09.01.10
Biomarkers represent one of the greatest obstacles to research on the role of diet and nutrition in health promotion and disease prevention, according to Andrew Shao, senior vice president, Scientific & Regulatory Affairs, Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), Washington, D.C., who addressed a series of scientific questions and made numerous recommendations in a presentation to the Institute of Medicine Biomarker Discussion Forum in June. A lack of validated biomarkers limits the amount of research that can be conducted, he said. “This, in turn, limits the ability to derive answers to important questions relating to the ability of diet, food and food components to promote health and reduce the risk of chronic disease. For the industry, this translates into fewer health claims; for consumers and patients, this translates into less useful information they and their healthcare professionals have to make informed decisions.” His primary concern regarding implementation of the recommendations is whether there will be adequate resources (both human and financial) made available to take the next steps. “This is essential to realizing the value of the recommendations and all the work that went into developing them.”