TY - JOUR
T1 - A big picture view of precision nutrition
T2 - From reductionism to holism
AU - Kwon, Oran
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 The Korean Nutrition Society.
PY - 2019
Y1 - 2019
N2 - Purpose: This review describes the historical changes in nutrition philosophy from a reductionist to a holistic approach during the 20 th century. Also, the role and efficient use of a holistic approach to precision nutrition are discussed. Results: Over the past century, significant progress has been made in human nutrition research, unraveling fundamental mechanisms of single nutrients on single targets or pathways. This kind of a reductionist approach has helped to save populations from nutrient deficiency diseases and improve associated health outcomes in large parts of the world. However, a new set of nutrition problems, like obesity and diet-related chronic diseases, are growing each year worldwide, increasing the financial burden on the health care system. A linear cause-effect association between single nutrients and a single physiologic effect, is insufficient to solve the complex nutrition-health relationships. Research that involves a more holistic rather than reductionist approach is needed to tackle a new set of nutrition problems. Recent advances in technology, informatics, and statistical methods are enabling an understanding of the diversity of individuals and the complex interactions between foods and human bodies, leading to the concept of “precision nutrition.” Conclusion: The emerging goal of precision nutrition is to provide tailored dietary advice for maintaining health and preventing obesity and diet-related chronic diseases. The parts are already being installed. To grab the complexity, reductionism and holism must be used interdependently.
AB - Purpose: This review describes the historical changes in nutrition philosophy from a reductionist to a holistic approach during the 20 th century. Also, the role and efficient use of a holistic approach to precision nutrition are discussed. Results: Over the past century, significant progress has been made in human nutrition research, unraveling fundamental mechanisms of single nutrients on single targets or pathways. This kind of a reductionist approach has helped to save populations from nutrient deficiency diseases and improve associated health outcomes in large parts of the world. However, a new set of nutrition problems, like obesity and diet-related chronic diseases, are growing each year worldwide, increasing the financial burden on the health care system. A linear cause-effect association between single nutrients and a single physiologic effect, is insufficient to solve the complex nutrition-health relationships. Research that involves a more holistic rather than reductionist approach is needed to tackle a new set of nutrition problems. Recent advances in technology, informatics, and statistical methods are enabling an understanding of the diversity of individuals and the complex interactions between foods and human bodies, leading to the concept of “precision nutrition.” Conclusion: The emerging goal of precision nutrition is to provide tailored dietary advice for maintaining health and preventing obesity and diet-related chronic diseases. The parts are already being installed. To grab the complexity, reductionism and holism must be used interdependently.
KW - Diet-related chronic disease
KW - Holism
KW - Nutrient deficiency disease
KW - Precision nutrition
KW - Reductionism
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85062896007&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.4163/jnh.2019.52.1.1
DO - 10.4163/jnh.2019.52.1.1
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:85062896007
SN - 2288-3886
VL - 51
SP - 1
EP - 5
JO - Journal of Nutrition and Health
JF - Journal of Nutrition and Health
IS - 1
ER -