Nutritional Genomics (Nutrigenomics): What to Know

Key takeaways:

Nutrigenomics studies how nutrients in your diet and your genes interact.
Nutrigenomics determines how your genes can affect your nutritional needs and how your genes and diet influence your risk of developing certain health conditions.
Treating and preventing diseases rarely has just one solution, but nutrigenomics shows promise for providing a unique future solution.

With the rise of chronic diseases worldwide, many people are looking for a new solution to improve their health. While diet, exercise, and an overall healthy lifestyle lead the way, a type of genetic testing called nutrigenomics may also play a future role.

What is nutrigenomics?

Nutrigenomics is the study of how genes, nutrition, and health interact. It looks at how the foods you eat can influence how your genes work — and how your genes, in turn, can shape your nutritional needs.

The idea of nutrigenomics, or nutritional genomics, was jump-started by the Human Genome Project of the 1990s, which mapped out the entire DNA in the human genome. Because of the project, researchers began to study how nutrients, your diet, and your genes interact, and nutrigenomics was born.

Researchers believe that nutrigenomics may help manage conditions like:

Obesity
Heart disease
Diabetes
Cancer
High blood pressure

How does nutrigenomics work?

You aren’t just stuck with whatever genes you inherit at birth. Your genes respond to environmental influences, including what you eat. The messages your genes receive from food play a role in controlling all the molecules that make up your metabolism.

This means that even if certain genetic conditions run in your family, your diet can influence whether those genes get expressed, or “turned on.” And this can influence whether you inherit the condition.

Some of the nutrients involved in how genes are expressed include:

Vitamins A and D
Fatty acids
Protein
The mineral zinc

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Folate, choline, and vitamins B2, B6, and B12 are also involved. Whether you have enough or a lack of these nutrients may affect if a gene for a disorder gets expressed.

What are the possible benefits of nutrigenomics?

The idea behind nutrigenomics is that it could help personalize nutrition to optimize health. With this approach, you might be able to understand how your genes work and use food choices to influence the instructions they give your body. But what could this look like in the real world?

Possible benefits of nutrigenomics include:

Understanding the safety and toxicity of individual nutrients
Helping prevent diseases that are influenced by diet
Avoiding unnecessary or unhelpful supplements
Tailoring weight-loss strategies based on a person’s genetics
Potentially increasing life expectancy

Examples of benefits from nutrigenomics

Nutrigenomics research is still in its early stages. But some studies have already offered intriguing insights into how genes and diet interact. Examples include:

Personalized nutrition and inflammation: One study from the Institute for Systems Biology sequenced 108 participants’ genomes and gave them personalized nutrition advice based on their genomes. They then measured clinical markers over 9 months and found large improvements, such as a 12% improvement in inflammation after 6 months.
Coffee metabolism and heart health: Another study looked at how people metabolize coffee differently based on the CYP1A2 gene. The results suggested that an increased risk of heart attack from coffee intake only appeared in people who are slow metabolizers of caffeine.
Diet and weight loss: Researchers used nutrigenomics to understand if a high-protein or low-fat diet would be best for weight loss based on a person’s genes. But more evidence is needed before this can be used in everyday practice.

Should you use nutrigenomics to improve your diet?

Nutrigenomic testing might help you learn which nutrients your body needs to stay healthy. For example, if you have a gene that raises your risk for diabetes or cancer, this information could motivate you to make more nutritious food choices to lower your risk.

But nutrigenomics doesn’t give medical diagnoses. While it’s a promising area of research, there isn’t enough evidence yet to use genetic testing to guide your diet or supplements.

Many direct-to-consumer tests claim to give personalized diet advice based on your DNA. However, research hasn’t shown that these recommendations reliably improve health or prevent disease. Some companies are creating new technologies for personalized nutrition, but the science still has a long way to go.

That said, nutrigenomics has helped scientists better understand how genes and diet interact. And, in the future, it may play a bigger role in personalized nutrition and disease prevention.

For now, the best way to stay healthy is still the basics:

Eat a balanced diet.
Maintain a healthy weight.
Stay active.
Follow advice from your healthcare team.

Where can you get nutrigenomic testing?

You can get nutrigenomic testing done in a few different ways. Options include:

Direct-to-consumer companies: These companies will often send an at-home saliva kit for you to get a sample and send back.
Healthcare professionals: Some healthcare professionals will offer genetic testing. If you’re curious about nutrigenomic testing, ask your primary care provider or a registered dietitian whether it’s available through their office or a trusted lab. They can also help interpret your results.
Research studies: Many research trials are being conducted to understand more about nutrigenomics. After the study is completed, you may find out your results.

Most health insurance plans will cover the cost of certain types of genetic testing when recommended by a physician. In many cases, however, genetic nutrition testing must be paid for out of pocket. All coverage and reimbursement is subject to Medicare, Medicaid, and third-party payer benefit plans.

Frequently asked questions

Many experts believe that nutrigenomics has the potential to increase life expectancy. It’s already known that changing the foods you eat (to more nutrient-rich options) can help you live longer. So nutrigenomics may help target which dietary changes are best for you. However, there isn’t any evidence yet that shows that nutrigenomics increases life expectancy.

The cost of a nutrigenomics test varies depending on the specific test ordered and what it includes. Some tests are more limited, while others offer more comprehensive information. Also, some companies offer tests along with additional services, like consultation and dietary recommendations. So the cost of a nutrigenomics test can range from $100 to $2,000.

The bottom line

The study of nutrigenomics looks at how the food you eat and your genes affect each other. It’s an exciting new area of research, but scientists are still learning how it works. Using nutrigenomics to create personalized diets is likely still a long way off. If you’re interested, talk with a healthcare professional about your health goals. For now, the best advice hasn’t changed — eat a variety of nutritious, whole foods, maintain a healthy weight, and stay active.

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Written by:

Joanna Foley, RD

Joanna Foley, RD, is a registered dietitian (RD) and the owner of joannafoleynutrition.com, a private nutrition consulting business. She has previously worked as a clinical dietitian and outpatient renal dietitian.

Edited by:

Alex Eastman, PhD, RN

Alex Eastman, PhD, RN, is a California-based registered nurse and staff medical editor at GoodRx, where he focuses on clinical updates and Latino health.

Reviewed by:

Karen Hovav, MD, FAAP

Karen Hovav, MD, FAAP, has more than 15 years of experience as an attending pediatrician. She has worked in a large academic center in an urban city, a small community hospital, a private practice, and an urgent care clinic.

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