Nutrition plays a key role in preventing and managing disease

After 5 years at medical school and 6 years as a hospital doctor, it became clear to me at that time 40 years ago that medical knowledge was very basic, raising serious questions about the quality of care I was able to provide for patients.

So began my fascinating journey and adventure as a medical publisher’s editor and as a medical writer marketing the products of pharmaceutical companies. My aim was to work at the cutting edge of medical science with the best experts in the world to find answers. In the process, I worked for 44 international publishing and medical communications clients, contributing to hundreds of medical and health publications and communications, and reporting on over 50 international medical conferences and expert teleconferences.

I have learned a lot. But the more I learned, the more I discovered that there is so much more that we don’t know. Over the years, research has shown that chronic inflammation plays a key role in many diseases, including most skin diseases, cardiovascular disease, a variety of cancers, type 2 diabetes, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

This suggests that inflammation-based diseases are linked — but how?

It is now known that each individual has a constantly changing reversible expression of the genes in their DNA in response to nutritional, behavioural, and external environmental factors. These so-called epigenetic processes play a role in determining an individual's health and disease profile. Identical twins are born with the same DNA and genes, but the expression of their genes varies depending on the lives they lead. So it appears we all have some ability to control our health and disease.

Understanding the exact mechanisms by which nutritional, behavioural, and external environmental factors alter gene expression is in its infancy, but research is starting to link these factors to health and disease. For example:

• the nutrients in a Mediterranean diet  have beneficial effects on the gut microbiome and metabolism, which play key roles in maintaining a healthy immune system to prevent harmful inflammation
• in contrast, ultra-processed foods (UPFs) have adverse effects on the gut microbiome, metabolism and the immune system and are associated with an increased risk of chronic inflammation and many physical and mental health illnesses.
  

Dr Lindy van den Berghe BMedSci BM BS

Founder, First Line Medical Communications Ltd

Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025–2030  emphasize the role of nutrition in preventing chronic diseases. They highlight that  almost 90% of healthcare spending in the US is for chronic diseases, many of which result from an American Diet of highly processed foods associated with a sedentary lifestyle