Food to fit your genes
PERHAPS IT’S a sign I’m getting older but I’ve recently become fascinated with trying to trace my family history. It started when I happened on to one of those genealogy websites. I’ve since spent many late nights poring over old newspaper clippings (the one time it pays to have a slightly unusual name) and boring anyone who will listen with tales of the characters I have discovered in the family’s past. The more I learn, the more I want to know – and I’m sure there are many more discoveries to be made.
One useful aspect of knowing your family history is that it also gives you an insight into your health history. It’s not just what you do in your life that shapes your health and your risk for disease. It’s what’s in your genes: the health of your parents, grandparents and even greatgrandparents can influence your risk factors for many serious health conditions.
Rather than being depressing information, knowing this can be empowering.
For example, because my father has had bowel cancer, I know I need to get screened more often than others might. I know that I need to be on the lookout for any signs and symptoms that might be out of the ordinary. And I know that I can reduce my risk if I’m careful to follow a healthy diet, eat heaps of veges and fruit and keep an eye on my alcohol consumption.
My health is in my hands to a large degree.
It’s the same if you have a family history of heart disease, types of breast and ovarian cancer or type 2 diabetes – you may have inherited a higher risk of developing it yourself, but there are things you can do to tip the odds back in your favour, and eating well, exercising and losing weight if you need to are at the top of the list.
Understanding the connection between genes and food has led to the fascinating new areas of research and treatment called nutrigenomics and nutrigenetics. In the same way your genes may predispose you to certain illnesses, they can also play an important role in how well your body handles particular foods or nutrients.
New research is focused on the possibility of designing diets based on your specific genetic makeup.
In future, we could see testing available in which a sample of DNA (usually from saliva) is tested for variations in our genes that may play a role in how our bodies respond to food. Based on these results, an eating plan could be recommended in the hope of reducing our risk of health problems.
Researchers are looking at the relationship between food, autoimmune diseases and gut health. Their first target is Crohn’s disease, but their work could be applied to other diseases such as psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, eczema and asthma.
Imagine having a diet designed just for you, to help avoid disease? It could happen in our lifetimes.