Acta Pharm. 69 (2019) 497-510

 

full paper

Mini-review

 

Nutrition – facts and myths

DONATELLA VERBANAC, ŽELJAN MALEŠ and KARMELA BARIŠIĆ

dverbanac@pharma.hr

1 University of Zagreb Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Hematology, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia

2 University of Zagreb Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Department of Pharmaceutical Botany, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia

Accepted June 28, 2019

Published online September 10, 2019

 

Taking responsibility for your life, among other factors, means also considering what to eat and which nutrition pattern to follow. Everyone needs to think about what they put on the plate and which ingredients should be avoided. Food, as such, will never be a drug or medication, like a painkilling tablet relieving pain in a short amount of time, for example. However, proper nutrition is our ally in the prevention of diseases, maintaining balance in our body and our mind. By following the main principles of a healthy diet, the physiological homeostasis can be managed, as well as faster recovery from disease achieved.

This review is aimed at summarizing basic principles of nutrition recommendations and at empowering stakeholders (pharmacists, medical biochemists, physicians) to be able to communicate to their patients and customers healthy and sustainable nutrition choices through the personalized advice.

 

Keywords: nutrition, personalized approach, biologically active substances, Mediterranean diet, liquid biopsy, microbiota