The Role of Nutritional Genomics in Developing an Optimal Diet for Humans

Abstract

As the focus of nutrition research increasingly shifts to defining what optimal health is for humans and how to achieve it, interest in nutritional genomics is growing. Among the expectations for this field is the ability to match foods to the individual’s genetically determined ability to digest, absorb, and use the nutrients within those foods. Avoiding foods that are not an appropriate match and focusing on those with a positive impact on health promises to be an important aspect of achieving optimal health. The challenge, however, is to determine what that match is for the human species and, ultimately, for each individual. This review explores how earlier research using nutritional genomics and a model system approach has been used to investigate gene-diet interactions successfully and how this approach might affect the quest for an optimal human diet.