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| (Photo courtesy of: medicalrepublic.com) |
By: Sophie Malagday
We Filipinos are known for our appetite and how much we love eating. For every occasion, we always prepare our foods lavishly as we want to keep the tradition of festivity. We have our famous rice cakes such as bibingka, sapin-sapin, desserts such as halo-halo, and of course, the most famous of all, lechon. During our three meals, it is a staple to eat rice, partnered with our occasional viands such as tinola, adobo, and the like.
We Filipinos are known for our appetite and how much we love eating. For every occasion, we always prepare our foods lavishly as we want to keep the tradition of festivity. We have our famous rice cakes such as bibingka, sapin-sapin, desserts such as halo-halo, and of course, the most famous of all, lechon. During our three meals, it is a staple to eat rice, partnered with our occasional viands such as tinola, adobo, and the like.
As varied as our traditional delicacies are, the food we eat can
also affect our DNA in a variety of ways.
The human genome is composed of 23 chromosome pairs with a total
of about 3 million base pairs. In humans, there are 24 distinct chromosomes: 22
chromosomes that are autosomal and the sex-determining X and Y chromosomes. The
DNA is our hereditary material and serves as the blueprint or the set of
instructions needed to know what color our hair would be, how our face shape
would be, as well as our personalities. There are many factors that may affect the
expression of our genes—one of these is nutrition.
Nutrition, according to the World Health Organization, is the
intake of food, taking into consideration the dietary needs of one’s body. Good
nutrition means that the food intake is adequate, well-balanced, and is
combined with regular physical activity. Good nutrition ensures that the
interactions between the nutrients or food molecules that we intake and the
molecules in our body are well-coordinated in order to make sure that the body
is well and healthy.
Macromolecules such as protein, carbohydrates, and fats are the
food molecules we often ingest. These molecules interact with the components of
cells and may or may not alter its composition. Too much protein intake,
without proper exercise in which the proteins would be used and broken down,
would lead to an accumulation of proteins which then turns into sugars then to
fat. This is primarily why a diet heavy in meat, eggs, and the like without the
supplement of exercise could lead to weight gain. This may also increase blood
sugar levels which can also feed pathogenic bacteria and yeast.
Too much carbohydrate intake, without proper exercise that could
use it up, could lead to rapid spikes in blood sugar levels which often results
to energy crash, giving you a feeling of fatigue. It could also lead to obesity
as the sugars which were unused turn into fat.
Too much fat intake, without proper exercise, on the other hand,
could also lead to weight gain as fat contains more calories compared to proteins
and carbohydrates. High fat diets could also lead to constipation as the fiber
intake needed is limited. These macromolecules and their interaction with other
molecules in our bodies have been known to affect our health. However, the same
diet may not have the same results for different people. How, then, is this
possible? This is where nutrigenomics comes into the picture.
Nutrigenomics is the science that delves into the effects of food
and its components or constituents on our genes and how these genes are
expressed. It also looks into how the variations in our genes affect the
nutritional environment. Its focus lies within understanding the interaction
between the nutrients we take and other dietary bioactives within our genomes
at the molecular level in order to understand how these specific nutrients or
specific diet regimes may affect human health and disease.
The field of
nutrigenomics is fairly young but it has already unraveled much to the curious
minds of the scientific community. So why exactly should you be informed about
this new and emerging field? Why do you need to be concerned?
Firstly, it is important to note that diet can be a huge risk
factor for a number of different diseases. Since our diet can greatly influence
our health and the way we respond to different diseases, it is important to
know what type of diet is a best fit for one to stay healthy. However, it is
found that diets are not a one-size-fits-all. Each person requires different
types of nutrients in order to stay healthy. Nutrigenomics can help us find a
diet that best fits each of our needs.
Secondly, dietary chemicals from the food we intake can act on the
human genome to alter the genes’ activity or structure. This is very much
important as the genes are contained in our DNA. This is of great concern
because the food you eat today may not only affect your body and how your genes
would be expressed, but it may also affect the genes of the generations after
you.
Lastly, nutrigenomics may serve as a tool to treat various
diseases. Dr. Lionel Bisson, a health and wellness physician from New York,
says that nutrigenomics has diverse applications that spans both nutrition and
medicine. Patients are treated based on their symptoms and genetic studies. The
genetic studies are then used as a guide to determine the right nutrition for
prevention.
Even though it is still a developing field of science with many
much more unexplored, it is always important to stay informed about the
importance of this promising field, stay in the know with nutrige-know-mics!
References:
Bachus, T., & Macdonald, E.
(2016, March 30). What is Nutrigenomics?. Retrieved from
https://www.cleaneatingmag.com/personalities/what-is-nutrigenomics
Benjamin, D. (2011, July 8).
The Risks of High-Fat Diets. Retrieved from
https://www.livestrong.com/article/249377-the-risks-of-high-fat-diets/
Genetics Home Reference.
(n.d.). What is DNA?. Retrieved from https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/primer/basics/dna
Glantz, J. (2018).
Nutrigenomics Is the New Diet Study You've Never Heard of but Need to Pay
Attention To. Retrieved from
https://www.popsugar.com/fitness/What-Nutrigenomics-44529982
Kazmeyer, M. (2017, July 18).
The Effects of a High Carb Diet. Retrieved from
https://www.livestrong.com/article/252700-the-effects-of-a-high-carb-diet/
Mercola. (2014, September 3).
The Very Real Risks of Consuming Too Much Protein. Retrieved from
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/09/03/too-much-protein.aspx
Munoz, K. (2017, November 15). Nutrigenomics:
Does food influence how our genes behave. Retrieved from
https://draxe.com/nutrigenomics/
Nature. (n.d.). Nutrigenomics.
Retrieved from https://www.nature.com/subjects/nutrigenomics
NHS. (2018, April 26). The
truth about carbs. Retrieved from
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-weight/why-we-need-to-eat-carbs/
NHS. (n.d.). Nutrigenomics: 5
Facts about your Genes, Diet and Health. Retrieved from https://www.genomicseducation.hee.nhs.uk/news/item/290-nutrigenomics-your-genes-diet-health-what-you-need-to-know/
"The Promise of
Nutrigenomics." Institute of Medicine. 2007. Nutrigenomics and Beyond:
Informing the Future: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies
Press. doi: 10.17226/11845.
World Health Organization.
(n.d.). Nutrition. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/topics/nutrition/en/
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