You Are (Not Exactly) What You Eat

If you've ever wondered why a vegetarian who consumes no saturated fat can have a cholesterol level of 240 while an overweight meat lover who lives on cheeseburgers and whole milk clocks in at 160, you'll be interested in the work of Katherine Tucker, PhD, an epidemiologist at Tufts University's Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. Tucker is a researcher in the field of nutrigenomics, the study of how our genetic dispositions affect the way our bodies use the nutrients in what we eat. She believes that nutrigenomics researchers will be able to unravel some of the paradoxes that have emerged from major studies, such as why some people need more folate in their diet to process homocysteine, an amino acid that can damage arteries. "Current population-based studies often have conflicting and confusing results regarding specific nutrients and health outcomes," Tucker says. She thinks genetic predisposition, which is not taken into account in large-scale epidemiological studies, will probably explain the perplexing results.

"The nutritional advice we're giving right now is based on the average person," Tucker says. Nutrigenomics research should make it possible for healthcare providers to give more customized advice in many areas, including weight loss.

Although nutrigenomics is still in its infancy, Tucker expects it to become a major player in the science of aging. "In 10 years," she says, "individuals will go to their doctors, have their genetics analyzed and be told, for example, that fish oil can help reduce their risk of heart disease and Alzheimer's disease" -- while that same advice may not be useful to people with a different genotype.

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