THE NEW DNA DIETS

Roll over nutrition fads. Nutrigenomics now provides hyperpersonalised diets based on one's genetic makeup and offers clues to prevent and treat disease well in advance

- By SONALI ACHARJEE

IN THEIR NEVER-ENDING QUEST FOR HEALTHIER FOODS, along with the holy grail of losing weight, humans in the modern era have taken refuge in dieting trends. Fads like the Mediterranean diet, or the Vegan diet, are everywhere, each involving subtracting or adding a nutrient—no fat, more fat, no sugar, fasting, no carb, more carb, no meat.... This approach in recent years has evolved into what is now called ‘bio-hacking’—the mostly DIY practice of using scientific evidence to modify one's lifestyle for better health.

Now, biohacking has taken a far more serious turn from fancy diets, and it emerges from the depths of biological/ medical science. Incredible advancements in genetic diagnostics have opened up a whole new field called nutrigenomics. This discipline focuses on how food interacts with people's genes, how genes affect the body’s response to food and thus their health. It also seeks to find new avenues to prevent and treat disease. Nutrigenomics allows for hyperpersonalised biohacking, tailoring nutrition plans based on an individual’s genetic profile. A person may thus be advised to avoid dairy because her genes indicate lactose intolerance. Another can be encouraged to eat rice because there is medical proof to show her body uses the cereal better.

THE WORLD OF NUTRIGENOMICS

The interplay of genes and health outcomes has been theoretically known for over a decade. According to a 2013 study in the journal,