I’ve been discovering a new omics to add to my vocabulary, and one I needed to learn about quickly. This time it is nutrigenomics and the reason I have to steepen my learning curve is because I’m part of the team putting together the business case for the Alberta Nutrigenomics Initiative.

Nutrigenomics I’ve discovered is not about simply eating your flakes of bran and getting more exercise. In fact arguably you could say it looks at people and predicts who might have to eat a little less in case they are part of a population that will have difficulty with their morning cereal. Nutrigenomics focuses on the molecular relationships between nutrition and the response of genes so we can understand and predict how subtle changes can affect human health. It involves the products of genes, including proteins and metabolites, and the physiological function and interaction of these products. By determining the mechanisms of the effects of nutrients, nutrigenomics aims to define the relationship between specific nutrients and human health. Research has shown that individuals react to and benefit from nutrition in very different ways, and it has become clear that the different individual responses to nutrients are the result of unique genomic profiles. Thus a more complete understanding of health and disease processes must include the simultaneous analyses of nutrient intakes and genomic profiles.

Yes, the work could lead to some basic conclusions and may even give us a few more ‘health foods’ which is the answer to the first question people seem to have been asking me.

At its best though, nutrigenomics goes way beyond that with some remarkable successes. For example the work done at McGill University on the monogenic disorder phenylketonuria (PKU) in newborns led to the genetic screening of newborns to detect PKU and to manage the condition. The result is a significant improvement in health and longevity. It also holds the promise of better management of cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, and obesity, which together costs Canada’s health care system upwards of 36 billion dollars. If a modest nutrigenomics investment of 10 million dollars were to yield slightly less than a one percent cut in those costs then we’re well ahead of the game. We can’t be sure there will be those savings but we can be certain that if we don’t invest the money we’ll still be faced with all those health care costs.

Reading through position papers, web entries, and in house documents have all helped me gain some understanding into genomics. 10 minutes with our Chief Scientific Officer however gave us both a couple of insights. For me it was that with so many differences in how our genetic makeup is expressed it only makes sense that there is room for missteps in how our bodies’ use nutrients. For the CSO it was that a fresh set of eyes looking at a business case written by a bunch of scientists can find a misstep here and there as well.

Nutrigenomics appears to have the potential to become a major tool in heading off some diseases before they start costing the health care system even more money. Will it happen next year? Don’t think so from what I’ve learned. Will it happen while I’m still paying into the health care system? Looks like it, and that’s good enough for me.