Abstract
The domestication of agriculture approximately 10,000 years ago led to profound environmental changes that have influenced our diet and lifestyle. This has resulted in a global pandemic of nutrition- and lifestyle-related chronic degenerative diseases arising from a mismatch between our ancient genetic makeup and current lifestyle patterns. While conventional medicine tries to address chronic disease by symptom management, newer paradigms, such as integrative and functional medicine, attempt to identify the root cause of chronic diseases. Disease is described as a complex phenomenon comprised of core clinical imbalances in various organ systems and physiological processes resulting from the interplay of environmental inputs such as diet and lifestyle. Nutrition, as determined by dietary patterns consisting of foods with bioactive compounds, is critically involved in the creation and mitigation of disease primarily by disrupting or restoring balance or homeostasis in cellular mechanisms and products. Food serves as an information molecule, directly or indirectly influencing gene expression. Individual genetic predispositions in turn dictate unique dietary needs and requirements. Normalizing multiple biological systems requires a multipronged approach that includes a gradual transition to an unprocessed whole foods diet, knowing and learning about food sources, removing or controlling food allergens, reducing the environmental toxic burden, and following a holistic lifestyle intervention strategy that combines diet, exercise, stress management, and spirituality.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Aguilera JM (2013) Healthy habits. In: Edible structures. The basic science of what we eat. CRC Press/Taylor and Francis Group, Boca Raton, pp 349–365
Neustadt J (2006) Western diet and inflammation. Integr Med 5(4):14–18
Cordain L, Gotshall LW, Boyd Eaton S, Boyd Eaton III S (1998) Physical activity, energy expenditure and fitness. An evolutionary perspective. Int J Sports Med 19:328–335
Eaton SB, Cordain L (1997) Evolutionary aspects of diet: old genes, new fuels. In: Simopoulos P (ed) Nutrition and fitness: evolutionary aspects, children’s health, programs and policies. Karger, Basel, pp 26–37
Nesse RM, Williams JC (1998) Evolution and the origins of disease. Sci Am 279(5):86–89
Shaw JE, Sicree RA, Zimmet PZ (2010) Global estimates of the prevalence of diabetes for 2010 and 2030. Diabetes Res Clin Pract 87:4–14
Popkin BM (2006) Global nutrition dynamics: the world is shifting rapidly toward a diet linked with non-communicable diseases. Am J Clin Nutr 84:289–298
Delavari M, Sonderlund AL, Swinburn B, Mellor D, Renzaho A (2013) Acculturation and obesity among migrant populations in high income countries- a systematic review. BMC Public Health 13:458. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-13-458
Hu FB (2011) Globalization of diabetes: the role of diet, lifestyle and genes. Diabetes Care 34(6):1249–1257. doi:10.2337/dc11-0442
Pruss-Ustun A, Vickers C, Haefliger P, Bertollini R (2011) Known and unknowns on burden of disease due to chemicals: a systematic review. Environ Health 10:9, http://www.ehjournal.net/content/10/1/9
Borchers A, Teuber SS, Keen CL, Gershwin ME (2010) Food safety. Clin Rev Allergy Immunol 39:95–141. doi:10.1007/S12016-009-81764
Gentschew L, Ferguson LR (2012) Role of nutrition and microbiota in susceptibility to inflammatory diseases. Mol Nutr Food Res 56:524–535
Malarkey WB, Jarjoura D, Klatt M (2013) Workplace based mindfulness practice and inflammation: a randomized trial. Brain Behav Immun 27:145–154, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2012.10.009
Jones DS, Hoffman L, Quinn S (2009) 21st century medicine: a new model for medical education and practice. Institute for Functional Medicine, Gig Harbor, http://www.functionalmedicine.org/ifm_ecommerce/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductID=174
di Sarsina PR, Iseppato I (2011) Why we need integrative medicine? EPMA J 2:5–7. doi:10.1007/s13167-011-0065-2
Maizes V, Rakel D, Niemiec C (2009) Integrative medicine and patient -centered care. Explore 5(5):277–289
Chang C (2013) Is integrative medicine the next frontier? Clin Rev Allergy Immunol 44(3):205–7. doi:10.1007/S12016-012-8313-3
Hyman M (2004) Paradigm shift: the end of “normal science” in medicine. Understanding function in nutrition, health and disease. Altern Ther 10(5):10–15, 90–94
Cloninger CR (2011) Person centered integrative care. J Eval Clin Pract 17:371–372
Rastogi S (2009) Ayurveda for comprehensive healthcare. Indian J Med Ethics 6(2):101–2
DeBusk R (2010) The role of nutritional genomics in developing an optimal diet for humans. Nutr Clin Pract 25(6):627–633
Trajillo E, Davis C, Milner J (2006) Nutrigenomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and the practice of dietetics. J Am Diet Assoc 106:403–413
Stover PJ, Caudill M (2008) Genetic and epigenetic contributions to human nutrition and health: managing genome-diet interactions. J Am Diet Assoc 108(9):1480–1487
Fenech M, El-Sohemy A, Cahill L, Ferguson LR, French TA, Tai ES, Milner J, Koh WP, Xie L, Zucker M, Buckley M, Cosgrove L, Lockett T, Fung KY, Head R (2011) Nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics: viewpoints on the current status and applications in nutrition research and practice. J Nutrigenet Nutrigenomics 4:69–80
Feinberg AP (2008) Epigenetics at the epicenter of modern medicine. JAMA 299(11):1345–1350. doi:10.1001/jama.299.11.1345
Waterland RA, Garza C (1999) Potential mechanisms of metabolic imprinting that lead to chronic disease. Am J Clin Nutr 69:179–197
SzarcvelSzic K, Ndlovu MN, Haegeman G, VandenBerghe W (2010) Nature or nurture: let food be your epigenetic medicine in chronic inflammatory disorders. Biochem Pharmacol 80:1816–1832
Belshaw NJ, Johnson IT (2011) Isothiocyanates and polyphenols. In: Niculescu MD, Haggerty P (eds) Nutrition in epigenetics. Wiley-Blackwell, Ames, pp 263–272
Ong TP, Moreno FS, Ross SA (2011) Targeting the epigenome with bioactive food components for cancer prevention. J Nutrigenet Nutrigenomics 4:275–292
Verma M (2012) Cancer control and prevention by nutrition and epigenetic approaches. Antioxid Redox Signal 17(2):355–364
Richard Lord JAB (ed) (2008) Laboratory evaluations for integrative and functional medicine, 2nd edn. Metametrix Institute, Duluth
Ames BN (2010) Optimal micronutrients delay mitochondrial decay and age associated diseases. Mech Ageing Dev 131(7–8):473–479
Ames BN (2006) Low micronutrient intake may accelerate the degenerative diseases of aging through allocation of scarce micronutrients by triage. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 103(47):17589–17594
Jacobs DR, Tapsell LC, Temple NJ (2011) Food synergy: the key to balancing the nutrition research effort. Public Health Rev 33(2):507–529
Asmis R, Llorente VC, Gey KF (1995) Prevention of cholesteryl ester accumulation in p388D1 macrophage like cells by increased cellular vitamin E depends on species of extracellular cholesterol. Conventional heterologous non-human cell cultures are poor models of human atherosclerotic foam cell formation. Eur J Biochem 233:171–178
Albert CM, Cook NR, Gaziano JM, Zaharris E, MacFadyen J, Danileson E (2008) Effect of folic acid and B vitamins on risk of cardiovascular events and total mortality among women at high risk for cardiovascular disease: a randomized trial. JAMA 299:2027–2036
Sauer J, Mason JB, Choi Sang-Woon (2009) Too much folate- a risk factor for cancer and cardiovascular disease? Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care 12(1):30–36. doi:10.1097/MCO.0b0 13e 32831cec62
Wang S, Meckling KA, Marcone MF, Kakuda Y, Tsao R (2011) Synergistic, additive and antagonistic effects of food mixtures on total antioxidant capacities. J Agric Food Chem 59:960–968
Jacobs DR et al (2009) Food synergy: an operational concept for understanding nutrition. Am J Clin Nutr 89:1543S–1548S
Messina M, Lampe JW, Birt DF, Appel LJ, Pivonka E, Berry B, Jacobs DR Jr (2001) Reductionism and the narrowing nutrition perspective: time for reevaluation and emphasis on food synergy. J Am Diet Assoc 101(12):1416–1419
Jacobs DR, Tapsell LC (2007) Food, not nutrients is the fundamental unit in nutrition. Nutr Rev 65(10):439–450
Jacobs SR, Tapsell LC (2013) Food synergy: the key to a healthy diet. Plenary lecture II conference on “translating nutrition: integrating research, practice and policy”. Proc Nutr Soc 72:200–206. doi:10.1017/S0029665112003011
Morie N, Hirabayashi N, Takahashi Y, Miyauchi Y, Taguchi H, Takeishi K (2005) Synergistic effect of green tea catechins on cell growth and apoptosis induction in gastric carcinoma cells. Biol Pharm Bull 28:574–579
Govindarajan R, Vijayakumar M, Pushpangadan P (2005) Antioxidant approach to disease management and the role of Rasayana herbs of Ayurveda. J Ethnopharmacol 99:165–178
Vasanthi HR, Parameswari RP (2010) Indian spices for a healthy heart-an overview. Curr Cardiol Rev 6:274–279
Jungbauer A, Medjakovic S (2012) Anti-inflammatory properties of culinary herbs and spices that ameliorate the effects of metabolic syndrome. Maturitas 71:227–239
Hlavačková L, Janegová A, Uličná O, Janega P, Cerná A, Babál P (2011) Spice up the hypertension diet-curcumin and piperine prevent remodeling of aorta in experimental L-NAME induced hypertension. Nutr Metab (Lond) 8:72. doi:10.1186/1743-7075-8-72
Hu FB (2002) Dietary pattern analysis: a new direction in nutritional epidemiology. Curr Opin Lipidol 13:3–9
Mano R, Ishida A, Ohya Y, Todoriki H, Takishita S (2009) Dietary intervention with Okinawan vegetables increased circulating endothelial progenitor cells in healthy young women. Atherosclerosis 204:544–548
Estruch R, Ros E, Salas-Salvadó J, Covas MI, Corella D, Arós F, Gómez-Gracia E, Ruiz-Gutiérrez V, Fiol M, Lapetra J, Lamuela-Raventos RM, Serra-Majem L, Pintó X, Basora J, Muñoz MA, Sorlí JV, Martínez JA, Martínez-González MA (2013) Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease with a Mediterranean diet. N Engl J Med 368(14):1279–1290. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1200303, Epub 2013 Feb 25
Foroughi M, Akhavanzanjani M, Maghsoudi Z, Ghiasvand R, Khorvash F, Askari G (2013) Stroke and nutrition: a review of studies. Int J Prev Med 4(Suppl 2):S165–S179
Bosscher D, Breynaert A, Pieters L, Hermans N (2009) Food based strategies to modulate the composition of the intestinal microbiota and their associated health effects. J Physiol Pharmacol 60(Suppl 6):5–11
Murray M (2006) Altered CYP, expression and function in response to dietary factors: potential roles in disease pathogenesis. Curr Drug Metab 7(1):67–81
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Raj, S. (2014). Integrating the Science and Art of Using Food as Medicine. In: Rastogi, S. (eds) Ayurvedic Science of Food and Nutrition. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9628-1_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9628-1_5
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-9627-4
Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-9628-1
eBook Packages: Chemistry and Materials ScienceChemistry and Material Science (R0)