The most efficient diet: What does a nutrigenetic test consist of?

In recent years, nutrigenetic tests have been positioned as a key tool within personalized nutrition; that is to say, in the nutritional advice totally adapted and individualized to the person who requests it.

Nutrigenetics is part of nutrigenomics, the science that combines nutrition and genetics. Specifically, it studies how our genes can influence or determine the response to a particular nutrient or diet.

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Eating the right diet has a lot to do with your genes

When we are born we inherit 50% of the genetic information from each of our parents, which makes us unique and unrepeatable. For this reason, each person will be more or less susceptible to developing a pathology, or will be predisposed to present a specific phenotype.

Food was not going to be less: more and more studies are coming out that show the impact on health that genetics can have in relation to the way we eat. From this scientific evidence arises the need to analyze genetic variants closely related to diet and associated pathologies.

And how is it possible to analyze genetics? Technology advances dizzyingly every year, and what cost millions of euros at the beginning of the century, today can be achieved at a very low cost in comparison. A person's genetics (their DNA) can be analyzed through a blood sample, or more simply, through a saliva sample. The latter is the one that is generally used to perform nutrigenetic tests.

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How does applied nutrigenomics work?

The sample collection process is very simple. The company or laboratory in question provides a kit, in which you will find all the steps to follow easily and quickly. In the box is a tube to collect the saliva, and usually a preservative that will preserve the DNA until it is time to analyze it. It is just a small liquid that must be added directly to the sample before sending it to the address provided by the manufacturer.

This is how minimally invasive and easy the procedure for a nutrigenetic analysis is. However, to obtain the best possible sample, there are several things to consider. Do not eat or smoke for an hour or two before collecting the sample.. It is also not recommended to brush your teeth, or drink anything other than water.

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Analysis in the laboratory

Once the sample arrives at the laboratory, the process of extraction and purification of DNA from saliva begins to later analyze the relevant genetic variants.

These variants are known as single nucleotide polymorphisms, that is, variations of a single nitrogenous base in a specific position of the genome. Therefore, it is not a massive sequencing test of all genetic material, but only very specific positions within the genome are analyzed.

The human genome is made up of more than a trillion base pairs, so there are thousands of possible variations, whose unique combination in an organism is what makes us unique and unrepeatable.

But then what are those variants that they analyze? Based on scientific studies of great evidence, those variants that have been closely associated with diet and the predisposition to develop metabolic diseases are chosensuch as obesity or diabetes.

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How does it help us estimate the risk of developing diseases?

Generally, each laboratory develops a genetic risk index by grouping the different selected variants related to a parameter of interest. That is, if it has been seen that the presence of 8 variants predisposes to presenting a higher body mass index, all of them are grouped to prepare the genetic risk index for obesity.

If a person has many of these variants, their genetic risk of developing obesity will be higher compared to someone who only has one or two of these variants. The genetic risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, or gluten intolerance, are some of the parameters that are usually included. In addition, the response of a person to a diet or dietary pattern determined based on genetics is also studied.

Based on different variants, it can be determined whether a person will respond better or worse to a low-calorie or high-protein diet, for example. All this information is very useful to the dietician-nutritionist when setting a diet taking into account the situation and objective of the patient. All these results are usually presented in a more or less visual report, so that it is intuitive and easy to understand information.

What is the best nutrigenetic test?

Currently there are several companies and laboratories that offer this service. Each nutrigenetic test will analyze one or other variants, depending on the criteria of the laboratory that developed it.

For this reason it is very important to inform yourself well before deciding on an option. It must have been developed by great experts in the field whose scientific criteria is backed by years of experience and research.

Is it a test for life?

Yes, but there are several factors to consider. The genetic material that we inherit from our parents will remain the same for the rest of our lives.. Except for point mutations that may appear throughout our lives, a person's DNA does not change. Therefore, the same variant in the same position of the genome will be the same for a person whether analyzed by one laboratory or another.

However, the interpretation of the results can change, since one panel of experts may consider different variants relevant to those of another group of experts. For this reason, it is worth finding out about the scientific trajectory of the company or laboratory in question, since the criteria of the scientific team behind each nutrigenetic test is very important.

In summary, a nutrigenetic test can provide valuable information that helps the person determine their predisposition to the most common metabolic diseases. Likewise, the dietician-nutritionist can use it to personalize the dietary recommendation to the highest level. The omic revolution is here!

Oorenji: Precision nutrition that integrates Nutrigenetics

Oorenji it is an interactive app that will help you plan your personalized weekly menu in a simple way, ensuring nutritional balance and the recommended servings of each food (meat, fish, chicken, legumes, fruits, vegetables and cereals).

The Ooreji artificial intelligence algorithm also takes into account each and every one of the general and typical variables of the user (age, sex, physical activity or physical condition of the person), the integration of genetic information obtained from an analysis of a sample of saliva.

You can download it directly from the official stores of Android and Manzana.

Author: Marta Alonso, Dietitian-Nutritionist.