WASHINGTON 鈥� No carbs? Low-carb? Plant-based? Dairy-free?
Testing out the latest fad diets may soon be a thing of the past. Scientists and nutrition experts are hopeful that DNA will one day determine what foods work best for your body.
鈥淲e鈥檝e known for a long time that an eating pattern that works for one person won鈥檛 necessarily produce the same results in another person,鈥� said Ali Webster, a registered dietitian and associate director of nutrition communications with the .
Now, researchers are asking, “Why?”
Nutrigenomics, or the study of how one鈥檚 genes interact with food and drink, is a field that has taken off since the conclusion of the Human Genome Project in 2003. Clinical and randomized trials across the globe are examining how diet impacts genes and how genes respond to diet.
鈥淯nderstanding the connections between diet and genetics means that we might no longer have to play this guessing game every single time we try out a new food or eating pattern,鈥� Webster said.
鈥淏y knowing more about the relationship between our genes and the foods and beverages we鈥檙e consuming, we might be able to predict our body鈥檚 response to food before we even eat it.鈥�
For the average consumer, the allure of nutrigenomics is personalized nutrition聽鈥� an idea that tech companies are cashing in on.
With a swab of saliva, a few drops of blood and $300, analyzes a customer鈥檚 DNA and delivers test results that contain information such as how one鈥檚 body processes fat, carbs, even caffeine. Similarly, analyzes a person’s genetic makeup to help customers tailor their diets and workouts to enhance performance.
Before you spend hundreds on a bio-based nutrition recommendation, Webster has some words of caution.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not quite there yet with the research that鈥檚 been done so far,鈥� she said.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 really have reliable information yet that could be routinely applied to a patient population, and the reality is that health professionals aren鈥檛 yet learning practical applications of nutrigenomics or personalized nutrition.鈥�
Plus, Webster said environment and lifestyle shouldn鈥檛 be downplayed. Everything from exercise, to sleep, to gender influence one鈥檚 response to food and drink.
鈥淎nother factor to consider, which also complicates things, is the gut microbiome, which are the bacteria living in our GI [gastrointestinal] tract,鈥� Webster added.
鈥淎nd we鈥檙e only just beginning to understand how these microbes that are living in our bodies communicate with our organ systems and can also influence our response to diet.鈥�
Yes, there’s still a need for further research, but Webster said nutrigenomics has the potential to be useful to nutritionists, doctors and dietitians, especially when it comes to treating and preventing diet-related diseases such as obesity and Type 2 diabetes.
鈥淭he goal is to move beyond some of these generic recommendations and to really drill down and get more specific into the needs of the individual,鈥� Webster said.
鈥淲e know that personalization often increases motivation to stick with some kind of dietary plan, and motivation to make and continue to sustain any kind of change is really critical.鈥�
