Nutrition genetics a relatively new field of research that aims to understand how genes interact with food and other components of food as well as how diet and nutrition can influence our genes. Nutrition genetics includes two branches: nutrigenomics, the study of how diet and nutrition can influence the expression of genes and nutrigenetics which focuses on looking at the influence of genetic variation on diet, nutrition and fitness.
Over the past several years, more than 50 genetic changes have been linked to how nutrients from food gets processed, which can have a major impact on not only developing certain diseases but the overall health of an individual.
Genetic variation can be thought of as different versions of the same gene that exists between different individuals. Studies have shown that genetic variants can control how we respond to components in our diet like gluten, lactose or caffeine.
The field of nutrigenetics is focused on finding all such genetic variants that will affect the diet, nutrition, fitness and the metabolism of a person. Once this is done, you can customize your diet plan to match your genetic profile. By knowing your food tolerances, aversions, you can now make more informed choices and take control of you diet to become a healthier you.
