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Eur J Nutr DOI 10.1007/s00394-017-1460-9 SUPPLEMENT Optimal nutrition and the ever‑changing dietary landscape: a conference report A. Shao1 · A. Drewnowski2 · D. C. Willcox3 · L. Krämer4 · C. Lausted5 · M. Eggersdorfer6 · J. Mathers7 · J. D. Bell8 · R. K. Randolph9 · R. Witkamp10 · J. C. Griffths11 © The Author(s) 2017. This article is an open access publication Abstract The feld of nutrition has evolved rapidly over the cellular and molecular levels. This approach has appropri- past century. Nutrition scientists and policy makers in the ately expanded in recent years to become more holistic with developed world have shifted the focus of their efforts from the aim of understanding the role of nutrition in the broader dealing with diseases of overt nutrient defciency to a new context of dietary patterns. Ultimately, this approach will paradigm aimed at coping with conditions of excess—calo- culminate in a full understanding of the dietary landscape— ries, sedentary lifestyles and stress. Advances in nutrition a web of interactions between nutritional, dietary, social, science, technology and manufacturing have largely eradi- behavioral and environmental factors—and how it impacts cated nutrient defciency diseases, while simultaneously fac- health maintenance and promotion. ing the growing challenges of obesity, non-communicable diseases and aging. Nutrition research has gone through a Keywords Aging · Big data · Bioactives · Biomarkers · necessary evolution, starting with a reductionist approach, Dietary patterns · Dietary supplements · Longevity · driven by an ambition to understand the mechanisms Micronutrients · Obesity · Overfed · Phytonutrients · responsible for the effects of individual nutrients at the Sarcopenic obesity · Systems approaches · Undernourished · Wellness This is the seventh CRN-International conference report. Previous conference reports were published in Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology [103], and for the last fve years, From reductionism to holism: the evolution in the European Journal of Nutrition [1, 16, 67, 70, 71]. of nutrition science * J. C. Griffths Compared to the classical natural sciences (chemistry, [email protected] physics and mathematics) nutrition science is a relatively 1 Herbalife Nutrition, Los Angeles, CA, USA new discipline. In the early twentieth century, the pub- lic health challenges around nutrition mainly focused on 2 University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA communicable diseases and overt nutrient defciencies, at 3 Okinawa International University, Ginowan, Japan the time major determinants of a short life expectancy. To 4 Technische Universität Braunschweig, Brunswick, Germany address these concerns, the scientifc focus of the time was 5 Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA, USA devoted to vitamins and essential minerals to combat the 6 DSM Nutritional Products, Kaiseraugst, Switzerland effects of malnutrition. During this time, scientists believed that single nutrients 7 Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK could cure or reverse particular diseases. This concept was 8 University of Westminster, London, UK readily accepted by the scientifc and medical communities 9 Amway Global Discovery, Buena Park, CA, USA because it was simple and based on three premises [95]: 10 Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands 11 Council for Responsible Nutrition-International, Washington, 1. A simple cause–effect relationship exists between a DC, USA particular nutrient and a specifc effect or disease. 1 3 Eur J Nutr 2. Symptoms of a specifc nutrient defciency can be contributed to a paradox of obesity combined with under- physiologically explained in terms of the role played nutrition. Populations have become overfed, but undernour- by the respective nutrient. ished [78]. 3. Providing the nutrient in the diet can prevent, and in In the 1980s and 1990s, nutrition science entered an many cases reverse, the defciency disease. era during which the ‘magic bullet’ was sought using a reductionist approach. This has been referred to as ‘greedy This paradigm was appropriate for addressing the then reductionism’: challenges of overt nutrient defciency. However, through …in their eagerness for a bargain, in their zeal to the course of the twentieth century the situation changed explain too much too fast, scientists and philoso- rapidly, especially in developing nations. Public health and phers… underestimate the complexities, trying to nutrition challenges, which had been rooted in defciency, skip whole layers or levels of theory in their rush to shifted to challenges resulting from excess. By the mid- fasten everything securely and neatly to the founda- to-late twentieth century, major public health challenges tion [30]. transitioned from communicable diseases and malnutri- tion as the major cause of mortality, to lifestyle-related Nutrients were included in drug-like randomized con- chronic diseases [7]. These contemporary challenges are trolled trials, the most notable were the studies in which due to a combination of poor diet, reduced physical activ- vitamin E and/or beta-carotene were given to lifelong ity, rapidly aging population, rapidly expanding population, smokers or asbestos workers, with the ill-conceived hypoth- climate change and food security issues. The reductionist esis that these nutrients could reverse decades of smoking research model has proven to be ill-suited to address these or asbestos exposure [90, 107]. In an effort to uncover the challenges. magic bullet, scientists inappropriately studied nutrients in In response to the growing challenges of non-commu- a drug-like context. Unlike drugs, nutrients do not function nicable diseases, public and private investments in science in isolation and have benefcial effects on multiple tissues and research grew dramatically and have achieved some and organ systems; a narrow focus on a single or ‘primary’ important benefcial milestones. outcome measure is not practical and does not ft the nutri- tional context [50]. • Advances in understanding the role of diet and nutrition Perpetuated by a reductionist approach on single macro- in the etiology of chronic diseases. and micronutrients, scientists have similarly spent countless • Advances in cellular and molecular biology, and bio- resources satisfying the demand for the nutrition ‘villain’ and chemistry to allow for a better understanding of macro ‘hero.’ Heroes include substances such as anti-oxidants, fber, and micronutrient metabolism and mechanisms of protein and probiotics, while the maligned villains include action. saturated fat, refned carbohydrates, trans-fat, salt and sugar. • Advances in identifcation of nutrients linked to chronic In studying the effects of nutrients in isolation, premature disease; for example, calcium, folate, vitamin D, conclusions have been reached, resulting in the inevitable omega-3 fatty acids and dietary fber. ‘fip-fopping’ on whether particular nutrients are benefcial • Advances in the discovery, study, and use of other bio- or harmful. This, in turn, has led to enormous consumer con- active substances found in foods, such as isofavones, fusion and frustration. The problem with this reductionist carotenoids, anthocyanins and catechins. approach is that, in emphasizing specifc nutrients, it fails to • Advances in the understanding of the impact of the take into account that food components interact in complex microbiome on immunity, obesity and cognitive func- ways to give rise to emergent properties of diets that are not tion. explicable at the level of individual chemical parts. • Advances in the various ‘omics’ technologies: genom- During that time span, the perspective of nutrition ics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics, research has changed from a reductionist approach focus- along with epigenetics. ing on specifc nutrients, to a complex systems-based sci- ence domain. According to the defnition of nutrition However, despite these advances, from a public health science for the twenty-frst century from The Giessen Dec- perspective, the emphasis on a healthy diet and lifestyle has laration, an important international workshop sponsored not had the anticipated impact. Imbalanced diet and poor by the International Union of Nutritional Sciences and the lifestyle have emerged as major contributors to early death World Health Policy Forum: ‘Nutrition science is defned [128] coinciding with a global obesity epidemic [46] and as the study of food systems, foods and drinks, and their proliferation of co-morbidities such as type II diabetes [47]. nutrients and other constituents; and of their interactions The nutrition imbalance, where nutrient adequacy is wors- within and between all relevant biological, social and envi- ening while energy (calorie) excess continues to rise, has ronmental systems’ [108]. 1 3 Eur J Nutr Nutrition research is now described as a feld which Undernourished but overfed: the social integrates a variety of disciplines, including biology, physi- and economic considerations ology, sociology, economics, politics and environment [19]. Researchers are now calling for the consideration of Global diets have become rich in calories but can be poor environmental sustainability when addressing nutrition in some essential nutrients. More and more people are questions of public health signifcance [5]. To grasp these becoming overweight and obese while failing to meet dynamic and highly intertwined connections and interac- dietary nutrient requirements. As a result, overweight tions, a systems

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