Genetic differences between individuals can influence metabolic processes and nutrient requirements. Some of these genetic differences include changes to individual nucleotides in the DNA sequence (SNP). Nutrigenetic tests can scan a person’s DNA to identify a SNP that may affect the risk of a particular disease.
There is a growing interest among dietitians in using nutrigenetic tests available on the market to obtain personalized nutritional advice. We keep asking ourselves: Will you be successful or not on your diet? Will exercise be more important than food choices if you want to lose weight? The answer to these questions may lie in your genes. Genetic analysis is contributing to the development of nutritional medicine that offers dietary advice – including personalized nutrigenomics based diet plans – to help people make more informed decisions about their lifestyle and health habits.
As a dietitian, I see with my own eyes the benefits it provides to patients. This is especially useful for patients who are “stuck” in their weight loss efforts. Having genetic insight into the types of diets that work best for them often increases your chances of completing the process and improving your overall well-being. This may include changing the type of training, changing the percentages of carbohydrate, fat, and protein in your diet, placing an emphasis in your diet on foods that provide less well-absorbed vitamins and minerals, or suggesting specific supplements. Of course, my recommendations are also in line with the patient’s additional laboratory data. All these issues should be combined and that’s what working with a dietitian is for.
Nutrigenomics, a relatively new scientific discipline, focuses on the relationship between genes, nutrition, and health. It aims to explain how our bodies respond to what we eat and drink – and how we can use this knowledge to promote the activity of our “good” genes and suppress it in “bad” genes. Nutrigenomics-based diet plans rely on an analysis of your genetic makeup to formulate dietary recommendations that meet your personal nutritional and health needs and help prevent chronic nutrition-related diseases. The ultimate goal of nutrigenomics tests is to identify population subgroups that may respond differently to diet or show marked food intolerance or disease susceptibility. This type of personalized, research-backed approach aims to improve the effectiveness of dietary recommendations.
Personalized diet plans are not a new concept. They started gaining popularity about 20 years ago thanks to an approach that helped people lose weight by eating and exercising according to their blood type. The blood type diet received a lot of interest but lacked strong scientific support. Nutrigenomics emerged in the early 2000s after the conclusion of the Human Genome Project (HPG). Although scientists have been aware for decades that genes play a role in health, HPG has helped them gain new insight into the relationship between bioactive compounds in food and their effects on genes – and on human health. They found that lifestyle choices can direct genes to work for or against the body.
Many studies have shown that genetics come into play with our eating habits. Research also suggests that knowing our genetics can influence how well we adhere to dietary recommendations. For example, a randomized controlled trial from 2014 found that participants who had the risk variant of the ACE gene (the gene that guides the body to blood pressure levels) were able to significantly reduce their sodium intake compared to the control group; they also maintained a lower sodium intake a year later.
The ability to customize diet and exercise plans based on a person’s genetics could be another frontier in nutritional counseling. A personalized eating plan can help you increase compliance as well as help you target your nutritional goals and physical activity that are more in line with what works for your body.
More details at www.nutrigen.pl and Social media: @genetykadladietetyka
Author: Dr. Hanna Stolińska
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