Personalized nutrition and healthy aging

Authors: ORDOVAS, JOSE - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University; BERCIANO, SYLVIA - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University

Submitted to: Nutrition Reviews
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/5/2020
Publication Date: 11/26/2020
Citation: Ordovas, J.M., Berciano, S. 2020. Personalized nutrition and healthy aging. Nutrition Reviews. 78(S3):58-65. https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuaa102.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuaa102

Interpretive Summary: The human lifespan and quality of life depend on complex interactions among genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. Aging research has been remarkably advanced by the development of high-throughput "omics" technologies. Differences between chronological and biological ages, and identification of factors (eg, nutrition) that modulate the rate of aging can now be assessed at the individual level on the basis of telomere length, the epigenome, and the metabolome. Nevertheless, the understanding of the different responses of people to dietary factors, which is the focus of precision nutrition research, remains incomplete. The lack of reliable dietary assessment methods constitutes a significant challenge in nutrition research, especially in elderly populations. For practical and successful personalized diet advice, big data techniques are needed to analyze and integrate the relevant omics (ie, genomic, epigenomic, metabolomics) with an objective and longitudinal capture of individual nutritional and environmental information. Application of such techniques will provide the scientific evidence and knowledge needed to offer actionable, personalized health recommendations to transform the promise of personalized nutrition into reality.

Technical Abstract: The human lifespan and quality of life depend on complex interactions among genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. Aging research has been remarkably advanced by the development of high-throughput "omics" technologies. Differences between chronological and biological ages, and identification of factors (eg, nutrition) that modulate the rate of aging can now be assessed at the individual level on the basis of telomere length, the epigenome, and the metabolome. Nevertheless, the understanding of the different responses of people to dietary factors, which is the focus of precision nutrition research, remains incomplete. The lack of reliable dietary assessment methods constitutes a significant challenge in nutrition research, especially in elderly populations. For practical and successful personalized diet advice, big data techniques are needed to analyze and integrate the relevant omics (ie, genomic, epigenomic, metabolomics) with an objective and longitudinal capture of individual nutritional and environmental information. Application of such techniques will provide the scientific evidence and knowledge needed to offer actionable, personalized health recommendations to transform the promise of personalized nutrition into reality.