Nutrition Blog 11

DNA and Today, What Can You Do?

Today we know that your genes play a tremendous role in your future health.  Our understanding of genes and what they do are of recent discovery.  Archibald Garrod was a British physician who first suggested that inherited diseases were a result of genetic defects in the early 1900’s.  During the 1950’s and 1960’s, scientists were convinced that genes were stored in molecules called DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) that were wound up within the nucleus (core) of our cells.  In 1953, scientists James Watson and Francis Crick were able to determine the double helix (twisting) structure of DNA.

DNA consists of two intertwined coils.  The coils are constructed of units that are known as base pairs (genetic letters).  These base pairs are G (guanine), C (cytosine), A (adenine), and T (thymine).  These base pairs and combinations of the base pairs are your genetic code.  The organization of these base pairs in your DNA tells your body what specific proteins to make.  These proteins regulate your body functions and serve as building blocks for your tissue.  A single gene is comprised of approximately 3,000 genetic letters (base pairs).  It is estimated that each person has 20,000 to 25,000 individual genes.  DNA consists of multiple genes.  This DNA is packed tightly in the nucleus of a cell in storage units called chromosomes.  We all have 23 pairs of chromosomes.  Half of the pair is donated from your mother and half of the pair is donated from your father.  These chromosomes containing your genes and base pairs are the blueprint of what we are, who we are and what we can become.  In reality, only 0.1% of our DNA is unique to us (99.9% is similar to other humans).  However, this 0.1% is 3 million genetic letters.  Different combinations of these genetic letters account for the infinite amount of difference that occurs between all humans.  A great deal of our genetic code can be influenced by our diet, our lifestyle and our exposure to environmental toxins.  Yes, genes can be predetermined to follow a specific pathway accounting for our health and our disease.  However, many of these genes can be “pushed” down the right pathway by the combination of nutrients, lifestyle and environment. 

Luck, Genes and 60 tons Of Food

Eating is a “beloved” part of human existence. We eat greater than 86,000 times over the course of a life time for a total ingested food weight of approximately 60 tons.  Interestingly, all of us are programmed to respond to food (nutrients) differently.  Yes, we all need fats, protein, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins to survive.  However, our genetic makeup (your genes) can dramatically affect your need for, or response to, certain nutrients.  Genes are composed of DNA and create a blueprint of what we are (such as hair color), determine our susceptibility to diseases, designate our fitness capabilities and markedly influence your longevity, just to name a few.  We often talk about diseases as being due to bad genes or “bad luck”, while good health and longevity are described as “good luck” or good genes.  While it is true that genetic coding can pre-program us to certain diseases, body shape or intellect, many genes can be coaxed into the right direction by lifestyle and nutrition.  Also, control of our environment (less toxin exposure) can also coax our genes into the right direction.  If you had a clear understanding of your genetic makeup you could adjust your lifestyle and nutrition accordingly.  Nutritional genomics is an area of science that has developed recently.  This science comprises the interplay between your genes, your diet and your lifestyle.  Understanding your genetic makeup and what nutritional and lifestyle interventions you do and do not need to make to improve your health, fitness and longevity can have a tremendous impact on your life.  

Nutrition and Your Gene Pool

Winston Churchill was a hero for our world and underscored the backbone of England during World War II.  Mr. Churchill, however, was very overweight, loved fat-containing foods, drank a considerable amount of alcohol and smoked cigars.  Despite that, he worked as Prime Minister until the age of 77 and lived to the age of 90.  In contrast, Jim Fixx, changed his life by losing weight and quitting smoking at the age of 35 and created a “buzz” around running for health.  Mr. Fixx died running at the age of 52 and his autopsy noted severe coronary artery disease.  How is this possible?  Is it that a healthy lifestyle is bad and a bad lifestyle is good?  No, to the contrary, a healthy lifestyle generally produces a payout with regards to longevity and decreased disease severity.  However, our genetic response to nutrition and eating, an activity we do many times per day for a lifetime, is also undeniable.  Healthy lifestyle does include tailoring your diet to your genetic predisposition for health and disease.  Figuring out what your genetic code is, and what dietary changes need to be made to adjust to or correct your body’s makeup from this genetic code is called nutragenomics.  Essentially, there are very subtle changes in your genetic code called single nucleotide polymorphisms or pronounced snips (SNP). These very subtle genetic changes can make someone much more susceptible to disease from a lifestyle activity or a diet or much less susceptible to disease by adding certain nutrients.  Your genetic code via SNP analysis can be determined by simple swabbing of your cheek and sending this material off to a laboratory with a nutritional questionnaire regarding your current eating practices.  Coming back from this laboratory would be your gene analysis with suggested nutrient interventions and lifestyle modifications.  This is an important step to take in controlling your life and avoiding the randomness of either good health or bad health.