1
|
Kaput J, van Ommen B, Kremer B, Priami C, Monteiro JP, Morine M, Pepping F, Diaz Z, Fenech M, He Y, Albers R, Drevon CA, Evelo CT, Hancock REW, Ijsselmuiden C, Lumey LH, Minihane AM, Muller M, Murgia C, Radonjic M, Sobral B, West KP. Consensus statement understanding health and malnutrition through a systems approach: the ENOUGH program for early life. Genes Nutr 2014; 9:378. [PMID: 24363221 PMCID: PMC3896628 DOI: 10.1007/s12263-013-0378-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2013] [Accepted: 12/02/2013] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Nutrition research, like most biomedical disciplines, adopted and often uses experimental approaches based on Beadle and Tatum's one gene-one polypeptide hypothesis, thereby reducing biological processes to single reactions or pathways. Systems thinking is needed to understand the complexity of health and disease processes requiring measurements of physiological processes, as well as environmental and social factors, which may alter the expression of genetic information. Analysis of physiological processes with omics technologies to assess systems' responses has only become available over the past decade and remains costly. Studies of environmental and social conditions known to alter health are often not connected to biomedical research. While these facts are widely accepted, developing and conducting comprehensive research programs for health are often beyond financial and human resources of single research groups. We propose a new research program on essential nutrients for optimal underpinning of growth and health (ENOUGH) that will use systems approaches with more comprehensive measurements and biostatistical analysis of the many biological and environmental factors that influence undernutrition. Creating a knowledge base for nutrition and health is a necessary first step toward developing solutions targeted to different populations in diverse social and physical environments for the two billion undernourished people in developed and developing economies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jim Kaput
- Clinical Translation Unit, Nestle Institute of Health Sciences, Lausanne, Switzerland,
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
2
|
van Ommen B, Bouwman J, Dragsted LO, Drevon CA, Elliott R, de Groot P, Kaput J, Mathers JC, Müller M, Pepping F, Saito J, Scalbert A, Radonjic M, Rocca-Serra P, Travis A, Wopereis S, Evelo CT. Challenges of molecular nutrition research 6: the nutritional phenotype database to store, share and evaluate nutritional systems biology studies. Genes Nutr 2010; 5:189-203. [PMID: 21052526 PMCID: PMC2935528 DOI: 10.1007/s12263-010-0167-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2009] [Accepted: 01/03/2010] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The challenge of modern nutrition and health research is to identify food-based strategies promoting life-long optimal health and well-being. This research is complex because it exploits a multitude of bioactive compounds acting on an extensive network of interacting processes. Whereas nutrition research can profit enormously from the revolution in ‘omics’ technologies, it has discipline-specific requirements for analytical and bioinformatic procedures. In addition to measurements of the parameters of interest (measures of health), extensive description of the subjects of study and foods or diets consumed is central for describing the nutritional phenotype. We propose and pursue an infrastructural activity of constructing the “Nutritional Phenotype database” (dbNP). When fully developed, dbNP will be a research and collaboration tool and a publicly available data and knowledge repository. Creation and implementation of the dbNP will maximize benefits to the research community by enabling integration and interrogation of data from multiple studies, from different research groups, different countries and different—omics levels. The dbNP is designed to facilitate storage of biologically relevant, pre-processed—omics data, as well as study descriptive and study participant phenotype data. It is also important to enable the combination of this information at different levels (e.g. to facilitate linkage of data describing participant phenotype, genotype and food intake with information on study design and—omics measurements, and to combine all of this with existing knowledge). The biological information stored in the database (i.e. genetics, transcriptomics, proteomics, biomarkers, metabolomics, functional assays, food intake and food composition) is tailored to nutrition research and embedded in an environment of standard procedures and protocols, annotations, modular data-basing, networking and integrated bioinformatics. The dbNP is an evolving enterprise, which is only sustainable if it is accepted and adopted by the wider nutrition and health research community as an open source, pre-competitive and publicly available resource where many partners both can contribute and profit from its developments. We introduce the Nutrigenomics Organisation (NuGO, http://www.nugo.org) as a membership association responsible for establishing and curating the dbNP. Within NuGO, all efforts related to dbNP (i.e. usage, coordination, integration, facilitation and maintenance) will be directed towards a sustainable and federated infrastructure.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ben van Ommen
- TNO Quality of Life, PO Box 360, 6700 AJ Zeist, The Netherlands
| | - Jildau Bouwman
- TNO Quality of Life, PO Box 360, 6700 AJ Zeist, The Netherlands
| | - Lars O. Dragsted
- Institute of Human Nutrition, University of Copenhagen, 30 Rolighedsvej, 1958 Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Christian A. Drevon
- Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ruan Elliott
- Institute of Food Research, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, Norfolk NR4 7UA UK
| | - Philip de Groot
- Nutrigenomics Consortium, TI Food and Nutrition, P.O. Box 557, 6700AN Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Division of Human Nutrition, Wageningen University, PO Box 8129, 6700 EV Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jim Kaput
- Division of Personalized Nutrition and Medicine, Food and Drug Administration/National Center for Toxicological Research, Jefferson, AR USA
| | - John C. Mathers
- Human Nutrition Research Centre, Institute for Ageing and Health, Newcastle University, William Leech Building, Framlington Place, Newcastle, NE44 6HE UK
| | - Michael Müller
- Nutrigenomics Consortium, TI Food and Nutrition, P.O. Box 557, 6700AN Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Division of Human Nutrition, Wageningen University, PO Box 8129, 6700 EV Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Fre Pepping
- Division of Human Nutrition, Wageningen University, PO Box 8129, 6700 EV Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jahn Saito
- Department of Bioinformatics (BiGCaT) and Department of Knowledge Engineering (DKE), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Augustin Scalbert
- INRA, UMR 1019, Unite´ de Nutrition Humaine, Centre de Recherche de Clermont-Ferrand/Theix, 63122 Saint-Genes-Champanelle, France
| | | | | | - Anthony Travis
- The Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Aberdeen, Greenburn Road, Bucksburn Aberdeen, Scotland, AB21 9SB UK
| | - Suzan Wopereis
- TNO Quality of Life, PO Box 360, 6700 AJ Zeist, The Netherlands
| | - Chris T. Evelo
- Department of Bioinformatics (BiGCaT), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Pepping F, Van der Giezen AM, De Jonge KI, West CE. Food consumption of children with and without xerophthalmia in rural Tanzania. Trop Geogr Med 1989; 41:14-21. [PMID: 2763341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Food intake of 26 children (4-9 years old) of whom nine had xerophthalmic eye lesions (Bitot's spots), was recorded over a period of four days. The principal staple foods were maize and sweet potatoes, while sorghum and cassava were also used as staple foods. The intake of energy was rather low partly due to the bulkiness of the diet. Protein intake was above the recommended intake but mainly derived from vegetable sources. The intake of retinol, beta-carotene, folic acid and iron was low in all children especially those with xerophthalmia. Dried green leafy vegetables contributed about 20% of the total beta-carotene intake during the period that the survey was carried out.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- F Pepping
- Department of Human Nutrition, Wageningen Agricultural University, The Netherlands
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
6
|
Pepping F, Kavishe FP, Hackenitz EA, West CE. Prevalence of xerophthalmia in relation to nutrition and general health in preschool-age children in three regions of Tanzania. Acta Paediatr Scand 1988; 77:895-906. [PMID: 3264657 DOI: 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1988.tb10775.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Integrated nutrition/health surveys were carried out in Mbeya, Iringa and Kagera Regions in Tanzania in which a total of 12,880 children were examined for the presence of xerophthalmia. Xerophthalmia was found to be a problem of public health significance in two of the three regions surveyed where the prevalence of active corneal xerophthalmic lesions was above the criteria set by WHO. Because of clustering of the children with Bitot's spots, corneal xerosis/ulceration and corneal scarring, only certain villages or groups of villages could be regarded as areas where xerophthalmia is a problem. The results of the ophthalmological examinations are discussed in relation to the nutritional status of the children as measured by anthropometric indices, serum levels of retinol-binding protein and prealbumin, haematological parameters, and vaccination status.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- F Pepping
- Department of Human Nutrition, Wageningen Agricultural University, The Netherlands
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|