title: Biomarkers for nutrient intake with focus on alternative sampling techniques.
abstract: Biomarkers of nutrient intake or nutrient status are important objective measures of foods/nutrients as one of the most important environmental factors people are exposed to. It is very difficult to obtain accurate data on individual food intake, and there is a large variation of nutrient composition of foods consumed in a population. Thus, it is difficult to obtain precise measures of exposure to different nutrients and thereby be able to understand the relationship between diet, health, and disease. This is the background for investing considerable resources in studying biomarkers of nutrients believed to be important in our foods. Modern technology with high sensitivity and specificity concerning many nutrient biomarkers has allowed an interesting development with analyses of very small amounts of blood or tissue material. In combination with non-professional collection of blood by finger-pricking and collection on filters or sticks, this may make collection of samples and analyses of biomarkers much more available for scientists as well as health professionals and even lay people in particular in relation to the marked trend of self-monitoring of body functions linked to mobile phone technology. Assuming standard operating procedures are used for collection, drying, transport, extraction, and analysis of samples, it turns out that many analytes of nutritional interest can be measured like metabolites, drugs, lipids, vitamins, minerals, and many types of peptides and proteins. The advantage of this alternative sampling technology is that non-professionals can collect, dry, and mail the samples; the samples can often be stored under room temperature in a dry atmosphere, requiring small amounts of blood. Another promising area is the potential relation between the microbiome and biomarkers that may be measured in feces as well as in blood.
authors.affiliation: Division of Molecular Nutrition, Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, POB 1046, Blindern, 0317 Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Holen
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine/Division of Cardiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA USA.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Norheim
authors.affiliation: Vitas AS, Olso Innovation Park, Gaustadalleen 21, N-0349 Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: T E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Gundersen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Epidemiology II, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mitry
authors.affiliation: Institute of Epidemiology II, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Linseisen
authors.affiliation: Division of Molecular Nutrition, Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, POB 1046, Blindern, 0317 Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: P O
authors.initials: PO
authors.lastname: Iversen
authors.affiliation: Division of Molecular Nutrition, Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, POB 1046, Blindern, 0317 Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Drevon
keywords: Biomarkers; Diet; Dried blood spots (DBS); Lipidomics; Microbiome; Nutrients