March 18, 2010
4th Asia Pacific Nutrigenomics Conference opens in New Zealand (Press Release)
Dr. Pearse Lyons, founder and president of global animal health and nutrition company Alltech, recently presented the opening address at the 4th Asia-Pacific Nutrigenomics Conference held at the University of Auckland.
Dr. Lyons began by posing the question"Why do the food and health industries need nutrigenomics?" He then spoke of the critical role nutrigenomics which is the study of the relationships between diet, genes, function and health, has to play as global demand for healthy, nutritious food increases. It also plays an important role as the search progresses for answers to challenges such as cancer, Alzheimer's disease and suppressed immunity.
Dr. Karl Dawson, Alltech's director for worldwide research, explained how Alltech has invested heavily in nutrigenomics in order to study the effects of dietary change on animal genes. "Application of the science allows for a clearer understanding of energy metabolism at the cellular level," commented Dr. Dawson. He further explained the relationship between the study of nutrigenomics in animals and humans, stating,"We are not just what we eat, but we are what our animals ate".
Dr. Ronan Power, director of Alltech's Nutrigenomics Research Centre based in Kentucky, USA, also addressed the conference with a presentation entitled, "Shedding light on the Selenium Controversy". Dr. Power explained that at the very basic level of selenium supplementation, it is the ‘form' that matters most. Human intervention studies and Alltech's own collaborative research have shown striking differences regarding biological activities of feeding different forms of selenium, including Alltech's yeast derived organic form, Sel-Plex®. Dr. Power concluded that when it comes to chemo prevention studies, "the form of selenium must be questioned and decisions should be made based on apparent bioavailability, rather than biological property data".
Since 1980, Alltech has developed a strong presence throughout the world with over 2,000 employees and a presence in 120 countries.
