The science behind nutrigenomics

The goal of nutrigenomics is to develop foods that can be matched to individual human genotypes to benefit the health of those individuals and enhance normal physiological processes.

In recent years research has revealed that the effects of foods and nutrients affect the genetic control of metabolism through changing the expression of genes. In addition, other factors such as exercise, stress and maternal nutrition also have an influence.

The way our genes are expressed determines what we are and the way that we perform (our phenotype). The interplay between our genes and the environment (including diet) varies. Animal studies show that the interaction between the environment and genotype can modulate the expression of individual genes, turning them on or off or regulating the level of expression.

If scientists can determine how to select nutrients or foods which control the expression of genes involved in the development of chronic diseases in an individual, then nutrition can be used to increase or maintain good health.

Partners in the Nutrigenomics Centre of Excellence

This strong, new, New Zealand-centred nutrigenomics research capability combines the unique strengths of four partners.

The University of Auckland: has international expertise in gut health, particularly diet and colon cancer. Professor Lynn Ferguson is the head of the discipline of Nutrition at the university and has an international reputation in nutrition and genetics. Dr Andrew Shelling will be responsible for identifying the molecular changes that determine health and disease and the influence of nutrition on these changes.

Crop & Food Research: has expertise in probiotics and immune responses. It maintains the New Zealand Food Composition Database and has extensive experience in food, nutrition and health research in relation to New Zealand's arable, vegetable and seafood sectors and has access to novel food crop raw materials. Research leader Dr Julian Heyes heads a group of molecular biologists, biochemists and physiologists focussed on positive health outcomes from the consumption of fresh produce.

AgResearch: has extensive experience in plant-derived natural products, food chemistry, chemical isolation and analysis. Dr Warren McNabb leads the company's nutrition and metabolism team and heads a group using high throughput genomic, proteomic and metabolomic technologies. AgResearch has targeted nutrigenomics as a major part of its 10 year Food Strategy. This is because it sees that nutrigenomics embodies a key set of disciplines and a focus that will add value to NZ core primary agriculture and food sectors looking far into the future.

HortResearch: has access to novel fruit crop material and has extensive expertise in breeding for specific characteristics, food processing and handling, food chemistry, compound analysis and identification. HortResearch has a world leading fruit gene database and bioinformatics platform with associated functional genomics technologies. Dr Denis Lauren of HortResearch leads the Food and Biological Chemistry group which has extensive expertise in plant-based natural products.

Professor Lynn Ferguson (Auckland University) 09 373 7599 ext 86372
Dr Andrew Shelling (Auckland University) 09 373 7599 ext. 83504
Dr Warren McNabb (AgResearch) 06 351 8061
Dr Denis Lauren (HortResearch) 07 858 4725
Dr Julian Heyes (Crop & Food Research) 06 356 8300 ext 6118

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