Nutrigenomics: fad or foody science?

Sadly, this will be my last column for the China Daily as I am about to return to the United Kingdom to resume work in the National Health Service as a dietitian. I thought it fitting, therefore, to look to the future of nutrition and explore a relatively new scientific discipline known as "nutrigenomics", which looks to become increasingly relevant in the years ahead.

Essentially, nutrigenomics is the study of the interaction between genes and diet. Information gleaned can be used in conjunction with "metabolomics" - the study of the different molecules produced by the body's metabolism, to provide more individualized picture of how people react to different types of nutritional compounds.

Nutrient-gene interactions can take two different forms. Firstly, nutrients can actually directly affect how genes are expressed and alter DNA structure and secondly, variation in genetic make-up means that one person will have altered nutritional requirements compared to a person with a different genetic make-up.