title: Clinical metabolomics and nutrition: the new frontier in neonatology and pediatrics.
abstract: In the pediatric clinic, nutritional research is focusing more and more on preventing the development of long-term diseases as well as supporting the repair processes important in the therapy of already fully developed diseases. Most children who are hospitalized or affected by chronic diseases could benefit from specific and careful attention to nutrition. Indeed, the state of nutrition modulates all body functions, including the different metabolic processes which, all together, have a profound effect on the development of the health and future of all individuals. Inappropriate food, even in the first periods of life, can accelerate the development of chronic metabolic diseases, especially in the pediatric age. To gain further insights into metabolic cycles and how they are connected with diet and health, nutrition and metabolomics interact to develop and apply modern technologies for metabolic assessment. In particular, nutritionists are evaluating the metabolomic approach to establish the single nutritional phenotypes, that is, the way in which diet interacts with individuals' metabolisms. This strategy offers the possibility of providing a complete definition of the individual's nutritional and health status, predict the risk of disease, and create metabolomic databases supporting the development of "personalized nutrition," in which diet is attuned to the nutritional needs of individual patients.
authors.affiliation: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Puericulture Institute and Neonatal Section, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria, University of Cagliari, SS 554, Monserrato, 09042 Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Angelica
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dessì
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria, SS 554, km 4.5, Monserrato, 09042 Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Flaminia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cesare Marincola
authors.affiliation: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Puericulture Institute and Neonatal Section, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria, University of Cagliari, SS 554, Monserrato, 09042 Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Masili
authors.affiliation: Department of Maternal, Fetal and Neonatal Health, C. Arrigo Children's Hospital, Spalto Marengo 46, 15100 Alessandria, Italy.
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gazzolo
authors.affiliation: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Puericulture Institute and Neonatal Section, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria, University of Cagliari, SS 554, Monserrato, 09042 Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Vassilios
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Fanos
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D015362:Child Nutrition Disorders / Q000378:metabolism*; D002664:Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D055442:Metabolome; D055432:Metabolomics / Q000379:methods*; D009359:Neonatology / Q000639:trends*; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000639:trends*; D020543:Proteome / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D020543:Proteome