Towards a more holistic approach of nutrition

The reductionist approach has been predominant to date in nutrition research, unraveling some of the fundamental mechanisms at the basis of nutrient action and helping to increase life expectancy. Yet, nutrition-related diseases, epidemics of obesity and diabetes are growing each year worldwide, leading to Healthy Life Years reduction. Indeed, interactions underlying nutrition-health relationship cannot be modeled on the basis of a linear causeeffect relationship between one food compound and one physiological effect but rather from multi-causal nonlinear relationships. Explaining the whole from the specific by a bottom-up reductionism approach is limited. A top-down approach becomes necessary to investigate complex issues via a holistic view before addressing a specific question. However, both approaches are necessary and mutually reinforcing. In this paper are discussed some bases on what could be the consequences of applying a reductionist versus holistic approach to nutrition research vis-a-vis vis public health, environmental sustainability, breeding, biodiversity, food science and processing, and physiology. (C) 2015 Societe francaise de nutrition. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.