Nutrigenomics and Nutrigenetics: Concepts and Applications in Nutrition Research and Practice.

Nutrigenomics refers to the application of genomic principles in nutritional research, enables us to formulate associations between specific nutrients and genetic factors, e.g. the way in which food or food ingredients influence gene expression. It aims to identify the genes that influence the risk of diet-related diseases and also helpful to solve the mechanisms that underlie these genetic predispositions. In contrast, nutrigenetics reveals the coordination of genetic makeup of individuals with their responses to various dietary nutrients. It clarifies different responses to same nutrient by different individuals. Interaction of genetic background and diet with regard to development of chronic conditions as obesity, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and cancer are discussed in present review. These two branches of nutrition resemble with two sides of a coin, facing towards opposite sides but simultaneously, they are intimately attached with each other. Collective efforts by the scientific community are needed to strictly follow guidelines put forth regarding experimental designs, analysis, and data storage for nutritional research. This strategy will be helpful to generate a sound database useful for clinicians and dietetic practitioners.

Association between ADIPOQ Gene Polymorphism rs182052 and Obesity in Korean Women

The association between adiponectin concentration and obesity have been reported and genetic variations of the ADIPOQ gene are known to influence the plasmatic concentration of adiponectin. Therefore, we investigated the effect of AIPOQ single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) on obesity-related variables, and their modulation by dietary intakes in Korean women. The subjects consisted of 3,217 Korean women aged 40-59 years participating in the Korean Genome Epidemiology Study (KoGES). The general characteristics, anthropometric variables, serum blood profiles were measured. Dietary intake was analyzed using the Food Frequency Questionnaire. Subjects with the T allele of AIPOQ rs182052 showed significantly higher obesity-related variables such as weight (p=0.005), BMI (p<0.000), fat body mass (p=0.005), and waist-hip ratio (p=0.007) than those with the C allele. Moreover, the rs182052 T allele was associated with an increased risk of obesity prevalence (p=0.019). However, there were not any significant interactions observed between the genotype of ADIPOQ rs182052 and dietary intake on BMI and fat body mass. These findings suggest that the obesity-related variables may be more dominantly affected by the genotype of ADIPOQ rs182052 than dietary intake in middle aged Korean women.