Thursday, December 4, 2014

Genetics in Nutrition

Genetically, everyone is different. Everyone has their own unique set of genes that make up who they are, so there is no way to set dietary guidelines that are optimal for everyone. There is a basic understanding of what kinds of food have been categorized as “good” and “bad” but if genetics can pinpoint the exact kinds of food that optimize a person’s health many preventative measures can be taken. Researchers from the University of Toronto lead a study that proves that personalizes dietary advice based on person's genetic makeup improves eating habits compared to the current “one-size-fits-all” dietary recommendations. The science behind this study if known as nutrigenomics, a field of research that aims to understand why some people respond differently than others to the same foods. Nutrigenomics can be applied to personalized nutrition which helps tailors dietary recommendations based on a person's DNA.



The researches created a study that involves 138 healthy young adults. Their intake of caffeine, sodium, vitamin C and sugar were recorded and then the subjects were randomized into two different study groups. One group was given DNA based dietary advice and the other was given standard dietary advice for the same dietary components with no genetic information. Their dietary habits were assessed after three and twelve months and researchers found that those who were given the DNA based guidelines showed significant improvement in their diets over the other subjects. Specifically, subjects who were informed that they carried a version of a gene linked to salt intake and high blood pressure were especially motivated to reduce their sodium intake, compared to the group that received standard advice for sodium intake. Ahmed El-Sohemy, an Associate Professor in Nutritional Sciences at U of T and Canada Research Chair in Nutrigenomics states, “We found that people who receive DNA-based advice improve their diet to a greater extent than those who receive the standard dietary advice. They're also the ones who need to change it the most.”

Previous studies had focused on disease risk prevention rather than metabolic genes that affect specific components of the diet. This study concentrates on the impact of dietary advice based on diet-related genes which encourages more notable and effective change. It was found that these personalized dietary guidelines not only increased compliance but also supports the long-term health of patients.

This article was especially fascinating to me, a student who strives for the medical field and is also taking a nutrition course. I truly support everything this study brings to the table because I definitely agree that there is no way that there is a dietary guideline that works for everyone. Sure, there are guidelines that are beneficial to most healthy people. With genetic testing I strongly believe that nutrition will become a lot more important to individuals and will definitely motivate those who are ignorant to the damage they bring to their body from eating unhealthy.





1 comment:

  1. I thought this was interesting I always like to see new science regarding nutrition and health. Nutrigenomics definitely doesn't roll off the tongue easily though.

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