Nutrigenomics, the branch of science that studies on how food variations may interact with specific genes to have an impact on common chronic diseases like the type II diabetes, heart disease, certain cancers and obesity, has been the motivating factor in spending a fortune by food companies and pharmaceuticals in order to come up with custom-made products based on a certain genetic make-up, with the hope of gaining optimal health and prevention of chronic diseases.
Scientists who are involved in such study are seeking in-depth molecular understanding of how chemicals in the diet affect health by changing the expression of genes and the genome structure of an individual. The principle underlying nutrigenomics is that the genetic makeup of a certain individual is what influences the effect of diet in one's health.
Diet is a serious factor for a number of diseases for certain people under particular circumstances. There are substances in the diet which can act on the human genome-whether directly or indirectly-to change gene expression or structure. Each unique genetic makeup of an individual can influence the balance between disease and health.
When it comes to developing obesity and other weight management issues, genetic differences have a significant role, despite the fact that there are other factors involved like environmental and social. Nevertheless, the relative contributions of genetics and socioeconomic factors to the development of obesity and weight management problems, and the manners in which these interact in societies are not known.
The genetic code carried by two unrelated people is 99.9% identical. It is the diversity in the sequence of the remaining 0.1% that decides the genetic component of inter-individual differences in disease risk, and their variation of responses to nutritional environment. The Sites in the DNA where the sequences of individuals vary more commonly are known as polymorphisms. The Single Nucleotide Polymorphism or SNP is the most common form of variation in which the change is just one nucleotide or unit of the DNA sequence.
Certain differences in individual responses to nutrition components are due to SNPs, which may alter the way proteins interact with metabolites in the body. SNPs can result to alterations in gene-food interactions by modifying the way a protein encoded by the SNP-containing gene interacts with a metabolite.
Alterations in gene expressions can be due to a few factors. SNPs can also amend the expression of gene, compelling the gene to produce more or less protein. The chemicals in food can also affect the expression of genes directly or indirectly. Phytonutrients, plant chemicals, can change the cell-signaling pathways which regulate gene expression. Even small plant proteins, known as peptides can modify the regulation of gene expression.
The nutritional factors can also act as signaling molecules interacting with a complex system of more than 540 enzymes known as kinases. Kinases sends signals from the environment, which includes food, to the genome, thereby, turning on and off the expression of genes producing the proteins involved in metabolism.
All these processes are associated with Obesity and type II diabetes, and even atherosclerosis. There are specific phytonutrients that can affect two kinase pathways which involved satiety, insulin signaling, muscle energy reserves, lipid metabolism and inflammation.
With such knowledge from nutrigenomics, dieticians and registered nutritionists can tailor dietary plans based on your DNA with the goal of weight loss.
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