1 1410 141 DIETARY INTERVENTIONS FOR AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER: AN UPDATED SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF HUMAN STUDIES. AUTISM IS A COMPLEX SPECTRUM OF DISORDERS WITH GENETIC, EPIGENETIC, AUTOIMMUNE, OXIDATIVE STRESS, AND ENVIRONMENTAL ETIOLOGIES. TREATMENT OF ASD USING DIETARY APPROACH IS A PROMISING STRATEGY, ESPECIALLY OWING TO ITS SAFETY AND AVAILABILITY. OUR STUDY CRITICALLY ANALYSED THE ROLES AND EFFICACY OF ANTIOXIDANTS, PROBIOTICS, PREBIOTICS, CAMEL MILK AND VITAMIN D. THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW PROVIDES AN UPDATED SYNOPSIS OF HUMAN STUDIES THAT INVESTIGATED THERAPEUTIC BENEFITS OF THESE DIETARY INTERVENTIONS IN AUTISM. A TOTAL OF 943 PAPERS WERE IDENTIFIED OUT OF WHICH 21 ARTICLES WERE INCLUDED IN THE SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. THE SELECTED STUDIES INVESTIGATED THE IMPACT OF 5 DIFFERENT DIETARY SUPPLEMENTATIONS IN ASD SYMPTOM AND BEHAVIOURS. THESE AGENTS INCLUDE; ANTIOXIDANTS/POLYPHENOLIC COMPOUNDS, PROBIOTICS, PREBIOTICS, CAMEL MILK AND VITAMIN D. FROM THE RESULTS OF THE PRESENT REVIEW, ANTIOXIDANTS/POLYPHENOLIC COMPOUNDS DECREASED THE LEVELS OF INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES AND IMPROVED BEHAVIOURAL SYMPTOMS. PROBIOTICS IMPROVED BEHAVIOURAL AND GI SYMPTOMS AS WELL AS RESTORED GUT MICROBIOTA EQUILIBRIUM. PREBIOTICS DECREASED LEVELS OF INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES, IMPROVED BEHAVIOURAL AND GI SYMPTOMS AND IMPROVED GUT MICROBIOTA. VITAMIN D IMPROVED BEHAVIOURAL SYMPTOMS AND OFFERED PROTECTIVE EFFECTS AGAINST NEUROTOXICITY. CAMEL MILK REDUCED INFLAMMATORY RESPONSES AND OXIDATIVE STRESS. GIVEN THE CHRONIC NATURE AS WELL AS EARLY ONSET OF ASD, DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS BECOME USEFUL TO COMPLEMENT NUTRITIONAL DEFICIENCIES IN CHILDREN WITH ASD. KEY BENEFITS OF THESE AGENTS STEM FROM THEIR ABILITY TO TARGET MULTIPLE PHYSIOLOGICAL AREAS VIA THE GUT BRAIN-AXIS AND ARE DEVOID OF POTENTIAL HARMFUL OR AGGRAVATING EFFECTS ON ASD PATIENTS. THE EVIDENCE COLLATED IN THIS REVIEW PROPOSE THAT DIETARY INTERVENTION MAY PROVIDE A NEW PLATFORM FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF AUTISM. 2022 2 6252 37 THE MICROBIOME AND CANCER: IMPLICATIONS FOR ONCOLOGY NURSING SCIENCE. BACKGROUND: APPROXIMATELY 1.6 MILLION AMERICANS WERE DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER IN 2014. TO COMBAT THEIR DISEASE, MANY INDIVIDUALS RECEIVED EITHER CURATIVE OR PALLIATIVE TREATMENTS THAT PRODUCED UNDESIRED SYMPTOMS. THESE SYMPTOMS, WHICH OFTEN CAUSE SIGNIFICANT DISTRESS FOR INDIVIDUALS COPING WITH CANCER, MAY SHARE BIOLOGIC UNDERPINNINGS SUCH AS EPIGENETIC CHANGES AND IMMUNE DYSREGULATION. ALTERATIONS IN THE NORMAL FLORA OF THE GUT MAY ALSO INFLUENCE CANCER SYMPTOMS. OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF THIS REVIEW IS TO DESCRIBE THE EMERGING ROLE FOR THE GUT MICROBIOME IN CANCER RESEARCH, ESPECIALLY THE POTENTIAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE GUT MICROBIOME AND CANCER SYMPTOMS. METHODS: EXTANT LITERATURE WAS REVIEWED AND SYNTHESIZED. RESULTS: THE MAJORITY OF STUDIES LINKING THE GUT MICROBIOTA AND CANCER ARE ANIMAL MODELS AND FOCUS ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DYSBIOSIS AND COLORECTAL CANCER. EMERGING EVIDENCE SUPPORTS THAT THE "GUT-BRAIN" CONNECTION IS A PLAUSIBLE MECHANISM FOR "PSYCHONEUROLOGICAL" CANCER SYMPTOMS SUCH AS DEPRESSION, PAIN, AND FATIGUE. CONCLUSIONS: THERE IS COMPELLING EVIDENCE THAT THE GUT MICROBIOTA AFFECTS CANCER VIA SEVERAL MECHANISMS, INCLUDING MICROBIAL DIVERSITY AND NUMBER, METABOLISM, AND/OR IMMUNE INITIATION. HOWEVER, MORE RESEARCH IS NECESSARY TO ELUCIDATE THESE MECHANISMS, PARTICULARLY AMONG A VARIETY OF CANCERS AND CANCER-RELATED SYMPTOMS. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE ROLE OF THE GUT MICROBIOTA IN CANCER SYMPTOMS MAY LEAD TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF TARGETED INDIVIDUALIZED INTERVENTIONS AFFECTING THE GUT MICROBIOTA THAT PREVENT OR AMELIORATE DYSBIOSIS, THEREBY REDUCING SYMPTOMS. THESE INTERVENTIONS MAY EMPHASIZE SELF-CARE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES ESSENTIAL FOR WELLNESS, SUCH AS DIET, NUTRITION, AND STRESS REDUCTION. 2016 3 6859 30 [NUTRITIONAL FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH MIGRAINE]. MIGRAINE IS A CHRONIC, HIGHLY PREVALENT, MULTIDIMENSIONAL, AND COMPLEX DISORDER, INFLUENCED BY GENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, AMONG WHICH IS THE DIET. MEDICAL TREATMENTS ARE PARTIALLY EFFECTIVE, AND THAT MAKES NECESSARY TO COMPLEMENT THEM WITH OTHER THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES. THE NUTRITION PLAYS A PREVALENT ROLE. WE WILL REVIEW DIETARY FACTORS THAT HAVE BEEN LINKED TO MIGRAINE AND THERAPEUTIC NUTRITIONAL GUIDELINES ABOUT IT: ELIMINATION, INTEGRAL, KETOGENIC, EPIGENETIC AND HYPOCALORIC DIETS, AS WELL AS DIETS THAT INTEREST FATTY ACIDS, SODIUM, VITAMINS, AND THE GUT-BRAIN AXIS. TO DATE, THE EVIDENCE OF THE EFFICACY OF NUTRITIONAL TREATMENTS FOR MIGRAINE IS NOT WIDESPREAD AND IT IS NECESSARY TO ADVISE OUR PATIENTS ABOUT PATTERNS CONSISTENT WITH NUTRITIONAL GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS. 2022 4 6379 33 THE ROLE OF NUTRITION ON META-INFLAMMATION: INSIGHTS AND POTENTIAL TARGETS IN COMMUNICABLE AND CHRONIC DISEASE MANAGEMENT. PURPOSE OF REVIEW: CHRONIC LOW-GRADE INFLAMMATION MAY CONTRIBUTE TO THE ONSET AND PROGRESSION OF COMMUNICABLE AND CHRONIC DISEASES. THIS REVIEW EXAMINED THE EFFECTS AND EVENTUAL MEDIATION ROLES OF DIFFERENT NUTRITIONAL FACTORS ON INFLAMMATION. RECENT FINDINGS: POTENTIAL NUTRITIONAL COMPOUNDS INFLUENCING INFLAMMATION PROCESSES INCLUDE MACRO AND MICRONUTRIENTS, BIOACTIVE MOLECULES (POLYPHENOLS), SPECIFIC FOOD COMPONENTS, AND CULINARY INGREDIENTS AS WELL AS STANDARDIZED DIETARY PATTERNS, EATING HABITS, AND CHRONONUTRITION FEATURES. THEREFORE, RESEARCH IN THIS FIELD IS STILL REQUIRED, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT CRITICAL ASPECTS OF HETEROGENEITY INCLUDING TYPE OF POPULATION, MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM INTAKES AND ADVERSE EFFECTS, COOKING METHODS, PHYSIOPATHOLOGICAL STATUS, AND TIMES OF INTERVENTION. MOREOVER, THE INTEGRATIVE ANALYSIS OF TRADITIONAL VARIABLES (AGE, SEX, METABOLIC PROFILE, CLINICAL HISTORY, BODY PHENOTYPE, HABITUAL DIETARY INTAKE, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVELS, AND LIFESTYLE) TOGETHER WITH INDIVIDUALIZED ISSUES (GENETIC BACKGROUND, EPIGENETIC SIGNATURES, MICROBIOTA COMPOSITION, GENE EXPRESSION PROFILES, AND METABOLOMIC FINGERPRINTS) MAY CONTRIBUTE TO THE KNOWLEDGE AND PRESCRIPTION OF MORE PERSONALIZED TREATMENTS AIMED TO IMPROVING THE PRECISION MEDICAL MANAGEMENT OF INFLAMMATION AS WELL AS THE DESIGN OF ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DIETS IN CHRONIC AND COMMUNICABLE DISEASES. 2022 5 6863 29 [ONE AUTISM, SEVERAL AUTISMS. PHENOTYPICAL VARIABILITY IN AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS]. INTRODUCTION: AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS (ASD) ARE A HETEROGENEOUS GROUP OF DISORDERS THAT BEGIN IN THE EARLY MONTHS OF LIFE AND FOLLOW A CHRONIC PROGRESSION. THEY HAVE A BIOLOGICAL ORIGIN, WITH COMPLEX AETIOLOGICAL FACTORS THAT INVOLVE DIFFERENT GENETIC, EPIGENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL MECHANISMS THAT INTERACT WITH ONE ANOTHER. AIM: TO REVIEW THE MAIN FACTORS THAT VARY THE PRESENTATION OF AUTISM TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE MOST RECENT SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE. DEVELOPMENT: ASPECTS RELATED WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF SYMPTOMS, GENDER, COMORBIDITY, AGE AND AETIOLOGY DETERMINE THE VARIABILITY IN THE CLINICAL PRESENTATION OF ASD. CONCLUSIONS: AUTISM IS HIGHLY HETEROGENEOUS AND IS PHENOTYPICALLY RELATED, AT LEAST IN PART, WITH A WIDE RANGE OF CAUSATIONS, WHICH RESEARCHERS HAVE BEGUN TO UNRAVEL BUT WHICH ARE STILL LARGELY UNKNOWN. AETIOLOGICAL RESEARCH, ESPECIALLY IN THE AREA OF GENETICS, WILL MAKE IT POSSIBLE TO IDENTIFY DIFFERENT HOMOGENEOUS SUBGROUPS WITH THEIR CORRESPONDING PHENOTYPES, WHILE ALSO OPENING UP THE WAY TO POSSIBLE THERAPEUTIC ALTERNATIVES IN THE FUTURE. 2016 6 1409 29 DIETARY INTERVENTIONS AND NUTRITIONAL FACTORS IN THE PREVENTION OF PEDIATRIC ASTHMA. ASTHMA IS THE MOST FREQUENT CHRONIC DISEASE IN CHILDREN, AND ITS PATHOGENESIS INVOLVES GENETIC, EPIGENETIC, AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS. THE RAPID RISE IN THE PREVALENCE OF ASTHMA REGISTERED OVER THE LAST FEW DECADES HAS STRESSED THE NEED TO IDENTIFY THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND MODIFIABLE FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE DISEASE. IN PARTICULAR, THERE IS INCREASING INTEREST IN THE ROLE OF MODIFIABLE NUTRITIONAL FACTORS SPECIFIC TO BOTH THE PRENATAL AND POST-NATAL EARLY LIFE AS, DURING THIS TIME, THE IMMUNE SYSTEM IS PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE TO EXOGENOUS INTERFERENCES. SEVERAL DIETARY FACTORS, INCLUDING MATERNAL DIET DURING PREGNANCY, THE DURATION OF BREASTFEEDING, THE USE OF SPECIAL MILK FORMULAS, THE TIMING OF THE INTRODUCTION OF COMPLEMENTARY FOODS, AND PRENATAL AND EARLY LIFE SUPPLEMENTATION WITH VITAMINS AND PROBIOTICS/PREBIOTICS, HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED AS POTENTIAL TARGETS FOR THE PREVENTION OF ASTHMA. IN THIS REVIEW, WE OUTLINE RECENT FINDINGS ON THE POTENTIAL ROLE OF PRENATAL AND PERINATAL DIETARY AND NUTRITIONAL INTERVENTIONS FOR THE PRIMARY PREVENTION OF PEDIATRIC ASTHMA. MOREOVER, WE ADDRESSED UNMET NEEDS AND AREAS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH IN THE PREVENTION OF CHILDHOOD-ONSET ASTHMA. 2020 7 3172 37 GUT MICROBIOTA AND RISK OF DEVELOPING CELIAC DISEASE. GUT MICROBIOTA SHAPES THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE MUCOSAL IMMUNE SYSTEM AND MAY PROVIDE PROTECTION AGAINST IMMUNE-MEDIATED DISEASES. CELIAC DISEASE (CD) IS A CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY CONDITION TRIGGERED BY DIETARY GLUTEN PROTEINS, RECENTLY ASSOCIATED WITH GUT MICROBIOTA ALTERATIONS IN CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDIES COMPARING PATIENTS AND CONTROLS. WHETHER OR NOT THESE DIFFERENCES ARE CAUSALLY RELATED TO THE DISEASE HAS YET TO BE ELUCIDATED, BUT EVALUATION OF SPECIFIC BACTERIA ISOLATED FROM CD PATIENTS IN EXPERIMENTAL MODELS SUGGESTS THAT THEY CAN PROMOTE AN ADVERSE RESPONSE TO DIETARY GLUTEN, WHEREAS OTHER COMMENSAL BACTERIA CAN BE PROTECTIVE. GENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED CD RISK HAVE ALSO BEEN LINKED TO SHIFTS IN THE GUT MICROBIOTA COMPOSITION IN INFANTS EARLY IN LIFE. EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS ALSO SEEM TO PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN MODULATING GUT MICROBIOTA COMPOSITION AND FUNCTION AND, THEORETICALLY, COULD ALSO INFLUENCE CD RISK. HERE, WE REVIEW THE CURRENT KNOWLEDGE ON HOW HOST GENETICS, ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, AND EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS COULD MODULATE GUT MICROBIOTA FUNCTIONALITY AND HOW THIS MAY INFLUENCE CD RISK. GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF THE ROLE OF THIS TRIAD IN CD ONSET AND PATHOGENESIS WILL BE VALUABLE IN DESIGNING PROOF-OF CONCEPT INTERVENTIONS IN THE GUT ECOSYSTEM, WITH A VIEW TO IMPROVING CD MANAGEMENT. 2016 8 5558 30 ROLE OF GUT MICROBIOTA IN THE AETIOLOGY OF OBESITY: PROPOSED MECHANISMS AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE. THE AETIOLOGY OF OBESITY HAS BEEN ATTRIBUTED TO SEVERAL FACTORS (ENVIRONMENTAL, DIETARY, LIFESTYLE, HOST, AND GENETIC FACTORS); HOWEVER NONE OF THESE FULLY EXPLAIN THE INCREASE IN THE PREVALENCE OF OBESITY WORLDWIDE. GUT MICROBIOTA LOCATED AT THE INTERFACE OF HOST AND ENVIRONMENT IN THE GUT ARE A NEW AREA OF RESEARCH BEING EXPLORED TO EXPLAIN THE EXCESS ACCUMULATION OF ENERGY IN OBESE INDIVIDUALS AND MAY BE A POTENTIAL TARGET FOR THERAPEUTIC MANIPULATION TO REDUCE HOST ENERGY STORAGE. SEVERAL MECHANISMS HAVE BEEN SUGGESTED TO EXPLAIN THE ROLE OF GUT MICROBIOTA IN THE AETIOLOGY OF OBESITY SUCH AS SHORT CHAIN FATTY ACID PRODUCTION, STIMULATION OF HORMONES, CHRONIC LOW-GRADE INFLAMMATION, LIPOPROTEIN AND BILE ACID METABOLISM, AND INCREASED ENDOCANNABINOID RECEPTOR SYSTEM TONE. HOWEVER, EVIDENCE FROM ANIMAL AND HUMAN STUDIES CLEARLY INDICATES CONTROVERSIES IN DETERMINING THE CAUSE OR EFFECT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE GUT MICROBIOTA AND OBESITY. METAGENOMICS BASED STUDIES INDICATE THAT FUNCTIONALITY RATHER THAN THE COMPOSITION OF GUT MICROBIOTA MAY BE IMPORTANT. FURTHER MECHANISTIC STUDIES CONTROLLING FOR ENVIRONMENTAL AND EPIGENETIC FACTORS ARE THEREFORE REQUIRED TO HELP UNRAVEL OBESITY PATHOGENESIS. 2016 9 1149 35 CONNECTING THE IMMUNE SYSTEM, SYSTEMIC CHRONIC INFLAMMATION AND THE GUT MICROBIOME: THE ROLE OF SEX. UNRESOLVED LOW GRADE SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATION REPRESENTS THE UNDERLYING PATHOLOGICAL MECHANISM DRIVING IMMUNE AND METABOLIC PATHWAYS INVOLVED IN AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES (AID). MECHANISTIC STUDIES IN ANIMAL MODELS OF AID AND OBSERVATIONAL STUDIES IN PATIENTS HAVE FOUND ALTERATIONS IN GUT MICROBIOTA COMMUNITIES AND THEIR METABOLITES, SUGGESTING A MICROBIAL CONTRIBUTION TO THE ONSET OR PROGRESSION OF AID. THE GUT MICROBIOTA AND ITS METABOLITES HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO INFLUENCE IMMUNE FUNCTIONS AND IMMUNE HOMEOSTASIS BOTH WITHIN THE GUT AND SYSTEMATICALLY. MICROBIAL DERIVED-SHORT CHAIN FATTY ACID (SCFA) AND BIO-TRANSFORMED BILE ACID (BA) HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO INFLUENCE THE IMMUNE SYSTEM ACTING AS LIGANDS SPECIFIC CELL SIGNALING RECEPTORS LIKE GPRCS, TGR5 AND FXR, OR VIA EPIGENETIC PROCESSES. SIMILARLY, INTESTINAL PERMEABILITY (LEAKY GUT) AND BACTERIAL TRANSLOCATION ARE IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTORS TO CHRONIC SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATION AND, WITHOUT REPAIR OF THE INTESTINAL BARRIER, MIGHT REPRESENT A CONTINUOUS INFLAMMATORY STIMULUS CAPABLE OF TRIGGERING AUTOIMMUNE PROCESSES. RECENT STUDIES INDICATE GENDER-SPECIFIC DIFFERENCES IN IMMUNITY, WITH THE GUT MICROBIOTA SHAPING AND BEING CONCOMITANTLY SHAPED BY THE HORMONAL MILIEU GOVERNING DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE SEXES. A BI-DIRECTIONAL CROSS-TALK BETWEEN MICROBIOTA AND THE ENDOCRINE SYSTEM IS EMERGING WITH BACTERIA BEING ABLE TO PRODUCE HORMONES (E.G. SEROTONIN, DOPAMINE AND SOMATOSTATINE), RESPOND TO HOST HORMONES (E.G. ESTROGENS) AND REGULATE HOST HORMONES' HOMEOSTASIS (E.G BY INHIBITING GENE PROLACTIN TRANSCRIPTION OR CONVERTING GLUCOCORTICOIDS TO ANDROGENS). WE REVIEW HEREIN HOW GUT MICROBIOTA AND ITS METABOLITES REGULATE IMMUNE FUNCTION, INTESTINAL PERMEABILITY AND POSSIBLY AID PATHOLOGICAL PROCESSES. FURTHER, WE DESCRIBE THE DYSBIOSIS WITHIN THE GUT MICROBIOTA OBSERVED IN DIFFERENT AID AND SPECULATE HOW RESTORING GUT MICROBIOTA COMPOSITION AND ITS REGULATORY METABOLITES BY DIETARY INTERVENTION INCLUDING PREBIOTICS AND PROBIOTICS COULD HELP IN PREVENTING OR AMELIORATING AID. FINALLY, WE SUGGEST THAT, GIVEN CONSISTENT OBSERVATIONS OF MICROBIOTA DYSBIOSIS ASSOCIATED WITH AID AND THE ABILITY OF SCFA AND BA TO REGULATE INTESTINAL PERMEABILITY AND INFLAMMATION, FURTHER MECHANISTIC STUDIES, EXAMINING HOW DIETARY MICROBIOTA MODULATION CAN PROTECT AGAINST AID, HOLD CONSIDERABLE POTENTIAL TO TACKLE INCREASED INCIDENCE OF AID AT THE POPULATION LEVEL. 2018 10 6034 32 THE CHALLENGE BY MULTIPLE ENVIRONMENTAL AND BIOLOGICAL FACTORS INDUCE INFLAMMATION IN AGING: THEIR ROLE IN THE PROMOTION OF CHRONIC DISEASE. THE AGING PROCESS IS DRIVEN BY MULTIPLE MECHANISMS THAT LEAD TO CHANGES IN ENERGY PRODUCTION, OXIDATIVE STRESS, HOMEOSTATIC DYSREGULATION AND EVENTUALLY TO LOSS OF FUNCTIONALITY AND INCREASED DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITY. MOST AGED INDIVIDUALS DEVELOP CHRONIC LOW-GRADE INFLAMMATION, WHICH IS AN IMPORTANT RISK FACTOR FOR MORBIDITY, PHYSICAL AND COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT, FRAILTY, AND DEATH. AT ANY AGE, CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASES ARE MAJOR CAUSES OF MORBIMORTALITY, AFFECTING UP TO 5-8% OF THE POPULATION OF INDUSTRIALIZED COUNTRIES. SEVERAL ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS CAN PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE FOR MODIFYING THE INFLAMMATORY STATE. GENETICS ACCOUNTS FOR ONLY A SMALL FRACTION OF CHRONIC-INFLAMMATORY DISEASES, WHEREAS ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS APPEAR TO PARTICIPATE, EITHER WITH A CAUSATIVE OR A PROMOTIONAL ROLE IN 50% TO 75% OF PATIENTS. SEVERAL OF THOSE CHANGES DEPEND ON EPIGENETIC CHANGES THAT WILL FURTHER MODIFY THE INDIVIDUAL RESPONSE TO ADDITIONAL STIMULI. THE INTERACTION BETWEEN INFLAMMATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT OFFERS IMPORTANT INSIGHTS ON AGING AND HEALTH. THESE CONDITIONS, OFTEN DEPENDING ON THE INDIVIDUAL'S SEX, APPEAR TO LEAD TO DECREASED LONGEVITY AND PHYSICAL AND COGNITIVE DECLINE. IN ADDITION TO BIOLOGICAL FACTORS, THE ENVIRONMENT IS ALSO INVOLVED IN THE GENERATION OF PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL CONTEXT LEADING TO STRESS. POOR PSYCHOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENTS AND OTHER SOURCES OF STRESS ALSO RESULT IN INCREASED INFLAMMATION. HOWEVER, THE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THE ROLE OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS AND NUTRITION ON THE REGULATION OF INFLAMMATION, AND HOW THE RESPONSE ELICITED FOR THOSE FACTORS INTERACT AMONG THEM, ARE POORLY UNDERSTOOD. WHEREAS CERTAIN DELETERIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS RESULT IN THE GENERATION OF OXIDATIVE STRESS DRIVEN BY AN INCREASED PRODUCTION OF REACTIVE OXYGEN AND NITROGEN SPECIES, ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM STRESS, AND INFLAMMATION, OTHER FACTORS, INCLUDING NUTRITION (POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS) AND BEHAVIORAL FACTORS (EXERCISE) CONFER PROTECTION AGAINST INFLAMMATION, OXIDATIVE AND ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM STRESS, AND THUS AMELIORATE THEIR DELETERIOUS EFFECT. HERE, WE DISCUSS PROCESSES AND MECHANISMS OF INFLAMMATION ASSOCIATED WITH ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS AND BEHAVIOR, THEIR LINKS TO SEX AND GENDER, AND THEIR OVERALL IMPACT ON AGING. 2020 11 1414 38 DIETARY PHYTOCHEMICALS IN NEUROIMMUNOAGING: A NEW THERAPEUTIC POSSIBILITY FOR HUMANS? ALTHOUGH SEVERAL EFFORTS HAVE BEEN MADE IN THE SEARCH FOR GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC PATTERNS LINKED TO DISEASES, A COMPREHENSIVE EXPLANATION OF THE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING PATHOLOGICAL PHENOTYPIC PLASTICITY IS STILL FAR FROM BEING CLARIFIED. OXIDATIVE STRESS AND INFLAMMATION ARE TWO OF THE MAJOR TRIGGERS OF THE EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS OCCURRING IN CHRONIC PATHOLOGIES, SUCH AS NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES. IN FACT, OVER THE LAST DECADE, REMARKABLE PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE TO REALIZE THAT CHRONIC, LOW-GRADE INFLAMMATION IS ONE OF THE MAJOR RISK FACTOR UNDERLYING BRAIN AGING. ACCUMULATED DATA STRONGLY SUGGEST THAT PHYTOCHEMICALS FROM FRUITS, VEGETABLES, HERBS, AND SPICES MAY EXERT RELEVANT IMMUNOMODULATORY AND/OR ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITIES IN THE CONTEXT OF BRAIN AGING. STARTING BY THE EVIDENCE THAT A COMMON DENOMINATOR OF AGING AND CHRONIC DEGENERATIVE DISEASES IS REPRESENTED BY INFLAMMATION, AND THAT SEVERAL DIETARY PHYTOCHEMICALS ARE ABLE TO POTENTIALLY INTERFERE WITH AND REGULATE THE NORMAL FUNCTION OF CELLS, IN PARTICULAR NEURONAL COMPONENTS, AIM OF THIS REVIEW IS TO SUMMARIZE RECENT STUDIES ON NEUROINFLAMMAGING PROCESSES AND PROOFS INDICATING THAT SPECIFIC PHYTOCHEMICALS MAY ACT AS POSITIVE MODULATORS OF NEUROINFLAMMATORY EVENTS. IN ADDITION, CRITICAL PATHWAYS INVOLVED IN MEDIATING PHYTOCHEMICALS EFFECTS ON NEUROINFLAMMAGING WERE DISCUSSED, EXPLORING THE REAL IMPACT OF THESE COMPOUNDS IN PRESERVING BRAIN HEALTH BEFORE THE ONSET OF SYMPTOMS LEADING TO INFLAMMATORY NEURODEGENERATION AND COGNITIVE DECLINE. 2016 12 3801 33 INTERPLAY OF VITAMIN D AND SIRT1 IN TISSUE-SPECIFIC METABOLISM-POTENTIAL ROLES IN PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES INCLUDING CANCER. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES, INCLUDING OBESITY, METABOLIC SYNDROME, TYPE 2 DIABETES, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES, AND CANCER, IS INCREASING AS A REQUIREMENT OF THE AGING POPULATION IN DEVELOPED COUNTRIES AND THE SUSTAINABILITY OF HEALTHCARE. SIMILARLY, THE 2013-2030 ACTION PLAN OF THE WHO FOR THE PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES SEEKS THESE ACHIEVEMENTS. ADEQUATE LIFESTYLE CHANGES, ALONE OR WITH THE NECESSARY TREATMENTS, COULD REDUCE THE RISK OF MORTALITY OR THE DETERIORATION OF QUALITY OF LIFE. IN OUR RECENT WORK, WE SUMMARIZED THE ROLE OF TWO CENTRAL FACTORS, I.E., APPROPRIATE LEVELS OF VITAMIN D AND SIRT1, WHICH ARE CONNECTED TO ADEQUATE LIFESTYLES WITH BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON THE PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES. BOTH OF THESE FACTORS HAVE RECEIVED INCREASED ATTENTION IN RELATION TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AS THEY BOTH TAKE PART IN REGULATION OF THE MAIN METABOLIC PROCESSES, I.E., LIPID/GLUCOSE/ENERGY HOMEOSTASIS, OXIDATIVE STRESS, REDOX BALANCE, AND CELL FATE, AS WELL AS IN THE HEALTHY REGULATION OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM. VITAMIN D AND SIRT1 HAVE DIRECT AND INDIRECT INFLUENCE OF THE REGULATION OF TRANSCRIPTION AND EPIGENETIC CHANGES AND ARE RELATED TO CYTOPLASMIC SIGNALING PATHWAYS SUCH AS PLC/DAG/IP3/PKC/MAPK, MEK/ERK, INSULIN/MTOR/CELL GROWTH, PROLIFERATION; LEPTIN/PI3K-AKT-MTORC1, AKT/NFKB/COX-2, NFKB/TNFALPHA, IL-6, IL-8, IL-1BETA, AND AMPK/PGC-1ALPHA/GLUT4, AMONG OTHERS. THROUGH THEIR PROPER REGULATION, THEY MAINTAIN NORMAL BODY WEIGHT, LIPID PROFILE, INSULIN SECRETION AND SENSITIVITY, BALANCE BETWEEN THE PRO- AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY PROCESSES UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS AND INFECTIONS, MAINTAIN ENDOTHELIAL HEALTH; BALANCE CELL DIFFERENTIATION, PROLIFERATION, AND FATE; AND BALANCE THE CIRCADIAN RHYTHM OF THE CELLULAR METABOLISM. THE ROLE OF THESE TWO MOLECULES IS INTERCONNECTED IN THE MOLECULAR NETWORK, AND THEY REGULATE EACH OTHER IN SEVERAL LAYERS OF THE HOMEOSTASIS OF ENERGY AND THE CELLULAR METABOLISM. BOTH HAVE A CENTRAL ROLE IN THE MAINTENANCE OF HEALTHY AND BALANCED IMMUNE REGULATION AND REDOX REACTIONS; THEREFORE, THEY COULD CONSTITUTE PROMISING TARGETS EITHER FOR PREVENTION OR AS COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES TO ACHIEVE A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE, AT ANY AGE, FOR HEALTHY PEOPLE AND PATIENTS UNDER CHRONIC CONDITIONS. 2023 13 421 33 ANIMAL MODELS IN EPIGENETIC RESEARCH: INSTITUTIONAL ANIMAL CARE AND USE COMMITTEE CONSIDERATIONS ACROSS THE LIFESPAN. THE RAPID EXPANSION AND EVOLUTION OF EPIGENETICS AS A CORE SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINE HAVE RAISED NEW QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW ENDOGENOUS AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS CAN INFORM THE MECHANISMS THROUGH WHICH BIOLOGICAL FORM AND FUNCTION ARE REGULATED. EXISTING AND PROPOSED ANIMAL MODELS USED FOR EPIGENETIC RESEARCH HAVE TARGETED A MYRIAD OF HEALTH AND DISEASE ENDPOINTS THAT MAY BE ACUTE, CHRONIC, AND TRANSGENERATIONAL IN NATURE. INITIATING EVENTS AND OUTCOMES MAY EXTEND ACROSS THE ENTIRE LIFESPAN TO ELICIT UNANTICIPATED PHENOTYPES THAT ARE OF PARTICULAR CONCERN TO INSTITUTIONAL ANIMAL CARE AND USE COMMITTEES (IACUCS). THE DYNAMICS AND PLASTICITY OF EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS PRODUCE EFFECTS AND CONSEQUENCES THAT ARE MANIFEST DIFFERENTIALLY WITHIN DISCREET SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL CONTEXTS, INCLUDING PRENATAL DEVELOPMENT, STEM CELLS, ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGIES, PRODUCTION OF SEXUAL DIMORPHISMS, SENESCENCE, AND OTHERS. MANY DIETARY AND NUTRITIONAL INTERVENTIONS HAVE ALSO BEEN SHOWN TO HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON BIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS AND DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITIES THROUGH ALTERED EPIGENETIC PROGRAMMING. THE ENVIRONMENTAL, CHEMICAL, TOXIC, THERAPEUTIC, AND PSYCHOSOCIAL STRESSORS USED IN ANIMAL STUDIES TO ELICIT EPIGENETIC CHANGES CAN BECOME EXTREME AND SHOULD RAISE IACUC CONCERNS FOR THE WELL-BEING AND PROPER CARE OF ALL RESEARCH ANIMALS INVOLVED. EPIGENETICS RESEARCH IS RAPIDLY BECOMING AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE SEARCH FOR MECHANISMS IN EVERY MAJOR AREA OF BIOMEDICAL AND BEHAVIORAL RESEARCH AND WILL FOSTER THE CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT OF NEW ANIMAL MODELS. FROM THE IACUC PERSPECTIVE, CARE MUST BE TAKEN TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PARTICULAR NEEDS AND CONCERNS CREATED BY SUPERIMPOSITION OF EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS OVER DIVERSE FIELDS OF INVESTIGATION TO ENSURE THE PROPER CARE AND USE OF ANIMALS WITHOUT IMPEDING SCIENTIFIC PROGRESS. 2012 14 2869 45 FUNCTIONAL FOODS AND HEALTH EFFECTS: A NUTRITIONAL BIOCHEMISTRY PERSPECTIVE. BACKGROUND: INCREASED CONSUMER S INTEREST IN HEALTH HAS DRIVEN THE DEVELOPMENT OF FOODS THAT OFFER SPECIFIC BENEFICIAL EFFECTS. THE LIST OF FOODS AND INGREDIENTS INCLUDES ESSENTIAL AND NON-ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS, PLANT AND MARINE COMPONENTS, WHOLE FOODS, MICROORGANISMS, MICROALGAE AND TECHNOLOGICAL APPROACHES. TRADITIONALLY, HEALTH OUTCOMES FOCUSSED ON THE PREVENTION OF CHRONIC DISEASES BUT HEALTH TARGETS HAVE EXPANDED TO COVER AREAS SUCH AS BRAIN HEALTH, INFLAMMATION, EYE HEALTH, WOMEN S HEALTH, HEALTHY AGEING AND BEAUTY. OBJECTIVE: THIS REVIEW HIGHLIGHTS, FROM A NUTRITIONAL BIOCHEMISTRY PERSPECTIVE, DIFFERENTIAL ASPECTS ON DESIGNING AND INTERPRETING HUMAN STUDIES TO SUPPORT THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF FUNCTIONAL FOODS. RESULTS: DESPITE THE AVAILABLE EVIDENCE FROM IN VITRO, ANIMAL AND OBSERVATIONAL STUDIES, WELLDESIGNED HUMAN STUDIES ARE NECESSARY TO SUPPORT THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF FUNCTIONAL FOODS. INTERVENTION TRIALS WITH FOODS ARE COMPLEX AS THEY IMPLY LIMITATIONS DUE TO METHODOLOGICAL, FOOD-RELATED AND HOST-RELATED FACTORS. THE USE OF RESPONSIVE, VALIDATED AND CLINICALLY RELEVANT MARKERS BECOMES ESSENTIAL EVEN THOUGH THERE IS A LACK OF RELIABLE BIOMARKERS OF EXPOSURE FOR MANY BIOACTIVES. FURTHERMORE, THE EFFECT OF MODULATING FACTORS SUCH AS SUBCLINICAL INFLAMMATION, GUT MICROBIOTA AND GENETIC VARIABILITY SHOULD BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT. MULTIPLE INDICATORS MAY PROVIDE A MORE RELIABLE ALTERNATIVE TO ASSESS PHYSIOLOGICAL PROCESSES WHILE EMERGING BIOMARKERS (MICRORNAS, EPIGENETIC CHANGES) CONSTITUTE A PROMISING APPROACH. ADDITIONALLY, THE MAGNITUDE OF THE CHANGE IS CRITICAL TO SUPPORT ANY HEALTH EFFECT ALTHOUGH INTERVENTIONS MAY HAVE A LIMITED CLINICAL IMPACT BUT BE EPIDEMIOLOGICALLY RELEVANT. ALSO, BASED ON THE AVAILABLE DATA, THE PREMISE THAT BIOACTIVESCONTAINING FOODS ARE SAFE MAY BE QUESTIONABLE. CONCLUSION: AN INTEGRATED APPROACH INCLUDING MULTIPLE BIOMARKERS, GENETIC VARIABILITY, EFFECT OF GUT MICROBIOTA AND RISK/BENEFIT ASSESSMENT SHOULD BE USED TO SUPPORT THE POTENTIAL HEALTH EFFECTS OF FUNCTIONAL FOODS. 2016 15 5377 35 RECENT FINDINGS IN ALZHEIMER DISEASE AND NUTRITION FOCUSING ON EPIGENETICS. ALZHEIMER DISEASE (AD) IS A CHRONIC NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASE WITH NO EFFECTIVE CURE SO FAR. THE CURRENT REVIEW FOCUSES ON THE EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS OF AD AND HOW NUTRITION CAN INFLUENCE THE COURSE OF THIS DISEASE THROUGH REGULATION OF GENE EXPRESSION, ACCORDING TO THE LATEST SCIENTIFIC FINDINGS. THE SEARCH STRATEGY WAS THE USE OF SCIENTIFIC DATABASES SUCH AS PUBMED AND SCOPUS IN ORDER TO FIND RELATIVE RESEARCH OR REVIEW ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN THE YEARS 2012-2015. BY SHOWING THE LATEST DATA OF VARIOUS NUTRITIONAL COMPOUNDS, THIS STUDY AIMS TO STIMULATE THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY TO RECOGNIZE THE VALUE OF NUTRITION IN THIS SUBJECT. EPIGENETICS IS BECOMING A VERY ATTRACTIVE SUBJECT FOR RESEARCHERS BECAUSE IT CAN SHED LIGHT ON UNKNOWN ASPECTS OF COMPLEX DISEASES LIKE AD. DNA METHYLATION, HISTONE MODIFICATIONS, AND MICRORNAS ARE THE PRINCIPAL EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS INVOLVED IN AD PATHOPHYSIOLOGY. NUTRITION IS AN ENVIRONMENTAL FACTOR THAT IS RELATED TO AD THROUGH EPIGENETIC PATHWAYS. VITAMIN B-12, FOR INSTANCE, CAN ALTER THE ONE-CARBON METABOLISM AND THUS INTERFERE IN THE DNA METHYLATION PROCESS. THE RESEARCH RESULTS MIGHT SEEM AMBIGUOUS ABOUT THE CLINICAL ROLE OF NUTRITION, BUT THERE IS STRENGTHENING EVIDENCE THAT PROPER NUTRITION CAN NOT ONLY CHANGE EPIGENETIC BIOMARKER LEVELS BUT ALSO PREVENT THE DEVELOPMENT OF LATE-ONSET AD AND ATTENUATE COGNITION DEFICIT. NUTRITION MIGHT GROW TO BECOME A PREVENTIVE AND EVEN THERAPEUTIC ALTERNATIVE AGAINST AD, ESPECIALLY IF COMBINED WITH OTHER ANTIDEMENTIA INTERVENTIONS, BRAIN EXERCISE, PHYSICAL TRAINING, ETC. EPIGENETIC BIOMARKERS CAN BE A VERY HELPFUL TOOL TO HELP RESEARCHERS FIND THE EXACT NUTRIENTS NEEDED TO CREATE SPECIFIC REMEDIES, AND PERHAPS THE SAME BIOMARKERS CAN BE USED EVEN IN PATIENT SCREENING IN THE FUTURE. 2016 16 6391 26 THE ROLE OF THE GUT MICROBIOME AND MICROBIAL METABOLISM IN MEDIATING OPIOID-INDUCED CHANGES IN THE EPIGENOME. THE CURRENT OPIOID PANDEMIC IS A MAJOR PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS IN THE UNITED STATES, AFFECTING MILLIONS OF PEOPLE AND IMPOSING SIGNIFICANT HEALTH AND SOCIOECONOMIC BURDENS. PRECLINICAL AND CLINICAL RESEARCH OVER THE PAST FEW DECADES HAS DELINEATED CERTAIN MOLECULAR MECHANISMS AND IDENTIFIED VARIOUS GENETIC, EPIGENETIC, AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY AND COMORBIDITIES ASSOCIATED WITH OPIOID USE. OPIOID USE-INDUCED EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AS ONE OF THE IMPORTANT FACTORS THAT MEDIATE GENETIC CHANGES IN BRAIN REGIONS THAT CONTROL REWARD AND DRUG-SEEKING BEHAVIOR AND ARE ALSO IMPLICATED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF TOLERANCE. RECENTLY, IT HAS BEEN SHOWN THAT OPIOID USE RESULTS IN MICROBIAL DYSBIOSIS, LEADING TO GUT BARRIER DISRUPTION, WHICH DRIVES SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATION, IMPACTING THE PERCEPTION OF PAIN, THE DEVELOPMENT OF ANALGESIC TOLERANCE, AND BEHAVIORAL OUTCOMES. IN THIS REVIEW, WE HIGHLIGHT THE POTENTIAL ROLE OF MICROBIOTA AND MICROBIAL METABOLITES IN MEDIATING THE EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS INDUCED BY OPIOID USE. 2023 17 5586 25 ROLE OF PERSONALIZED NUTRITION IN CHRONIC-DEGENERATIVE DISEASES. HUMAN NUTRITION IS A BRANCH OF MEDICINE BASED ON FOODS BIOCHEMICAL INTERACTIONS WITH THE HUMAN BODY. THE PHENOTYPIC TRANSITION FROM HEALTH TO DISEASE STATUS CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO CHANGES IN GENES AND/OR PROTEIN EXPRESSION. FOR THIS REASON, A NEW DISCIPLINE HAS BEEN DEVELOPED CALLED "-OMIC SCIENCE". IN THIS REVIEW, WE ANALYZED THE ROLE OF "-OMICS SCIENCES" (NUTRIGENETICS, NUTRIGENOMICS, PROTEOMICS AND METABOLOMICS) IN THE HEALTH STATUS AND AS POSSIBLE THERAPEUTIC TOOL IN CHRONIC DEGENERATIVE DISEASES. IN PARTICULAR, WE FOCUSED ON THE ROLE OF NUTRIGENETICS AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EATING HABITS, CHANGES IN THE DNA SEQUENCE AND THE ONSET OF NUTRITION-RELATED DISEASES. MOREOVER, WE EXAMINED NUTRIGENOMICS AND THE EFFECT OF NUTRIENTS ON GENE EXPRESSION. WE PERUSED THE ROLE OF PROTEOMICS AND METABOLOMICS IN PERSONALIZED NUTRITION. IN THIS SCENARIO, WE ANALYZED ALSO HOW DYSBIOSIS OF GUT MICROBIOTA CAN INFLUENCE THE ONSET AND PROGRESSION OF CHRONIC DEGENERATIVE DISEASES. MOREOVER, NUTRIENTS INFLUENCING AND REGULATING GENE ACTIVITY, BOTH DIRECTLY AND INDIRECTLY, PAVES THE WAY FOR PERSONALIZED NUTRITION THAT PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN THE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF CHRONIC DEGENERATIVE DISEASES. 2019 18 3546 39 IMMUNOMODULATORY DIET IN PEDIATRIC AGE. IN THE LAST FEW DECADES, THE IMPORTANCE OF A FUNCTIONING IMMUNE SYSTEM AND HEALTH STATUS HAS BECOME MORE EVIDENT. MULTIPLE FACTORS ARE ABLE TO INFLUENCE THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHRONIC DISEASES AND DIET IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS. EVIDENCE DEMONSTRATES THAT DIETARY PATTERNS HIGH IN FAT AND LOW IN FIBER ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES. MOREOVER, OPTIMAL NUTRITIONAL STATUS CAN MODULATE IMMUNE MATURATION AND RESPONSE TO INFLAMMATION. DURING INFLAMMATORY CONDITIONS, NUTRITIONAL DEFICIENCIES MAY OCCUR, ESTABLISHING A VICIOUS CIRCLE, CONSEQUENTLY A BALANCED NUTRITIONAL STATUS IS ESSENTIAL TO PREVENT AND COUNTERACT INFECTIONS. DIETARY DIVERSITY CAN PREVENT ALLERGIC DISEASES AND NUTRIENTS SUCH AS DHA, ARGININE, VITAMINS AND TRACE ELEMENTS HAVE AN IMPACT ON PHYSICAL BARRIERS (SUCH AS GUT MUCOSAL BARRIER AND SKIN), ON THE IMMUNE SYSTEM RESPONSE AND ON MICROBIOME MODULATION. PROTEIN DEFICIENCIES CAN COMPROMISE INNATE AND ADAPTIVE IMMUNE FUNCTIONS; ARGININE AVAILABILITY CAN AFFECT THE IMMUNE RESPONSE IN INJURED STATES AND OTHER DISEASE PROCESSES; EPA AND DHA CAN MODULATE BOTH INNATE AND ADAPTIVE IMMUNITY; PREBIOTICS HAVE A BENEFICIAL EFFECT ON THE FUNCTIONING OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM. ZINC, COPPER, SELENIUM AND IRON ARE INVOLVED IN THE CORRECT DEVELOPMENT AND FUNCTION OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM. VITAMINS D, E, A, B AND C HAVE A ROLE ON IMMUNE SYSTEM THROUGH DIFFERENT MECHANISMS OF ACTION. SINCE A COMPLEX INTERPLAY EXISTS BETWEEN DIET, MICROBIOME AND EPIGENETIC FACTORS WHICH DETERMINE NUTRIENT-INDUCED CHANGES ON THE IMMUNE FUNCTION, THE EFFECT OF EACH SINGLE NUTRIENT MAY BE DIFFICULT TO STUDY. WELL-DESIGNED INTERVENTION STUDIES, INVESTIGATING THE EFFECTS OF WHOLE DIETARY PATTERN, SHOULD BE PERFORMED TO CLARIFY IMPACT OF FOODS ON THE IMMUNE FUNCTION AND DISEASE RISK. 2021 19 6380 24 THE ROLE OF OBESITY AND DIABETES IN DEMENTIA. CHRONIC CONDITIONS SUCH AS OBESITY, DIABETES, AND DEMENTIA ARE INCREASING IN THE UNITED STATES (US) POPULATION. KNOWLEDGE OF THESE CHRONIC CONDITIONS, PREVENTATIVE MEASURES, AND PROPER MANAGEMENT TACTICS IS IMPORTANT AND CRITICAL TO PREVENTING DISEASE. THE OVERLAP BETWEEN OBESITY, DIABETES, AND DEMENTIA IS BECOMING FURTHER ELUCIDATED. THESE CONDITIONS SHARE A SIMILAR ORIGIN THROUGH THE COMPONENTS OF INCREASING AGE, GENDER, GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC PREDISPOSITIONS, DEPRESSION, AND A HIGH-FAT WESTERN DIET (WD) THAT ALL CONTRIBUTE TO THE INFLAMMATORY STATE ASSOCIATED WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF OBESITY, DIABETES, AND DEMENTIA. THIS INFLAMMATORY STATE LEADS TO THE DYSREGULATION OF FOOD INTAKE AND INSULIN RESISTANCE. OBESITY IS OFTEN THE CORNERSTONE THAT LEADS TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF DIABETES AND, SUBSEQUENTLY, IN THE CASE OF TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS (T2DM), PROGRESSION TO "TYPE 3 DIABETES MELLITUS (T3DM)". OBESITY AND DEPRESSION ARE CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH DIABETES. HOWEVER, DEMENTIA CAN BE AVOIDED WITH LIFESTYLE MODIFICATIONS, BY SWITCHING TO A PLANT-BASED DIET (E.G., A MEDITERRANEAN DIET (MD)), AND INCREASING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. DIET AND EXERCISE ARE NOT THE ONLY TREATMENT OPTIONS. THERE ARE SEVERAL SURGICAL AND PHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTIONS AVAILABLE FOR PREVENTION. CURRENT AND FUTURE RESEARCH WITHIN EACH OF THESE FIELDS IS WARRANTED AND OFFERS THE CHANCE FOR NEW TREATMENT OPTIONS AND A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE PATHOGENESIS OF EACH CONDITION. 2022 20 2424 36 EPIGENETIC SIGNATURES UNDERLYING INFLAMMATION: AN INTERPLAY OF NUTRITION, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, METABOLIC DISEASES, AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS FOR PERSONALIZED NUTRITION. AIM AND OBJECTIVE: EMERGING TRANSLATIONAL EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS (DNA METHYLATION, MIRNA EXPRESSION, AND HISTONE MODIFICATIONS) OCCUR AFTER EXTERNAL STIMULI AND MAY CONTRIBUTE TO EXACERBATED INFLAMMATION AND THE RISK OF SUFFERING SEVERAL DISEASES INCLUDING DIABETES, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES, CANCER, AND NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS. THIS REVIEW SUMMARIZES THE CURRENT KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE HARMFUL EFFECTS OF HIGH-FAT/HIGH-SUGAR DIETS, MICRONUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES (FOLATE, MANGANESE, AND CAROTENOIDS), OBESITY AND ASSOCIATED COMPLICATIONS, BACTERIAL/VIRAL INFECTIONS, SMOKING, EXCESSIVE ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION, SLEEP DEPRIVATION, CHRONIC STRESS, AIR POLLUTION, AND CHEMICAL EXPOSURE ON INFLAMMATION THROUGH EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS. ADDITIONALLY, THE EPIGENETIC PHENOMENA UNDERLYING THE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY POTENTIAL OF CALORIC RESTRICTION, N-3 PUFA, MEDITERRANEAN DIET, VITAMIN D, ZINC, POLYPHENOLS (I.E., RESVERATROL, GALLIC ACID, EPICATECHIN, LUTEOLIN, CURCUMIN), AND THE ROLE OF SYSTEMATIC EXERCISE ARE DISCUSSED. METHODS: ORIGINAL AND REVIEW ARTICLES ENCOMPASSING EPIGENETICS AND INFLAMMATION WERE SCREENED FROM MAJOR DATABASES (INCLUDING PUBMED, MEDLINE, SCIENCE DIRECT, SCOPUS, ETC.) AND ANALYZED FOR THE WRITING OF THE REVIEW PAPER. CONCLUSION: ALTHOUGH CAUTION SHOULD BE EXERCISED, RESEARCH ON EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS IS CONTRIBUTING TO UNDERSTAND PATHOLOGICAL PROCESSES INVOLVING INFLAMMATORY RESPONSES, THE PREDICTION OF DISEASE RISK BASED ON THE EPIGENOTYPE, AS WELL AS THE PUTATIVE DESIGN OF THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS TARGETING THE EPIGENOME. 2021