Need of Nutrigenomic Studies for the Prevention and Treatment of Mood and Neurodegenerative Disorders

In the past decades, nutrition research has undergone an important shift in focus from epidemiology and physiology to molecular biology and genetics[1]. Interest in the use of nutraceuticals and functional foods has risen substantially, largely because of their safety, adequate efficacy as well as potency[2]. ‘Nutrigenomics' is an emerging field that describes the role of nutrients in gene expression. While the nascent field of ‘Nutritional Psychiatry' focuses on nutritional approaches to the prevention and treatment of mental disorders[3]. Considerable evidence suggests the role of nutrition in the genetics of many neuropsychiatric, neuro developmental, and neurodegenerative disorders[4]. Moreover, there is need of clinical studies on the efficacy of nutraceutical compounds for the treatment and prevention of mood and/or neurodegenerative disorders[5].