The reply could also be precision vitamin, which goals to know the well being results of the complicated interaction amongst genetics, our microbiome (the micro organism dwelling in our intestine), our eating regimen and degree of bodily exercise, and different social and behavioral traits.
That implies that everybody may have their very own distinctive set of dietary necessities.
Under is an edited model of our dialog.
CNN: How is precision vitamin completely different from present vitamin recommendation?
Dr. Frank Hu: The thought of precision vitamin is to have the proper meals, at the correct amount, for the proper particular person. As an alternative of offering normal dietary suggestions for everybody, this precision strategy tailors vitamin suggestions to particular person traits, together with one’s genetic background, microbiome, social and environmental elements, and extra. This might help obtain higher well being outcomes.
CNN: Why is there no one-size-fits-all prescription in the case of what we needs to be consuming?
Martha Subject: People have distinctive responses to eating regimen, and the “high quality regulate” of precision vitamin is knowing these responses. This implies understanding interactions amongst genetics, particular person variations in metabolism, and responses to train.
CNN: How can we eat primarily based on precision vitamin ideas now?
Hu: There are some examples of customized diets for illness administration, like a gluten-free eating regimen for the administration of celiac illness, or a lactose-free eating regimen if you’re lactose illiberal. For people with a situation generally known as PKU (phenylketonuria), they need to eat (a) phenylalanine-free eating regimen. It is a uncommon situation however a basic instance of how your genes can affect what sort of diets you need to eat.
Angela Poole: If I had a household historical past of excessive ldl cholesterol, diabetes or colon most cancers, I might improve my dietary fiber consumption, consuming loads of completely different sources, together with quite a lot of greens.
Subject: When you have hypertension, try to be extra acutely aware of sodium consumption. Anybody with a malabsorption concern might need a necessity for increased ranges of micronutrients comparable to B nutritional vitamins and a few minerals.
Hu: Some folks carry quick caffeine-metabolizing genes; others carry gradual genes. Should you carry quick (metabolizing) genotypes, you possibly can drink loads of caffeinated espresso as a result of caffeine is damaged down shortly. If you’re a gradual metabolizer, you get jittery and will not be capable of sleep should you drink espresso within the afternoon. If that is the case, you possibly can drink decaf espresso and nonetheless get the advantages of espresso’s polyphenols, that are related to decreased threat of coronary heart illness and diabetes with out the results of caffeine.
CNN: How a lot of a job do our particular person genes play in our threat of illness? And might our habits mitigate our illness threat?
Subject: The environmental results can generally be on the identical magnitude because the genetic results with respect to threat for illness.
CNN: Our particular person microbiomes might be able to dictate what sort of eating regimen we needs to be consuming. Are you able to inform us about this rising analysis? And what do you consider microbiome exams?
Poole: Analysis has proven that in some folks, their blood sugar will spike increased from consuming bananas than from consuming cookies, and this has been related to microbiome composition. Scientists have used microbiome information to construct algorithms that may predict a person’s glucose response, and it is a main advance. However that is not an excuse for me to shovel down cookies as a substitute of bananas. Likewise, if the algorithm suggests consuming white bread as a substitute of whole-wheat bread as a result of blood glucose responses, I would not simply eat white bread on a regular basis.
In the intervening time, I am not able to spend some huge cash to see what’s in my intestine microbiome … and the microbiome modifications over time.
Hu: Microbiome exams usually are not low cost, and the promise that this take a look at might help develop a customized meal plan that may enhance blood sugar and blood ldl cholesterol … at this level, the information usually are not conclusive.
CNN: How will vitamin recommendation be completely different 10 years from now?
Poole: I feel you’ll obtain a custom-tailored grocery listing on an app — meals that you just need to purchase and meals that you just need to keep away from, primarily based in your blood sugar responses to meals, your degree of bodily exercise and extra.
Hu: We can have extra and higher biomarkers and extra reasonably priced and correct nutrigenomics and microbiome exams in addition to higher pc algorithms that predict your response to meals intakes.
However these applied sciences can not substitute normal vitamin ideas comparable to limiting sodium and added sugar and consuming extra wholesome plant meals. In a number of years, you might be able to get a extra helpful response from Alexa should you ask her what you need to eat — however like different solutions from Alexa, you may must take it with a grain of salt.
Lisa Drayer is a nutritionist, an creator and a CNN well being and vitamin contributor.
