More complete knowledge of network function further enhances our ability to predict quantitative or qualitative relationships between specific health outcomes and diverse patterns or levels of nutrient intake in genetically diverse individuals and populations. A fruitful strategy to explore the field of nutritional research is to use well-established methods applied in medical and pharmacological research. For example, in analogy to pharmacology, nutrients can be considered as signaling molecules recognized by specific cellular sensing mechanisms. However, in nutritional studies the system response is uniquely confounded by the simultaneous presence of many signal inputs, or in this case, nutrients with diverse chemical structures that have numerous targets with different affinities and specificities. A logical approach to successfully overcome the layered complexity of nutritional research is to dissect, reduce, and classify the challenges. This approach allows the definition of specific hypotheses that can be evaluated using an appropriate model system, and thus obtain clear answers to the research question being addressed. The current enthusiasm for antioxidants is perhaps of no surprise, as studies suggesting health benefits from these compounds continue to attract main stream headlines. Yet, even though antioxidants have been studied for the last 60 years, much about how the human body absorbs and utilizes such compounds remains unknown. Often, products boasting health benefits are largely unsubstantiated in their scientific claims and mechanism of action. Ferulic acid is unique among the plant phenolic compounds being a dietary supplement exhibiting the highest bioavailability among all Folinic acid calcium salt pentahydrate flavonoid and monophenolics tested until today. By virtue of its high scavenging activity against free radicals, its potent membrane antioxidant properties, and its ability to inhibit enzymes that catalyze the production of free radicals, FA could as a nutraceutical play a role in the pre-disease state, either for improving human health, or for preventing disease. The importance of FA as a nutraceutical or pharmaceutical agent against diverse human disorders has been extensively evaluated. First of all, FA exhibits strong activity against microbes, including many bacteria and viruses. Secondly, FA and its ester Pimozide derivatives decrease the levels of some inflammatory mediators, such as TNF-a. In addition, FA has been proven beneficial against cardiovascular diseases, as it decreases the levels of the very low density and low density lipoproteins and increases the levels of the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in plasma. Moreover, FA derivatives not only inhibit collagen-induced platelet aggregation, which is closely associated with thrombosis, but they are also capable of dissolving thrombi. Furthermore, FA shows anti-diabetic effects by neutralizing the free radicals present in 
the pancreas, and thus helps the beta cells to proliferate and secrete more insulin. In return, elevated insulin levels increase glucose utilization by the extra hepatic tissues, resulting in lower blood glucose concentration levels. Polyphenols, including FA, reduce proliferative activity and induce apoptosis in a variety of tumor cells. Finally, a recent study on rats revealed that orally administrated FA enhances the proliferation of adult neural stem/progenitor cells in vivo. The same study suggested a potential anti-depression effect of FA in mice. Conversely, plant phenolic acids are potent inhibitors of microorganisms and provide a natural protection against pathogenic infections. Diverse biotechnological or industrial processes accomplished by S. cerevisiae are affected by such inhibitory properties. The inhibitory effect of FA and other phenolic compounds involved in the diverse FA degradation pathways on yeast cultures has recently been confirmed. Specifically, the biomass yield and growth rate, but not ethanol yield, are highly affected by the presence of FA and its related compounds.