Functional foods may help those with genetically-linked diseases

May 20, 5:57 PMSacramento Nutrition ExaminerAnne Hart

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The world is eager for foods that promote digestive health by making a difference. Where you might find clues are at old or recent archived news releases online that inform readers about functional foods that can be tailored to your genotype.

Functional foods may show promise to those with genetically-linked illnesses. According to a University of Auckland, New Zealand news release, “Research into nutrigenomics opens opportunities for new high-value foods,” dated May 27, 2004, the science program leader, Professor Lynnette Ferguson from the University of Auckland, noted that she is enthusiastic about the potential of diet to make a real difference to genetically-linked diseases.

Of course, to measure genetic risk, you whole genome needs to be sequenced, not simply a few dna snippets. Whole genome tests are becoming more affordable, but are not under $1,000 generally at this time. But keep asking around. You may find a lab that has reduced it's price on whole-genome testing and might offer a 'special.'

The article quotes Ferguson as reporting, "We know that a small number of genes may play a disproportionate role in disease development, and that they may be particularly responsive to manipulation by diet. If we can understand the interactions between diet and genes, this will not only help manage disease, but could help us optimize physical and mental performance, slow the effects of aging and reduce health care costs."

The press release also noted that, “An initial focus will be on diseases, such as Crohn's disease, where foods are known to play a role in triggering the genes which cause disease. Later research might focus on the development of foods for use in preventing or managing conditions such as diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease, or on optimizing human performance.”

Effective screening systems for defective genes also are needed. Other questions also arise. Does a defective gene in one area of the body signal a gene for some benefit in another area of the body?

Are functional foods being developed? Will there be an improvement in the quality of life from genetic screening systems? How do genes relate to how people metabolize food or medicine? All these questions are ripe for debate because they relate to issues in nutrition as well as current controversies to be discussed and researched.

What about the issue of individual response to food and medicine leading to personalized medicine and personalized nutrition? Who stands to profit by creating new market opportunities for tailored foods enhanced with specific nutrients? Do different people respond differently to the same food, medicine, or skin-care products?

Some people are allergic to some foods. Some people metabolize food differently based on their individual genetic signatures. But, do people respond differently to food, medicines, or anesthesia based on their ethnicities?

Can people with genetic predispositions to diseases take a food-based approach to health? How do we know the way people respond to certain foods when most people have mixed ethnicities over tens of thousands of years?

Are there tests that show you how you might respond to a particular food, vitamin, nutrient, medicine, skin-care product, or anesthesia, or what you are allergic to based on your genes? Can response be tested at the molecular level rather than at the racial or ethnic level? Are there smart foods?

Which diseases are notorious for having several genes known to be associated with increased risk? Do studies show that the types of food eaten and the particular environment change the susceptibility of individuals to the disease? All these topics are excellent for debate. Almost everyone is interested in how individuals respond to food.

The goal of nutrigenomics is to develop foods that can be matched to individual human genotypes to benefit the health of those individuals and enhance normal physiological processes. Foods and nutrients influence the genetic control of metabolism. How metabolism is controlled is by through the changing the expression of genes. Exercise, stress and maternal nutrition also have an influence on the individual’s response to food or medicine.

Your genotype is defined as genes that any living being (animal, human, or plant) possesses. (Science classifies humans also as animals.) Your phenotype is defined as the observable characteristics of an individual as well as the expression of the genes present in an individual. Your phenotype also is defined as the way your genes are expressed that determines what you are and the way that you perform.

There are many ways that the interplay between your individual genes, what you eat, and the environment can vary. According to a May 27, 2004 University of Auckland, New Zealand press release titled, “The Science Behind Nutrigenomics,” animal studies show that the interaction between the environment and genotype can modulate (vary) the expression of individual genes, turning them on or off or regulating the level of expression.

What you might want to debate could be how much do your genes vary? The word ‘modulate’ stated in the press release also means to vary in tone, inflection, pitch or other quality of sound. For more information, see the entire May 27 2004 press release titled, “The Science Behind Nutrigenomics,” which is at the Crop and Food Research (Auckland University, Auckland, New Zealand), site. The sub-title of the press release is, “Research Into Nutrigenomics Opens Opportunities For New High-Value Foods.”

The purpose of beginning your research with news releases is to guide you to read the abstracts of related medical articles, and then to move on to learning to read the actual medical and scientific articles in journals that you can find in most university libraries.
These libraries usually are open to the public.

Some of the most valuable sources for research are the medical school libraries (and university libraries) because of their many scientific journals available to the general public for reading that you may not find at your local public library branch. If you’re going to debate, write about, or discuss new findings, visit your local university or medical school library and look at the periodicals.

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