What Is Nutrigenomics? - How DNA-Based Nutrition Counseling Addresses the Source Not the Symptom

Part One of Our Series on Nutrigenomics and Nutrigenetics Counseling

Nature and nurture: the two factors woven together throughout the course of the human lifespan, governing what we are and what we may become.

It’s no coincidence that nurture and nutrition sound so similar; they come down to us from the Old French norture, meaning food, nourishment, education, or training. Though the two words have become distinct, they are closely related in both concept and reality.

The nutritionist deals with nurturing foods that guide individual development and health.

Nature, of course, is the flip side of the coin, the baked-in strengths, weaknesses, and predispositions that we recognize today come to each of us through our individual genes.

But it turns out that nature and nurture aren’t just two separate streams that merge together into the river of our lives… they are tied together, influencing one another at every point. Genes impact how we process nutrients; nutrients influence how genes activate and express.

Nutrigenomics tells us how. And a new tool is available for dietitians that will change the face of the profession.

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What Is Nutrigenomics and Why It Is the Key to Nutritional Counseling for the Future

The study of these intertwined factors in health, wellness, and longevity are coming together in a new science called nutrigenomics. And the potential impact on the field of nutritional counseling is enormous.

Nutritional genomics dives deep into the weeds of the metabolic system, exploring how genes and various dietary components interact.

These are some of the same studies that are fueling a surge in longevity nutritional counseling work today. Scientists are beginning to unlock some of the secrets of ways that specific macronutrients may work through epigenetic influences to encourage or suppress the expression of certain genetic diseases. They are also uncovering evidence of the ways that individual genetic makeup can change our reactions to various foods and nutrients.

This is all extraordinarily important to the field of nutrition. The entire process of metabolizing what we eat and drink is governed by genetic and epigenetic expression. Getting a handle on the differences in how those markers work between different individuals in the population could have huge influence on how nutritional counseling works.

It’s also the case that discovering more about the intricate processes of metabolism may deliver new and important information about the impact of diet on health and well-being… or even the human lifespan.

Nutrigenomics Emerges as a Science From Deep Dives Into Genetic Expression and Biochemistry

Dietitians have known for as long as the field has been a profession that different individuals may react to the same food in very different ways.

At the same time, scientists have understood at least since the early 1900s that certain diseases and traits were likely tied to genes.

It took the Human Genome Project to really bring the two trends together. The 13-year effort to sequence more than 90 percent of the human genome was completed in 2003, with additional work continuing through 2021, exposed the underlying genetic markers of the species as never before. It delivered breakthroughs in many healthcare industries with a volume of data that is still fueling new research and new theories.

Nutrition is one of those fields. Insights in the relationships of nutrients and genetic expression, metabolic response, and the overall health of individuals are on the table.

Now all that scientists and dietitians have to do is figure it out.

What Are the Goals and Potential of Nutrigenomics in Nutritional Counseling?

The long-term goal of nutritional genomic research is to better understand influences of diet on individual health and wellness. While there are many conventional nutritional research studies that have explored the same question, nutrigenomics aims to unpack it from a different perspective. By looking at the genetic and metabolic mechanisms that govern reactions, they will give dietitians the tools to understand why different nutrition and lifestyle patterns have different impacts.

In the past, nutrition data were widespread and epidemiological in nature; nutrigenomics can make them personal and tailored to every individual.

The difference may seem small, but it’s important. Consider an automobile. A mechanic might try to understand how a car engine works by taking the car out and driving it around repeatedly, putting in different fuels, carefully tracking mileage and performance, and comparing it to other experiments and other vehicles. They’d get valuable information, and maybe find some patterns along the way… putting diesel into a gas engine would be bad, for example.

But they could only ever guess about why those things worked or didn’t work.

In comparison, they could pop the hood and disassemble the engine. See where all the lines lead, check out the cylinder compression, understand how the fuel is injected. Suddenly, all of the reasons for different performances would become clear. It wouldn’t be guessing and experimentation anymore—they would know the diesel wouldn’t get enough heat or pressure to ignite cleanly, and that’s why the engine stalls out.

With the inner workings of gene-nutrient interactions exposed, dietitians have far more power to personalize and optimize diet and health planning.

Nutrigenomics Faces Growing Pains in the Counseling Office

As a new science, though, nutrigenomics is still facing challenges as a practical tool for nutritionists to tap into.

A 2022 study revealed several drawbacks in the current state of nutrigenomics for nutritional counseling:

• Inadequate Training – College coursework hasn’t caught up with nutrigenomics yet, so most RDs, even those with master’s degrees, aren’t fully trained on the principles.
• Lack of Awareness – Both in and outside the field of nutrition, the awareness of what can be accomplished with nutrigenomics has yet to become widespread.
• Poor Counseling Skills – Nutrigenomics is new enough that most counselors don’t have a clear idea how to integrate it in their current programs. This can lead to inconsistent applications or, worse, flat-out bad information.
• Unreliable Evidence – Nutrigenomics theory is still way ahead of research results in the field. Although the core science is solid, the details of how to apply it in actual counseling and diet modification are still largely unproven.

Some researchers also feel like nutrigenomics is still too new or too complex to have much of an impact in day-to-day nutritional counseling efforts. A meta-study published in 2021 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found no strong outcomes to support including genetic evidence in nutrition counseling routines. There were no significant impacts on dietary outcomes of patients that received genetic-informed counseling compared to the control groups.

That doesn’t mean nutrigenomics is leaving the scene just yet, though. In terms of food and health science, it’s just getting started. With the right education and expertise, new nutrigenomics specialists in nutrition counseling are already starting to take the next steps to bring the benefits of research to the people.