Food is a potent inducer of metabolic responses (and pleasure ). Specific nutrients enhance muscle action, while others boost appetite or modulate inflammatory responses. On the other hand, caloric restriction under normal conditions ( 20 to 40 % fewer calories than required ) has been shown to protect against the development of chronic diseases. ( To highlight this : there was hardly any diabetes or gout in post-war Germany ) Exploiting the differential effects of food or its absence during disease may be one strategy to enhance the efficacy of drug therapies.
