Getting closer to genetics based nutrition
If there was one thing that really struck me about the 2009 FASEB conference, it was the extensive amount of research presented in what is clearly the direction that will answer the most essential questions about how food and nutrients interact with our genes.
Without a doubt, the most cutting edge research looking at the relationship between what we eat – be it food or supplements – and the benefits we derive, is the science of nutrigenomics. As the name implies, nutrigenomics looks directly at how nutrients interact with our genes. Wikipedia defines it as “the study of molecular relationships between nutrition and the response of genes, with the aim of extrapolating how such subtle changes can affect human health.” Some of the nutrients we eat are very powerful modulators of our genes. Perhaps one of the best defined at this time are the fatty acids found in fish oil; EPA and DHA. These two fatty acids have various health benefits that actually works on the genetic level. To show just how exiting and powerful this area of research is, one speaker commented that the active constituents found in fish oils (EPA/DHA) could actually nullify the genetic disposition some people had for developing Syndrome X and cardio vascular disease.
This is an extremely promising and important finding. The science of nutrigenomics is very much in its early stage, and genetics is a complex topic, but it was very much in the forefront of the FASEB conference. Research is ongoing, and this area of research will yield the most essential results in the history of human kind to human health and longevity!