This month’s Organic & Wellness Article:

Most of us are not molecular biologists, dealing day to day with DNA. Most of us have not heard the words nutrigenetics or nutrigenomics ... at least not yet! Soon, however, these terms may become part of your everyday vocabulary.
These words both have something to do with nutrition, which is what keeps our bodies healthy and functional. They both concern our genes, the basis of heredity and the controls of our physiology. It is not necessary that we all learn the biology of the gene—even though it is cool stuff—in order to understand something about nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics. However, it is interesting to know a little about them and why they may become important aspects of our health and wellness programs.
These two disciplines study the effect of genes (and the variations between you and me and everyone else) on our food and nutrition, and the role that nutrients from our food plays on our genes.

Based on the fact that we are all different from one another—we have different DNA, dietary habits and food preferences (or availability) and different nutritional statuses (some are satiated, others malnourished), scientists are learning that they can develop personalized nutritional strategies to address our specific genetics. They can accomplish this now that the human genome has been mapped.
In other words, the goal of nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics is to match nutrient intake (food) with our genetic type. These tools should help us better understand how nutrition can influence metabolic pathways. With this, we can better fight diseases, improve our overall health and enhance our well-being.
As genes, which are comprised of DNA, do their job, this activity is called their "expression." We talk of gene expression when the gene causes a protein to be generated, when its shape changes or when any number of other things result in a metabolic process.
We know, for example, that some people tend to be overweight, while others with the same amount of exercise and food intake are tantalizingly thin. That's genetics in action. Genes decide whether to stimulate the enzymes that break down fat, which determines whether they will be more or less active.
We also know that when some people drink lots of green tea, they lose weight. Others just get dark teeth from the tea, and don't lose any weight at all. Blame genetics! Now, imagine that we can find out how the green tea works to support weight loss. It is time to take the discussion to the molecular level. It should be of no surprise to you that the polyphenolic catechins of tea affect some genes that control other processes in the body that lead to weight loss. Some people's genes react to the nutritional stimulus, and others not so much. This is exactly the kind of research that is charging through nutrigenomic communities around the world.
So what we are doing is influencing our genes by drinking green tea.
In the dietary supplement world, there have been many different nutrigenomic applications reported in the scientific literature.

• Fish oil supplements have been shown to induce anti-inflammatory gene expression.
• Diets high in saturated fats can induce pro-inflammatory gene expression in people susceptible to metabolic syndrome.
• Folic acid induces genetic changes that support endothelial cell growth in diabetic patients.
• The antioxidants vitamin E and selenium have been shown to favorably change gene expression in prostate cancer cells.
• The antioxidant properties of CoQ10 are partly attributed to its ability to change genetic expression in the cells.
• A daily dose of approximately three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil results in positive changes in gene expression and a decrease in inflammation.

It is just a matter of time before scientists discover the nutrigenomic mechanisms that allow blueberries to improve wound healing, mangosteen to inhibit inflammation, green tea to stimulate collagen synthesis in the skin and much more.
Soon, scientists will be able to take a sample of your genetic material and put together a customized nutritional diet that can inhibit your premature aging, helping you to live better, longer and more beautifully. It may be something as simple as eating more kumquats, or it could require something more difficult that you may not like, such as eating raw fish. The results will substantiate something that proponents of dietary supplements like myself have been wanting to say all along: nutrition can help cure, prevent or mitigate (some) diseases.
Imagine going to the spa one day with your genetic map in hand, and leaving with a wellness program designed specifically for you! There is no question that this fascinating field has enormous application—not only in the pharmaceutical sector, but also in the health and wellness industries.

Jonathan Selzer, Ph.D., is the technical director at Dr. Hahn Consulting, LLC. He worked in Germany and France for many years, developing and manufacturing all natural products. In 2001, Dr. Selzer returned to the U.S. to devote himself to the development of dietary supplements, and now speaks at conferences on the topic of "beauty from within."

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