Smartfood Program

Epidemiological and experimental evidence demonstrates that only a small portion of cancers are inherited; environmental factors are the most important cause of genetic modification.
These factors include food poisons, such as mycotoxins or alcohol, as well as smoking, infectious agents, radiation, drugs, industrial chemicals and pollutants.
Thus, habits (including a healthy diet) aimed to minimize the exposure to these carcinogens are known to protect from tumorigenic mutations.

More recently, specific dietary patterns and physical activity have been demonstrated to prevent cancer and other aging-associated diseases, by altering the functions of specific genes (belonging to the longevity genetic pathways) and inhibiting fat accumulation, which increases cancer risk. Meaning that a healthy environment can decrease our chance of developing cancer.
In this context, nutrition represents an extraordinary tool to prevent cancer and other aging-associated diseases.

The aim of the Translational Research Program Smartfood is to improve nutrition at different levels, taking advantage of our already existing networks.

The potential benefits of the Program include:

• to ameliorate the understanding of the connection between diet and lifespan;
• to motivate a positive behaviour change;
• to improve the awareness of the major risk factors;
• to promote health and encourage an active healthy ageing;
• to effectively teach primary prevention strategies;
• to reduce health care costs;
• to clarify the mechanisms involved in disease susceptibility.