSO-rich diet for one week reduced total cholesterol in female participants without reducing HDL.

Effect of blueberry polyphenols on 3T3-F442A preadipocyte differentiation.

Today obesity is an epidemic, and its prevalence has increased significantly over the last few decades. To avoid excessive accumulation of fat, optimum energy intake along with regular exercise is mandatory. Polyphenols present in green tea, grape seeds, orange, and grapefruit combat adipogenesis at the molecular level and also induce lipolysis. However, very little is known regarding the role of blueberry polyphenols on adipocyte differentiation. Hence we tested the dose-dependent effects of blueberry polyphenols on mouse 3T3-F442A preadipocyte differentiation and lipolysis. 3T3-F442A preadipocytes were incubated with three doses of blueberry polyphenols (150, 200, and 250 µg/mL [BB-150, BB-200, and BB-250, respectively]), and intracellular lipid content, cell proliferation, and lipolysis were assayed. Blueberry polyphenols suppressed adipocyte differentiation determined by Oil Red-O staining and AdipoRed assay. Intracellular lipid content in control (11,385.51±1,169.6 relative fluorescence units) was significantly higher (P<.05) than with the three doses of blueberry polyphenols (8336.86±503.57, 4235.67±323.17, and 3027.97±346.61, respectively). This corresponds to a reduction of 27%, 63%, and 74%, respectively. Cell proliferation was observed to be significantly higher in the control (0.744±0.035 optical density units) than with BB-150 (0.517±0.031), BB-200 (0.491±0.023), and BB-250 (0.455±0.012). However, when tested for lipolysis, there was no significant difference observed among the groups. We conclude that blueberry polyphenols may play an effective role in inhibiting adipogenesis and cell proliferation.

Vitamin E and prostate cancer: is vitamin E succinate a superior chemopreventive agent?

There is convincing evidence that vitamin E succinate significantly reduces human prostate cancer growth in experimental models compared with alpha-tocopherol or tocopheryl acetate. Its intact delivery to cancer cells is questionable when administered orally; however, a study in transgenic mice showed a synergistic inhibitory effect of dietary vitamin E succinate, selenium, and lycopene on prostate cancer incidence. Clinical trials have yet to confirm this effect.