Journal of evidence-based complementary & alternative medicine
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J Evid Based Complementary Altern Med · Jan 2014
ReviewDiet and our genetic legacy in the recent anthropocene: a Darwinian perspective to nutritional health.
Nutrient-gene research tends to focus on human disease, although such interactions are often a by-product of our evolutionary heritage. This review explores health in this context, reframing genetic variation/epigenetic phenomena linked to diet in the framework of our recent evolutionary past. ⋯ While Darwinian theory goes beyond nutritional considerations, a significant component within this concept does relate to nutrition and the mismatch between genes, modern diet, obesogenic lifestyle, and health outcomes. The review argues that nutritional sciences should expand knowledge on the evolutionary connection between food and disease, assimilating it into clinical training with greater prominence.