Researchers from Utrecht have come to this surprising conclusion.

The supermarket shelves are full of food. But we all know that not all that food is equally healthy. For example, it is better to eat fruit and vegetables than cookies. And a Mediterranean diet beats fast food by far. But how exactly do healthy foods contribute to good health? Surprisingly, we don’t know exactly that for many nutrients yet. It requires that we examine how nutrients affect the functioning of our cells.

New research

Scientists from Utrecht University have now delved into this and that leads to a surprising conclusion. “We saw that some nutrients can attach very specifically to specific receptors of specific immune cells, just like drugs do,” says researcher Saskia Braber. “It is very surprising that nutrients can push the processes in cells in a positive direction in such a targeted way.”

Braber and colleagues base their conclusion on an extensive literature review. They examined more than 200 studies that dealt with the way in which nutrients act on our body cells. Their focus was on the way in which nutrients can bind to the receptors of cells and thus influence the responses of the immune system. “We looked at fifteen different cell receptors to which a variety of nutrients – from vitamins to unsaturated fatty acids and fiber – could bind,” says Braber. Scientias.nl.

Vitamin D

One of the receptors that emerged in the research by Braber and colleagues is the so-called vitamin D receptor. As the name suggests, this is a receptor that the well-known vitamin D can bind to. “For example, vitamin D is found in fatty fish – such as salmon and mackerel – meat and eggs,” explains Braber. The vitamin D receptor is on many immune cells. “And when vitamin D binds to cells through this receptor, it has an effect on the immune system.” That effect is twofold. “On the one hand, the inflammatory substances are reduced. And on the other hand, the growth of so-called natural killer cells (white blood cells that play an important role in fighting pathogens, ed.) is promoted.” This nutrient can have a very positive influence on health, for example in lung diseases such as Covid. And what is so startling for pharmacologists such as Braber is that nutrients such as vitamin D attach themselves to our cells just as specifically as medicines do. Medicines also bind to cells via receptors, in order to inhibit or trigger certain reactions.

Mash with specific medicinal effects

This means that the effect of medicinal nutrients (such as vitamin D) is very similar to that of medicines. For many nutritionists, that may not really be news. “But in pharmacology, food is not yet looked at that way,” Braber notes. “Pharmacologists often still see food as a slurry of different nutrients that all work differently.” But what Braber and colleagues now show with their analysis is that different nutrients can have specific medicinal effects.

Customized treatment

Braber hopes that this will also receive more attention in pharmacology and that it will ultimately lead to better, less invasive treatments for, for example, inflammatory and common diseases such as diabetes, heart and lung diseases and cancer. “I am certainly not saying that all medicines can go in the trash,” says Braber. She emphasizes that in her study she only looked at receptor-related mechanisms. “And drugs work in many more ways.” Braber does, however, argue that doctors should pay more attention to the possibilities offered by nutrition when treating their patients. “I think that doctors should start working more with nutritionists anyway and not just treat with drugs. Certainly in the early stages of some diseases, a change in diet – possibly in combination with medication – can also help. In that case, you may also be able to prescribe less medication than you would in the absence of a diet change, which in turn can result in fewer side effects.”

Follow-up research

The key question is, of course, which nutrients can be used in the fight against various diseases. That requires some more research, says Braber. “In particular, more clinical research. For example, I looked at what happens at the cellular level, but more clinical studies are also needed in which you look at what nutrients do in people themselves and you can also compare that with what medicines or a combination of the two do.” It would of course be wonderful if it resulted in a tailor-made diet in case of illness. “That as a doctor you can say: if you have an intestinal infection, it is best to eat this. And with this type of cancer, it’s best to eat that.” However, it requires that one looks not only at the disease, but also at the patient. “Because everyone is different and every immune system is different. And you have to adjust the diet accordingly.”

Such a tailor-made diet naturally starts with figuring out the exact mechanisms of action of nutrients and a good understanding of the disease to be combated. “For example, you can check which immune response is involved in a certain disease. You then find out which cell receptors are responsible for this. And if you know that receptor, you can also check which nutrients act on it.” It’s quite a puzzle. But one that might be worth it. “Food can be used in addition to medication. But also preventive, in other words to prevent disease”, thinks Braber.

There is clearly much to be gained from recognizing the medicinal power of food. And if it is up to Braber, patients will be able to reap these health gains in the future very easily. “I hope that one day there will be food pharmacies: places where you as a patient can go with your complaints and where medically trained specialists give you advice on what is best to eat. Because people really want to adjust their diet, but usually they don’t know how or who to turn to for that.” Everything would come together in a food pharmacy. “It would be a place where diseases and immune reactions are viewed and patients can then receive tailor-made nutritional advice in addition to medicines.”