 |
 |
Genome project plan aims to tailor diet to personal profile
E-mail this article | Print this page
DEAR HEALTHY PROFESSOR: What is Nutrigenomics?
A: Think about the possibility of a diet plan designed just for you. It would contain the nutrients that your body needs to reduce the risk of disease and increase your chances of a longer, healthier life. It might even help you lose weight better than the diet you are on today.
Basically, Nutrigenomics is the science that studies how the foods we eat interact with DNA, otherwise known as the genome. Each of your cells holds a copy of your genome. The genome is like a library that contains all the books with the directions to make you who you are. The books are called genes and they influence thousands of traits such as skin color, eye color, behavior, disease risk, intelligence and taste preference.
To gain a better understanding of our genes The Human Genome Project was born. The goal of the project was to read the genetic alphabet of the human genome. In 2003, the first draft was published revealing the 3 billion letters of the human genome, appropriately referred to as "The Book of Life." This accomplishment is probably one of the most impressive of this century and is already changing how we see ourselves. A fascinating finding was that humans are about 99.9 percent genetically identical. (Like me and Angelina Jolie, for instance.) For better or worse, the small percentage of genetic difference is enough to make us all unique. The explosion of information generated by the Human Genome Project has given nutrition scientists a new direction to study the relationship between diet and our unique genetic profile. We know that certain nutrients in foods can influence genetic outcomes and now scientists can start to analyze the role of diet in a number of health conditions such as metabolic disorders, hypertension, heart disease, cancers, diabetes and osteoporosis and obesity.
By identifying individual differences in the genes responsible for metabolism, Nutrigenomics can help us understand why one person's cholesterol level responds to a low-fat diet and another does not or why one individual just can't stop eating carbohydrates once they start.
|
There are a number of diet books and genetic testing kits on the market that have capitalized on Nutrigenomics. Although some have merit, be cautioned that Nutrigenomics is a work in progress. Someday you may be able to walk into a registered dietitian's office with your genetic profile and she will use this information to customize your nutrition program and optimize your genetic potential. Until then, the most important thing to remember is that genetics is not acting alone.
Traits like obesity, for example, are strongly influenced by environment. Someone who is genetically programmed to gain weight can still minimize her genetic fate by following a proper diet. Even though medical science is making great strides in finding the pieces that make up the Nutrigenomics puzzle, we are still responsible for putting healthy food on our plates and getting enough exercise. That will never change.
Nina Marinello, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of nutrition in the Department of Nutrition at The Sage Colleges. E-mail your nutrition questions to thehealthyprofessor@hotmail.com. Questions cannot be answered personally but may be used for an upcoming column.
Source: Albany Times UnionAll rights reserved.