Nutrigenomics and Nutrigenetics

The course aims to provide a general view of the experimental approaches and areas of investigation in nutrigenomics and nutrigenetics, with particular attention to the most recent findings on molecular mechanisms through which nutrients affect the epigenome and gene expression and modulate the health status of the individual (nutrigenomics) and viceversa how gene variants can influence the individual response to diet and specific nutrients (nutrigenetics).

At the end of the course, students are expected to have acquired
(i) a deep knowledge of the mechanism by which feeding habits affect gene expression and how this can be related to the onset of diseases;
(ii) the knowledge of the experimental approaches used in nutrigenomic to evaluate the effects of specific nutrients in the treatment of chronic and degenerative diseases;
(iii) the understanding of the mechanisms by which genetic variability affect the outcome of dietary regimes;
(iv) the knowledge of the most relevant polymorphisms associated to susceptibility to diet-related diseases.