What is Nutrigenomics? Why "iNutrigenomics?"

Nutrition + genomics = Nutrigenomics 

Nutrigenomics examines the impact of nutrition on gene expression and disease risk. This field continues and accelerates discoveries in genomics, where it presents possibilities for an ever more dynamic era of scientific investigation based on understanding the effects of nutrients in molecular level processes in the body as well as the variable effects nutrients and non-nutritive dietary phytochemicals have on each of us as individuals.

Nutrigenomics looks at the effects of nutrients on:

• Genome (gene expression)
• Proteome (proteins)
• Metabolome (metabolites)

Nutrients previously thought to be simply sources of calories, such as lipids, can modulate gene express, as can many phytochemicals derived from fruits and vegetables that were simply thought to be antioxidants. 

For example, the consumption of tea, especially green tea, has been associated with decreased risk of developing cancer of the stomach, colorectum, esophagus, and lung as well as a decreased risk of coronary heart disease and incidence of stroke. This beneficial health effect has been attributed to the tea's catechin content, which are a group of natural polyphenols found in green and black tea. Their biological benefits are not only due to their strong antioxidant activity but also to their potential to inhibit cell proliferation and the expression of genes critical to new tumor blood vessel growth, which are critical to the growth and spread of tumors.

So, why am I creating a blog on nutrigenomics? Why is it called "iNutrigenomics?"

All of the information came directly from Dr. David Heber and Susan Bowerman's PHY SCI 167 course in Winter 2014. Dr. David Heber (MD, PhD) is currently the Director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition and is under the Department of Medicine, Division of Clinical Nutrition. Susan Bowerman (MS, RD, CSSD, FAND) is a licensed dietician, certified specialist in sports dietetics, lecturer, and science writer for the UCLA Center of Human Nutrition and also works for the Department of Medicine, Division of Clinical Nutrition. As I have had the honor of taking this course last quarter, I would now like to use transform what I learned to real life.

This blog is for informational, educational purposes - not for profit or sponsorship. This blog serves as taking my passion of nutrition and my background of biochemistry, and transforming them together into what it is now. I was truly inspired by Dr. Heber, Susan, and the rest of the guest speakers of the course that I want to translate to real-life application to help anyone with nutrition and how it affects our overall health. As the saying goes, "we are what we eat."

So, to back up the information of this blog, I have decided that I would volunteer myself as a test subject (hence, "iNutrigenomics") to the information on this blog. My name is Johnson, and I am currently 21 years old. As I am a fourth-year college student at UCLA, I am only beginning to understand nutrition. I have a moderately active lifestyle, where I am currently aspiring to pursue a MD/PhD and doing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for my form of exercise. I also run and swim on my free time. With the information on this blog, I will be posting up my progress so far every month, where I show photos of my body as a result of nutrition and life.

At first, I was reluctant to post photos of myself, as I had trouble with my body as a child. I was one the "fat kids" back in elementary and middle school. I was even at risk for high blood pressure and even type II diabetes at one point. I was often ashamed of my body as a result of that through social media and family pressure. However, I grew up from it, as I did cross country and track-and-field in high school to combat this issue. Now, I am active with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, currently as a white belt. I started three years ago, and after some injuries, I love this martial art. Also, after doing a self-assessment of myself in the PHY SCI 167 course, I am currently weight 189 pounds, am 6' 0'' tall, and have 7.1% body fat measured through a bioelectrical impedance. I am still learning to be healthy in my everyday life, so this blog documents that progress. I use the word "progress" because I believe that these photos will demonstrate the growth that I will develop over time. I sometimes still honestly have some body image issues, but I am happy where I have come today. I am always up for a new challenge. In one of my favorite TED talks, Dr. Brené Brown, states that, "Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity, and change."

Another purpose for this blog is to show that nutrigenomics applies to everyone. I hope that through my progress that I can serve as an example that no matter how busy we are, nutrition is a serious issue, especially with its effects on our gene expression. As I come from a working-class family of Chinese and Cambodian descent, I grew up with the "white rice" diet, where every meal was served with white rice. Also, Costco served as our go-to-place for food. As we buy Costco-sized meals every week, it turned out to be a negative effect on our health. We would also go to fast-food places because it was most convenient for my working family. I wouldn't say that my family is the healthiest but I am willing to work with them. My family's health comes first, so I hope that I can serve as an example of how our healthy choices can help with how we live today. Then, hopefully one day, I can use this information for future patients. Health is everyone's choice and burden, but it doesn't have to be if we think it in a different way. As I learned through PHY SCI 167, information definitely guides us in the right direction. Information serves as our compass in this journey of life.

With no guarantees in this journey, I will do my best to convey the most accurate information and cite any information accordingly. With this, welcome to iNutrigenomics!