This course provides an in-depth exploration of Nutraceuticals and Nutrigenomics, focusing on the relationship between food, genetics, and health. Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of nutraceuticals, including their classification, properties, and health benefits. The course delves into the science of functional foods, prebiotics, probiotics, and foods as remedies for chronic diseases. Furthermore, students will explore the emerging field of nutritional genomics, learning how diet influences gene expression and how personalized nutrition can impact long-term health. By the end of the course, students will be equipped to apply these principles to health, nutrition, and disease management.
Course Modules
Module 1: Introduction to Nutraceuticals
- Classifications and properties of nutraceuticals.
- Applied aspects of nutraceutical science.
- Sources of nutraceuticals and their relation to food technology and nutrition.
- Efficacy and toxicity of nutraceuticals.
- Key examples: Bee pollen, caffeine, green tea, lecithin, mushroom, kelp, spirulina, etc.
Module 2: Prebiotics and Probiotic Foods
- Meaning, types, and characteristics of prebiotics and probiotics.
- Spectrum of activity and health claims, benefits, and safety of prebiotics and probiotics.
- Symbiotic foods: Meaning and benefits of symbiotics.
- Anti-nutritional factors in foods and their inactivation.
Module 3: Functional Foods
- Definition and benefits of functional foods.
- Application of functional foods in nutrition.
- Relation of functional foods to food and drugs.
Module 4: Foods as Remedies
- Development of designer foods for specific chronic diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, AIDS, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease.
- Nutraceutical remedies for common disorders like arthritis, bronchitis, circulatory problems, hypoglycemia, nephrological disorders, liver disorders, osteoporosis, and psoriasis.
- Remedial foods: Spices, herbs, fruits, flowers, seeds, leaves, and fermented foods as local aspects.
- Dietary fibers from microbial and plant origin as future nutraceuticals.
Module 5: Introduction to Nutritional Genomics
- Concept of functional genomics.
- Nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics: Genetic approaches, pathways, control of genes, transcription and mutation, and Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNP).
Module 6: Nutrigenomics
- Nutrition and disease: The effect of food and nutrients on gene expression through epigenetic modifications.
- Development of nutrigenomics and its role in nutrition and malnutrition.
- Prenatal and perinatal development through epigenomic changes.
Module 7: Diet and Gene Expression
- Diet and epigenetics.
- Gene-nutrient interaction and influences on metabolic processes.
- The role of nutrients in gene expression and genetic variation.
Module 8: Personalised Nutrition
- Impact of personalized nutrition and health.
- Nutrient requirements based on genotype and expression control in maternal nutrition.
- Integrated and environmental factors, maternal effects, regulation, and ethics of genetic tests.
- Influence on long-term health and the future of personalized nutrition.
