ARS | Publication request: Nutritional Genomic Testing: What Role Will Clinical Labs Play?

Submitted to: Clinical Laboratory News
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: February 1, 2007
Publication Date: June 25, 2007
Publisher's URL: http://www.aacc.org/AACC/events/expert_access/2007/June07/
Citation: Ordovas, J.M. 2007. Nutritional Genomic Testing: What Role Will Clinical Labs Play?. Clinical Laboratory News. 33:4.

Technical Abstract: The most important practical translation of nutrition research to public health consists of defining and delivering optimal dietary recommendations aimed to prevent disease and to promote optimal health for everybody and for each stage of human life. For this purpose, and for over a century, several dietary guidelines have been implemented to improve the health of the general population and of those at high risk for specific diseases [i.e., cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, hypertension, and diabetes]. The characteristics of those dietary recommendations have been determined by expert committees following careful examination of the best scientific evidence available at the time. However, past and current dietary guidelines have not considered the dramatic differences on the individual's physiological response to changes in nutrient intake. Moreover, specific dietary recommendations to treat specific diseases have not considered individual differences. These differences in response may greatly affect the efficacy of these recommendations at the individual level.