Diet, Gene, Physical Activity and Health 4th International Conference on Nutrition and Fitness, Athens, May 2000 (World Review of Nutrition and Dietetics)

This is the first of two volumes containing the proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Nutrition and Fitness. It presents the latest data on the interrelationships of genes, nutrients and physical activity as they influence the phenotype throughout development. The human genome was shaped by the environment, especially diet and physical activity: The phenotype is thus the result of continuous gene-environment interactions. However, new data indicate that the environment has changed enormously, especially during the last 100 years, so that it is no longer in harmony with the human genome. A new discipline is evolving, called Nutrigenetics, which combines concepts and methods from genetics and nutritional sciences, and the term refers to individual variability in response to diet. The papers presented make it abundantly clear that we must make a conscious effort to develop in all dimensions.