Nutrigenomics and Personalised Nutrition
The genomic revolution : the future of health and medicine
Nutrigenomics looks at how nutrition and other lifestyle factors interact with our genetic potential. We can’t change our genes, but we can change what we do to support them. Nutrigenomic information can help us understand how our life choices (nurture) interact with our genes (nature), so we can make positive changes that align with our genetics and optimise our health and wellbeing.
Our biological code doesn’t just impact gender, height, and eye colour. It provides the instructions for many of the body’s biological processes, including how well you absorb and use specific nutrients such as vitamins, affecting your nutrient needs. It impacts the production of sex hormones, reproduction and fertility, and neurotransmitters, influencing thinking and emotional wellbeing. It regulates how well your cells can grow and repair, how efficiently they produce energy, and how readily you store excess energy as fat. In short, it’s the very code of life.
But we are not all the same. Common variations in our genetic code, called SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms) create our individuality, and can also result in important differences in function, affecting, for example, how much of a chemical in the body is made, how well it works or how our cells respond to it. These SNPs don’t create ill-health in themselves, but in combination they can affect our energy, mental wellbeing, detoxification and beyond, impacting health and contributing to development of specific health conditions. Looking at your genetic differences unlocks a personal health ‘blueprint’, offering a detailed insight into your unique biological strengths and weaknesses and a deeper understanding of your health.
Of course the environment plays a big part too. What we do and what we are exposed to interact dynamically with our body and mind. If we are not very good at processing caffeine, it does not matter if we’re not exposed to caffeine. But if we are, understanding that can help us adjust our intake accordingly.
Lifecode Gx® specialises in nutrigenomics testing and offers a range of specialist panels exploring how genetic variations may influence responses to nutrition and lifestyle. The resulting information can help inform more personalised nutrition and lifestyle strategies.
Research article:
Afman, L., & Müller, M. (2006). Nutrigenomics: from molecular nutrition to prevention of disease. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 106(4), 569–576.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jada.2006.01.001