MHICN expands clinical research program in collaboration with Erasmus Medical Center and ErasmusAGE

Metagenics Healthcare Institute for Clinical Nutrition (www.mhicn.com) announced today an expanded clinical research program in collaboration with Erasmus Medical Center and ErasmusAGE, from Rotterdam, the Netherlands – a leading global healthcare center in epidemiology and health outcomes research. This project will expand the current work on cardiometabolic and women's health issues to now include nutrigenomic and epigenomic influences on the health status in both aging population groups as well as in child development. The focus of this new project will evaluate the role and influence of methylation status in population cohorts of over 30,000 individuals over a 30 year period. Selected DNA samples over this time period have been collected and will evaluate specific effects that certain dietary and lifestyle practices played in DNA methylation and the resulting influence in cardiovascular and cognitive performance. "This will be the first study and analysis of its kind using large population groups for better understanding of the role and influence that methylation processes play in health status and outcomes," commented Oscar Franco, MD, PhD, Professor and Executive Director of the project.

This collaboration will be able to provide new insights in clinical practices and better understanding of nutrigenomic influences on health. John Troup, PhD, Chief Science Officer at Metagenics notes, "Methylation is a key biochemical process critical for proper functioning of nearly all the body's systems. This 'first of its kind' assessment in large scale clinical nutrition studies will be essential in developing and supporting, targeted clinical solutions for the healthcare provider—and helping close the gap towards the goal of personalized and precision medicine."

MHICN is a leader in clinical research in functional, integrative and lifestyle medicine and has maintained a longstanding academic and research collaboration with Erasmus Medical Center, ErasmusAGE and the leading work in epigenetics carried out at the institution. The project will be part of the Rotterdam Study and Generation-R projects – an ongoing population based study of nearly 15,000 individuals 45 years and over since 1990. Generation-R study is a population-based prospective cohort study from fetal life through young adulthood including nearly 10,000 mothers dating from April 2002 - January 2006. Repeated DNA methylation status and modification due to nutrition will be evaluated to determine how DNA methylation mediates the effect of nutrition on cardiovascular diseases, cognitive performance and diabetes.