The Healthy Core Metabolism: A New Paradigm for Primary Preventive Nutrition

Research in preventive nutrition aims at elucidating mechanism by which our diet helps us to remain in good health through optimal physiological functions. However, despite decades of accumulated data in human nutrition and regular subsequent nutritional recommendations, obesity and type 2 diabetes epidemics continue to progress worldwide each year leading to a regular decrease of the Healthy Life Years, notably in Western countries. Such a paradox may be explained by the Nutrition Transition, the extreme application of the reductionist paradigm in nutrition research, the lack of nutritional education and a too strong focus on curative nutrition in at risk/ill subjects. In this position paper, we hypothesized that researchers should focus more on healthy subjects, from birth until maturity. Rather than exploring what differentiates healthy and at risk/ill subjects, we propose to thoroughly study what characterizes a healthy state and its underlying metabolism. We define it as the Healthy Core Metabolism which remains stable whatever energy inputs (diets) and outputs (exercise), genetic background and external/internal stress, e.g., temporary illnesses. As a basis for Healthy Core Metabolism investigation, we observed that main physiological and ubiquitous functions of human organism, i.e., the neuro-vasculo-sarco-osteoporotic system, tend to follow a concave curve with common phases of growth, optimum, and decline. Finally, we hypothesized that true primary preventive nutrition should focus on the growth phase to reach the maximum capital of a given physiological function so that - whatever the further decline -, Healthy Life Years may approach or coincide with theoretical Life Expectancy.