Nutrigenomic approaches for obesity research

Abstract

At the individual level, weight gain is essentially the resultof energy intake exceeding expenditure for significant peri-ods of time, but this obvious truth provides no insight intothe strategies needed to deal with the ever-increasing prob-lem of obesity in Western populations. It is equally obvious,however, that certain individuals are more prone to devel-oping obesity than others. This phenomenon invites thenutrition research community to explore the physiologicalbasis for such differences and ultimately to design moretargeted and personalized approaches to the control ofbody weight (1).Novel research strategies are required to understand themolecular mechanisms controlling energy balance. In par-allel with such studies, there is still much to be learnedabout the metabolic consequences that follow when anappropriate energy balance is not maintained, and how thisrelates to risks of diseases such as hypertension, heart dis-ease, stroke, diabetes and certain cancers. The developingfields of nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics, with their accom-panying battery of high-throughput technologies, providean unprecedented opportunity to cope with the complexityof this condition and to develop the knowledge baserequired.