Designer diets: ACS symposium will explore relationships between diet and genes, August 28-29

The old adage, "you are what you eat," faces an update — as a prescription to "eat what you are." If researchers are correct, the diet of the future may be custom-tailored to the shape of our personal genetic profiles. Scientists believe the emerging science of nutrigenomics, which studies interactions between genes and diet, may lead to better treatments for diseases including diabetes, cancer and heart disease. The new field will be the subject of a two-day symposium at the 222nd national meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

Highlights from the symposium, which features more than a dozen papers, include:

Nutrigenomics: Wave of the future? — Nancy Fogg-Johnson, Ph.D., of Life Sciences Alliance, will provide an overview of nutrigenomics. Besides discussing how a study of diet and gene interactions might improve health, she will describe how the field could spawn futuristic businesses that are built around creating specialty diets and providing products and services based on an individual’s genetic profile. (This paper, AGFD 111, will be presented at 1:35 p.m., Tuesday, August 28, in McCormick Place South, Room S505A, Level 5.)

Low-fat diets may not benefit everyone — Ronald M. Krauss, M.D., of the University of California’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, will discuss why a low-fat diet may not be good for everyone for fighting heart disease. The researcher has identified a genetic variation that causes many individuals at high risk for heart disease to benefit from a low-fat diet, while predisposing a subset of the healthy population to changes in blood cholesterol that are associated with an increased risk of disease. The researcher hopes that genetic tests will be developed in the future to help identify those most likely to benefit from low-fat diets. (The paper on this research, AGFD 114, will be presented at 3:35 p.m., Tuesday, August 28, in McCormick Place South, Room S505A, Level 5.)

Fighting cancer with grapes, spices — Andrew J. Dannenberg, M.D., of Weill Medical College of Cornell University and Strang Cancer Prevention Center, will describe dietary substances that prevent the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) gene from being activated. Increased levels of COX-2 have been linked to the development of a number of diseases, including colorectal cancer. Among the foods and herbs containing natural inhibitors of COX-2 are grapes, turmeric and rosemary. These findings could provide a basis for developing healthier diets. (The paper on this research, AGFD 113, will be presented at 2:55 p.m., Tuesday, August 28, in McCormick Place South, Room S505A, Level 5.)

Vitamin A may help some with diabetes — Carolyn D. Berdanier, Ph.D., of the University of Georgia, will discuss how diet influences gene expression in a particular form of diabetes that is caused by mutations in the mitochondria (the cell’s powerhouse). In animal studies, the researcher has shown that providing vitamin A supplements boosts the number of mitochondria, which helps improve glucose metabolism. The finding could lead to better insight into the treatment of diabetes. (The paper on this research, AGFD 134, will be presented at 1:35 p.m., Wednesday, August 29, in McCormick Place South, Room S505A, Level 5.)

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