Natural foods as biosystems to face noncommunicable chronic diseases: An overview

Abstract

The maintenance of health and prevention of chronic diseases is influenced by naturally occurring phytochemicals in foods. Plants display an immense diversity of specialized metabolites, many of which have been important to humans. In the last few years, the use of plants to produce chemical compounds with health-promoting properties has been extensively studied. In addition to supplying the substrates for producing energy, many dietary chemicals are bioactive, directly or indirectly altering the regulation of biosystem processes and the expression of genetic information. The study of gene-nutrient interactions in the management of chronic diseases, such as coronary heart disease, hypertension, cancer, diabetes, and obesity and the role of nutrients in gene expression started two decades ago. Success in these areas requires investigators working on large population studies designed to adequately investigate gene-diet interactions. Knowledge of genetic susceptibility to disease will help identify those at higher risk for disease, as well as their response to diet. The prospect of targeting specific dietary treatment to those predicted to gain the most therapeutic benefit clearly has important clinical and economic consequences, particularly in high prevalence diseases, establishing how gene expression can be modified using combined dietary strategies.