Getting Personal With Nutrition
Some of us have personal trainers, monogrammed towels, vanity license plates, or at least value our "personal" space, but are we ready for "personalized nutrition?" Well, at least 130 delegates from 17 countries who attended the Second International Conference on Nutrigenomics in Amsterdam, The Netherlands in early November [2003] think we might be. A wealth of information about the role of genes in determining our health has become available with the deciphering of the human genome.
The concept of "personalized nutrition," or "nutrigenomics" as some scientists call it, takes this information one step further. Personalized nutrition involves the establishment of individual dietary recommendations based on knowledge of nutritional requirements, nutritional status, and each person's unique genetic makeup to potentially reduce risk of disease. Many speakers emphasized that, although this new knowledge is very intriguing, we are still at early points on the learning curve despite the tremendous potential of nutrigenomics.
Shedding Light on the Science
According to Dr. Jose Ordovas of Tufts University, society has often embraced a "one-size-fits-all" approach to current dietary recommendations, such as low-fat and low-cholesterol diets for the entire population. Although this broad approach to recommendations will likely benefit the majority of people, research indicates that a number of complicated genetic factors may minimize the benefits of such dietary changes, potentially harm some individuals, or have no effect for some.
Different species, such as mice and humans, have particular genes in common; however, the genome, or an entire set of genes in a particular arrangement, is unique to each individual. Dr. Ben van Ommen, of TNO Nutrition and Food Research in The Netherlands, stated that it is now possible to determine the sequences of a whole genome and determine how the genes in that genome are expressed; rather than focus on one gene as a single datum point. "Nobody is equal, and neither are our genes, since every gene has at least ten variants," van Ommen said. He also emphasized that nutrition provides more subtle changes to gene expression than do pharmaceuticals.
Robert Kushner, MD, Medical Director of the Wellness Institute at the Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine and Northwestern Memorial Hospital, shared his perspectives on how physicians may provide information on personalized nutrition to have better quality discussions with their patients. "Nutrigenomics has the potential to spark interest among physicians in seeing that nutritional needs are more clearly determined for individuals," Dr. Kushner stated.
Professor Michael Muller, of Wageningen University in the Netherlands, defined nutrigenomics as an attempt to study the genome-wide influences of nutrition by combining nutrition at the molecular level with genomics. He asked, is it possible that someday we might move from our broad-beam flashlight-approach to adopt more of a fine-tuned laser beam-approach to nutrition recommendations, making them very specific to an individual's needs?
Consumers Lead the Way
The conference featured an impressive array of scientific findings and experts showing great enthusiasm about future possibilities, but what do consumers think about all of this?
Unveiling highlights from a comprehensive, landmark survey of US consumer attitudes toward the broad area of genomics, including nutrigenomics, Christy White, principal of Cogent Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts, indicated that consumers are ready to learn more.
Three-fourths of Americans are interested in obtaining their personal genetic information to identify their risk of diseases like cancer, osteoporosis, and heart disease, and nearly half of Americans are prepared to use diet-related products tailored to their health needs on the basis of their genetic makeup, according to Cogent's October 2003 survey of 1,000 Americans. "Americans are ready and willing to buy products based upon their genetic information, but the science is only in the early stages of being able to deliver," said White. "The good news is consumers aren't looking for complete diet regimens, but for individual approaches and basic recommendations."
The survey reveals that more than 90 percent of Americans are aware of the connection between diet and health, and 71 percent believe that genetics play a crucial role in health throughout life. However, 73 percent are concerned about how personal genetic information would be stored and who would have access to that information.
In October 2003, the US Senate unanimously passed the Genetic Privacy Bill, which would prevent health plans from providing access to insurance companies on the basis of genetic information and from using such information to underwrite policies. Employers would be allowed to collect genetic information only to determine overall workplace exposures but could not use the information in hiring. Although the Bush administration supports the bill, the House must still approve it.
Cogent Research also found that consumers most strongly preferred the term "personalized nutrition" with the term "nutrigenomics" being the least-liked term among the terms tested to describe this emerging area. Other terms tested included "nutrigenetics," "individualized nutrition," and "nutritional genomics." Cogent's conclusions on terminology are consistent with research that the International Food Information Council Foundation commissioned Cogent to conduct in December 2002. The findings of Cogent Research are from a broader, syndicated research study on genomics that explored applications including pharmaceuticals, health and beauty products, and nutrition. The study marks one of the largest efforts to understand consumers' acceptance of the use of their genetic information to influence the balance between health and disease.
What will it take to bring the promise of personalized nutrition to reality? Dr. Bruce German of the University of California at Davis painted the big picture for the delegates in Amsterdam. He sees this new knowledge as an opportunity to empower individuals to make informed and personal choices for their diet and lifestyle. According to German, "Scientists can enable the joys of life but not tell people what to do with their lives. We don't want to be the same - we want to be as healthy as we want to be. Success will involve personalizing health and delight simultaneously!"
