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ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
. October
2007 We all know we need to eat our vegetables, but do some of us need extra servings of spinach to stay healthy while others get by on tomato-based condiments? Nutrigenomics, the science of how the chemicals in food interact with our genes, may be the missing piece of the puzzle that explains the role of genes and diet in causing diseases, says Raymond Rodriguez, director of the Center of Excellence in Nutritional Genomics and professor of molecular and cellular biology at the University of California, Davis. Researchers are investigating the possibility that nutrigenomics can help health professionals provide more personalized therapies and dietary recommendations. But before this happens, a few hurdles need to be cleared, such as identifying the key genes or combinations that contribute to diseases and the individuals who have the most to gain by altering eating habits. Scientists also say they don't yet know enough about the complexities of diseases to prescribe a gene-based eating plan to fix them. “We have proof that these gene-nutrient interactions matter, but we don't have enough studies to link food to health in each individual yet,” says Jim Kaput, PhD, a senior scientist in molecular and cellular biology at UC Davis. What this all means is we shouldn't hold out for the easy solutions while neglecting to eat right and exercise. But nutrigenomics will likely become a healthcare option in the near future.
Books: It’s Not Just Your Genes, by Ruth DeBusk, PhD, RD, and Yael Joffe, RD (BKDR, 2006) Nutritional Genomics: Discovering the Path to Personalized Nutrition, by Jim Kaput, PhD and Raymond L. Rodriguez, PhD (Wiley-Interscience, 2006) Biochemical Individuality, by Roger Williams (McGraw-Hill, 1998) Websites: Center of Excellence in Nutritional Genomics at UC Davis (nutrigenomics.ucdavis.edu) Penn State University Center of Excellence in Nutrigenomics (nutrigenomics.psu.edu)
The
European Nutrigenomics Organization (www.nugo.org) |
