Nutrition customization
Theme 4
PERSONALIZING NUTRITION
Description
Personalized nutrition, encompassing all life stages, takes a holistic approach to develop comprehensive, dynamic, and relevant nutritional recommendations for both individuals and populations. This research paradigm considers various factors, including genetics, epigenetics, metabolomics, microbiome, dietary habits, food environment, physical activity level, environmental exposures, and more. These factors interact with each other, influencing the intricate link between nutrition and health.
The exploration of these complex interactions involves experts from diverse fields, such as nutrition, omics sciences, data sciences, computational biology, and artificial intelligence. The resulting advancements and practical applications will maximize the advantages of a healthy diet for individuals and diverse population subgroups, concurrently improving the prevention and treatment of diet-related chronic diseases.
SUB-THEMES
Nutrigenetics – Nutrigenomics
Research in nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics aims to understand the relationship between genes and diet. Nutrigenetics focuses on the impact of genetic variations on the response to diet, while nutrigenomics investigates how diet influences gene expression. Improved knowledge of the interaction between genes and diet is essential for developing personalized nutrition interventions.
Host-Environment Interactions
The study of host-environment interactions is a crucial aspect of personalized nutrition research. Notably, the exploration of gut microbiota’s role in dietary response and its impact on risk factors for lifestyle-related chronic diseases has experienced remarkable advancements in recent years, mainly attributed to the accessibility of powerful analytical tools, like high-throughput DNA sequencing.
Application of Omics Sciences, Big Data, and AI to Nutrition
Omic sciences, including proteomics and metabolomics, play a crucial role in identifying food biomarkers that assess the nutritional and functional properties of foods. An emerging area of research involves leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to integrate the massive dataset (big data) generated by omics or even recognizing images of foods to assess dietary intakes. This innovative approach holds tremendous potential in advancing personalized nutrition.
Development of Personalized Nutrition Interventions
Developing personalized nutrition interventions relies on the use of genetic, phenotypic, behavioural, or environmental information specific to the individual or subgroups of individuals, in order to favour the adoption of healthy eating habits and prevent diet-related chronic diseases.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE AND CHAIRS
Areas of Expertise
- Metabolomics, proteomics, and genomics
- Epigenomics and epigenetics
- Gut microbiota and health
- Nutrition in pregnancy
- Nutrition and aging
- Sports nutrition
- Bioinformatics and machine learning
Research chairs
Canada Excellence Research Chair in the Microbiome-Endocannabinoidome Axis in Metabolic Health
Holder: Vincenzo Di Marzo
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Research Chair in Insulin Resistance and Cardiovascular Complications
Holder: André Marette
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Research Chair in Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery
Holder: André Tchernof
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Canada Research Chair in Genomics Applied to Nutrition and Metabolic Health
Holder: Marie-Claude Vohl
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Canada Research Chair in Animal Reproductive Applied Functional Genomics
Holder: Marc-André Sirard
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Canada Research Chair in Medical Genomics
Holder: Jacques Corbeil
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Canada Research Chair in Bacteriophages
Holder: Sylvain Moineau
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NSERC/Diana Food Industrial Research Chair on the Effects of Polyphenol Prebiotics from Fruits and Vegetables (PhenoBio)
Holder: Yves Desjardins
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Researchers
See all the themes
Our scientific program revolves around six major unifying themes.
