Symposium 2: Modern approaches to nutritional research challenges: Targeted andnon-targeted approaches for metabolite profiling in nutritional research.

摘要

The present report discusses targeted and non-targeted approaches to monitorsingle nutrients and global metabolite profiles in nutritional research. Non-targeted approaches such as metabolomics allow for the global description ofmetabolites in a biological sample and combine an analytical platform withmultivariate data analysis to visualise patterns between sample groups. Innutritional research metabolomics has generated much interest as it has thepotential to identify changes to metabolic pathways induced by diet or singlenutrients, to explore relationships between diet and disease and to discoverbiomarkers of diet and disease. Although still in its infancy, a number ofstudies applying this technology have been performed; for example, the firststudy in 2003 investigated isoflavone metabolism in females, while the mostrecent study has demonstrated changes to various metabolic pathways during aglucose tolerance test. As a relatively new technology metabolomics is facedwith a number of limitations and challenges including the standardisation ofstudy design and methodology and the need for careful consideration of dataanalysis, interpretation and identification. Targeted approaches are used tomonitor single or multiple nutrient and/or metabolite status to obtaininformation on concentration, absorption, distribution, metabolism andelimination. Such applications are currently widespread in nutritional researchand one example, using stable isotopes to monitor nutrient status, is discussedin more detail. These applications represent innovative approaches innutritional research to investigate the role of both single nutrients and dietin health and disease.