Contact Information

Contact Name: Deanna Minich

Full Name & Degrees: Deanna M. Minich, PhD, CN
Address: 9770 44th Avenue NW Suite 100, Gig Harbor, WA 98332
Daytime telephone: 253-853-7343
Fax: 253-858-7706
E-mail: deannaminich@metagenics.com

Abstract submitted for: Oral Presentation, 60 or 90 minutes

Presentation Title: The Spectrum of Solutions for Lifestyle Disease: Whole Foods and Targeted
Nutrients for Addressing Chronic Disease

Presentation Topics/Tracks: Lifestyle medicine

Description of Presentation (28 words): A concise, clinical overview of the extensive data supporting
whole foods-based dietary patterns and phytochemical supplementation for addressing lifestyle-induced
chronic conditions like metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.

Abstract (431 words):

Therapeutic lifestyle changes (TLC) such as a healthy way of eating, exercising, sleeping and dealing
effectively with stressors are known to assist in the prevention and treatment of chronic disease. It has
been recommended by various opinion leader organizations, such as the National Institute of Health, to
adopt a therapeutic lifestyle as the first method of treatment for a number of clinical conditions including
high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol. In fact, some published studies tout the benefits of various
lifestyle interventions as more effective than drugs for the metabolic syndrome, a clinical presentation of
abnormal lipid and inflammatory biomarkers that may lead to a host of other dysfunctions ranging from
cardiovascular disease to type 2 diabetes to cognitive decline. This presentation will attempt to review the
TLC literature with respect to metabolic syndrome in addition with providing clinical research insight as
to how supplementation with specific phytochemicals may help to modulate underlying dysfunctional cell
signaling patterns. Dietary phytochemicals and their role in cell signal transduction will be discussed, and
clinical application of these concepts will be emphasized.

Learning objectives of this presentation:

(1) To understand the degree of effectiveness of therapeutic lifestyle changes for metabolic
syndrome/type 2 diabetes based on a review of literature
(2) To analyze the pros and cons of various dietary approaches for the metabolic syndrome/type 2
diabetes
(3) To comprehend the role of food-based phytochemicals on underlying mechanisms of the
metabolic syndrome/type 2 diabetes
(4) To discuss an effective clinical approach to metabolic syndrome/type 2 diabetes using a specific
food plan, phytochemical supplementation, and exercise

Presentation outline:
I. Functional-network medicine
a. Nutrigenomics
b. Epigenetics
c. Genomic stability
d. The Blue Zones
II. The power of food and the healing of a meal
 a. Polypills vs polymeals
b. Acute meals vs. chronic intake
c. Food as information, affecting signal transduction pathways
III. Metabolic syndrome/type 2 diabetes
a. Clinical definitions
b. Therapeutic recommendations set forth by opinion leader organizations
IV. Dietary recommendations for metabolic syndrome/type 2 diabetes
a. Macronutrient ratio modification vs. dietary patterns
i. Mediterranean diet
ii. Plant-based diets
iii. Low glycemic load foods
b. The dietary signature of nutrients
i. The complexity of food-cell interactions
ii. Why not all nutrients are created equal
c. The role of phytochemicals
i. Xenohormesis to explain chronic conditions with the current food supply
ii. Organic foods
iii. Cell signaling patterns
V. Clinical implementation of a therapeutic lifestyle change (TLC) program
a. Clinical results of a specific program (FirstLine Therapy®) in individuals with metabolic
syndrome
b. Clinical pearls on how to implement TLC in practice
i. Change
ii. Convenience
iii. Maintenance

Target audience: Medical practitioners, researchers, scientists, policy makers, students, general audience

Biographical Sketch (149 words): Deanna Minich, PhD, CN, is a nutrition educator, researcher, and
author who developed her expertise in the nutrition field over 15 years by serving in food and dietary
supplement industries, and as a nutritionist in private practice. She received her Ph.D. in Medical
Sciences/Nutrition from the University of Groningen in The Netherlands in 1999, and her M.S. in Human
Nutrition from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1995. In addition to her credentials as Fellow
(F.A.C.N) and Certified Nutrition Specialist (C.N.S) of the American College of Nutrition, she has been
trained in functional medicine through the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM). For more than five
years, her role has been both as Director of Information Integration and Innovation at Metagenics, Inc.,
and as clinical nutritionist at the Functional Medicine Research Center, the clinical arm of Metagenics.
She lectures extensively to clinicians about how to implement lifestyle modification.