Dampening of Inflammatory Markers and Understanding COVID-19 Viral Disease Development: A Combinatorial Approach

One of the hallmarks of the global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is that it targets the immune system by producing inflammatory cytokines. COVID-19 has expedited investigations on numerous therapeutics to fight the disease-causing virus SARS-CoV-2, some without well-established safety or efficacy data. The severity of the disease depends on a number of factors, including genetic background and preexisting conditions. The difference in the genetic makeup makes everyone unique and the understanding of the COVID-19 cure arduous. To dampen these inflammatory markers and to understand the viral disease dynamics, accounting for genetic variability, a combinational three-way approach involving bioinformatics, nutrigenomics, and pharmacogenomics will give answers to many unanswered questions involving patient care. A futuristic approach to prevention and cure calls for continuous research with practice and training provision to the right group, accompanied with the awareness enhancing its utility. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021.

Nutrigenetics and nutrition aspects in COVID-19

Severe acute respiratory syndrome, COVID-19, is a global pandemic and is facing unprecedented challenges. The introduction of several precautions during the pandemic, such as lockdown and long-term isolation, might result in the adoption of poor dietary habits, raising the medium-term risk of noncommunicable diseases. Determining the impact of nutrition is crucial since dietary habits may prevent both nutritional disorders and act as an immunostimulant, assisting in the prevention, treatment, and recovery of patients with viral infections, particularly those with COVID-19. Although there are various medications such as antiviral drugs, interferons, etc., and vaccines to combat COVID-19 but they all have many limitations. There is a high need to move towards a more promising approach to cure this illness. Nutrigenetics involves determining how nutrients and other food ingredients affect gene regulation and gene expression. Nutrigenetics help in identifying a person's unique nutritional needs based on their genetic makeup and the relationship between diet and chronic diseases, which will aid in understanding the etiology of chronic illnesses like cancer, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. For the proper functioning of immune function, a healthy and balanced diet is very necessary. The consumption of macronutrients (proteins, fats, and carbohydrates) and micronutrients (vitamins;D, C, E, folate, B6, B12, and minerals;zinc, copper, iron, and selenium) are essential for the normal functioning of the immune function and increased resistance to viral infections such as COVID-19. Gut microbiota plays a very important role in the regulation of the immune system and hence in various viral infections. It has been observed that people suffering from intestinal dysbiosis are more linked to chronic diseases such as obesity and cardiovascular diseases and are at higher risks of COVID-19. The human microbiome is supported by dietary and host-derived nutrients, enabling its survival. Because changes in diet can impact the composition of bacteria in the gut, changes in the microbiota can be linked to changes in nutrition. A number of probiotics such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium have been reported to significantly reduce the severity of viral infections as well as enhance intestinal health and general immunity. In conclusion, nutrigenetics is crucial for proper immune functioning and can be a vital tool for boosting the immune system and helping to fight against viral infections such as COVID-19. © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

FINUT 2022 Conference Abstracts

The proceedings contain 343 papers. The topics discussed include: alterations in the gut microbiota associated with obesity and metabolic disease: cause or consequence?;childhood obesity in the community context;big data and machine learning as tools for the biomedical field;thermogenesis and adipose tissue: effect of genistein;pediatric obesity and comorbidities: a question of time and genetics? the Portuguese experience;nutrigenomics of inflammation;environmental factors associated with school children's excess of weight in communities of Costa Rica;dietary consumption: guided by a focus of nutrient adequacy or selection of foodstuffs?;functional foods as key regulators of gut microbiota in the SARS-CoV-2 infection;immunomodulatory properties of human milk;vitamin d in childhood and adolescent obesity;and new sources of vitamin D and E supplementation during pregnancy.

Vitamin D supplementation and immune-related markers: an update from nutrigenetic and nutrigenomic studies

Vitamin D is both a nutrient and a neurologic hormone that plays a critical role in modulating immune responses. While low levels of vitamin D are associated with increased susceptibility to infections and immune-related disorders, vitamin D supplementation has demonstrated immunomodulatory effects that can be protective against various diseases and infections. Vitamin D receptor is expressed in immune cells that have the ability to synthesise the active vitamin D metabolite. Thus, vitamin D acts in an autocrine manner in a local immunologic milieu in fighting against infections. Nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics are the new disciplines of nutritional science that explore the interaction between nutrients and genes using distinct approaches to decipher the mechanisms by which nutrients can influence disease development. Though molecular and observational studies have proved the immunomodulatory effects of vitamin D, only very few studies have documented the molecular insights of vitamin D supplementation. Until recently, researchers have investigated only a few selected genes involved in the vitamin D metabolic pathway that may influence the response to vitamin D supplementation and possibly disease risk. This review summarises the impact of vitamin D supplementation on immune markers from nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics perspective based on evidence collected through a structured search using PubMed, EMBASE, Science Direct and Web of Science. The research gaps and shortcomings from the existing data and future research direction of vitamin D supplementation on various immune-related disorders are discussed.

Leveraging Genomic Associations in Precision Digital Care for Weight Loss: Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the urgency of addressing an epidemic of obesity and associated inflammatory illnesses. Previous studies have demonstrated that interactions between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and lifestyle interventions such as food and exercise may vary metabolic outcomes, contributing to obesity. However, there is a paucity of research relating outcomes from digital therapeutics to the inclusion of genetic data in care interventions. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to describe and model the weight loss of participants enrolled in a precision digital weight loss program informed by the machine learning analysis of their data, including genomic data. It was hypothesized that weight loss models would exhibit a better fit when incorporating genomic data versus demographic and engagement variables alone. METHODS: A cohort of 393 participants enrolled in Digbi Health's personalized digital care program for 120 days was analyzed retrospectively. The care protocol used participant data to inform precision coaching by mobile app and personal coach. Linear regression models were fit of weight loss (pounds lost and percentage lost) as a function of demographic and behavioral engagement variables. Genomic-enhanced models were built by adding 197 SNPs from participant genomic data as predictors and refitted using Lasso regression on SNPs for variable selection. Success or failure logistic regression models were also fit with and without genomic data. RESULTS: Overall, 72.0% (n=283) of the 393 participants in this cohort lost weight, whereas 17.3% (n=68) maintained stable weight. A total of 142 participants lost 5% bodyweight within 120 days. Models described the impact of demographic and clinical factors, behavioral engagement, and genomic risk on weight loss. Incorporating genomic predictors improved the mean squared error of weight loss models (pounds lost and percent) from 70 to 60 and 16 to 13, respectively. The logistic model improved the pseudo R2 value from 0.193 to 0.285. Gender, engagement, and specific SNPs were significantly associated with weight loss. SNPs within genes involved in metabolic pathways processing food and regulating fat storage were associated with weight loss in this cohort: rs17300539_G (insulin resistance and monounsaturated fat metabolism), rs2016520_C (BMI, waist circumference, and cholesterol metabolism), and rs4074995_A (calcium-potassium transport and serum calcium levels). The models described greater average weight loss for participants with more risk alleles. Notably, coaching for dietary modification was personalized to these genetic risks. CONCLUSIONS: Including genomic information when modeling outcomes of a digital precision weight loss program greatly enhanced the model accuracy. Interpretable weight loss models indicated the efficacy of coaching informed by participants' genomic risk, accompanied by active engagement of participants in their own success. Although large-scale validation is needed, our study preliminarily supports precision dietary interventions for weight loss using genetic risk, with digitally delivered recommendations alongside health coaching to improve intervention efficacy.

Biological plausibility for interactions between dietary fat, resveratrol, ACE2, and SARS-CoV illness severity.

The angiotensin converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) cellular receptor is responsible for the pathogenesis of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), thus impacting the entrance and clearance of the virus. Studies demonstrate that upregulation of ACE2 has a protective effect on SARS-CoV-2 illness severity. Moreover, animal studies demonstrate that dietary intake can modulate ACE2 gene expression and function. A high intake of resveratrol may have a protective role, upregulating ACE2, whereas a high intake of dietary fat may have a detrimental role, downregulating ACE2. As such, we postulate on the biological plausibility of interactions between dietary fat and/or resveratrol and ACE2 gene variations in the modulation of SARS-CoV-2 illness severity. We call to action the research community to test this plausible interaction in a sample of human subjects.