The Impact of the Bellagio Report on Healthy Agriculture, Healthy Nutrition, Healthy People: Scientific and Policy Aspects and the International Network of Centers for Genetics, Nutrition and Fitness for Health

Abstract

The Bellagio Report on Healthy Agriculture, Healthy Nutrition, Healthy People was the result of a meeting held at the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center in the fall of 2012. The meeting was science based but policy oriented. The Bellagio Report concluded that: (1) sugar consumption, especially in the form of high-energy fructose in soft drinks, poses a major and insidious health threat, particularly for children; (2) current diets in most populations, albeit with regional differences, are deficient in omega-3 fatty acids but too high in omega-6 fatty acid intake, and (3) not all calories are the same since calories from different sources (i.e. glucose or fructose or omega-6 or omega-3 fatty acids) have different metabolic and neurohormonal effects. This paper summarizes the scientific progress and policy actions that have occurred in these three areas. Genetic variation in populations and gene-nutrient interactions are fundamental concepts that need to be taken into consideration in growth and development and in the prevention and management of chronic noncommunicable diseases since there is enormous variation in both the frequency of genetic variants and dietary composition worldwide. Furthermore, this paper updates the Bellagio Report in terms of the scientific and policy aspects, both of which have expanded over the past 2 years, and describes the progress made in establishing an International Network of Centers for Genetics, Nutrition and Fitness for Health.

Guide for Current Nutrigenetic, Nutrigenomic, and Nutriepigenetic Approaches for Precision Nutrition Involving the Prevention and Management of Chronic Diseases Associated with Obesity

“…The long-term consumption of unbalanced diets (high content of calories, fat, fructose and high omega-6/omega-3 fatty acid ratio), coupled with the adoption of a sedentary lifestyle, contributes to the development of obesity and associated complications [4,5]. Also, it is now recognized that interactions of genetic and epigenetic signatures with environmental factors (dietary intake or physical activity) play an important role in determining individual phenotypes [6,7].…”

The importance of a balanced ω-6 to ω-3 ratio in the prevention and management of obesity

“…These approaches continue to be espoused today, despite the scientific evidence that 'a calorie is not a calorie', and that the sources of calories are important in influencing human metabolism and appetite control. [4][5][6] For example, calories from vegetable oils high in linoleic acid (LA), an ω-6 fatty acid, are proinflammatory and thrombogenic, whereas calories from eating fish high in ω-3 fatty acids are antiinflammatory and antithrombotic. High ω-6 fatty acid intake increases white adipose tissue that is stored and prevents its browning.…”

Effects of Linoleic and Alpha‐Linolenic Ratios and Concentrations on In Vitro Endothelial Cell Responses

“…Different types of dietary fatty acids have divergent effects on CVD risk. LA (n‐6 PUFA) and ALA (n‐3 PUFA) are essential fatty acids and are physiological and metabolically distinct . N‐6 PUFA play a vital role in many physiological functions but there was still controversy concerning about its effect on CVD risk .…”

“…Diets enriched in LA do not reduce cardiac mortality in coronary patients or even in primary prevention, but diets enriched in n‐3 PUFAs, especially ALA, reduce cardiac death . During evolution, there was a balance in the intake of LA and ALA with an n‐6/n‐3 PUFA ratio of 1–2, whereas today in Western societies, the n‐6/n‐3 PUFA ratio was about 16:1 . With the modest increase in n‐3 PUFA intake, there was an enormous increase in n‐6 PUFA intake, so that the n‐6/n‐3 PUFA ratio increased .…”