Food and Genes – the science of Nutrigenomics

As a busy GP in several NHS practices in Suffolk and Essex I see patients with a variety of chronic conditions, from arthritis to IBS. Many of them are not aware that changes to their diet could potentially improve their symptoms.

Our food is like fuel for a car: There is nothing wrong with Petrol or Diesel, but putting either of them in the tank of a car that requires different fuel, the engine will certainly not do well.

A couple of years ago whilst practising in Switzerland I saw a patient who suffered from rheumatoid arthritis. He had been taking Methotrexate, a very powerful drug, for over 10 years. The potential side effects worried him and he asked for my help. We discovered that he had a gluten intolerance. After stopping gluten, his symptoms improved so drastically, that he decided to wean himself off the Methotrexate.

We have to keep in mind that our genetic plan is probably a couple of million years old, and our diet has changed drastically in that time. Dairy, cereals and eggs are now a staple in our diet, but they were not in the past. For some of us our genes just cannot keep up with that change.

Have you ever felt bloated after a meal? Chances are you ate something that does not fit to your genetic plan. Your digestive system aims to break down your foods into the smallest particles which are absorbed as building material or fuel. With some foods it might struggle to do this completely and instead the “left-over” pieces are broken down by bowel bacteria. They produce as by-product acid and gas.

The acid can “drill” little holes into your gut, leading to the “leaky gut syndrome”, which can be the start of a variety of inflammatory diseases.

The spectrum of possible symptoms is wide: Some people just feel chronically tired, others suffer from loose bowels, despite normal investigations.

If you think that any of these symptoms fit to you, speak to a qualified practitioner with an interest in functional/nutritional medicine. After excluding a more sinister cause of your problems, he/she can arrange tests to find out which foods work together with your genes, and which not – the science of nutrigenomics.

Best regards and good health,

Dr Oliver Frey MD MRCGP

Information presented in this article is for information only and not intended as a substitute for seeking professional medical advice. Dr Frey has a private medical practice in Stonham Aspal specialising in functional/nutritional medicine. He can be contacted by email via contact@dr-frey.com or his website www.dr-frey.com.