Healthy diet? That depends on your genes

am I doomed because I come from a long line of donut and pie hunters?

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170612153554.htm

Healthy diet? That depends on your genes

Shifts in the diets of Europeans after the introduction of farming 10,000 years ago led to genetic adaptations that favored the dietary trends of the time, new research indicates. The study has implications for the growing field of nutritional genomics, called nutrigenomics. Based on one's ancestry, clinicians may one day tailor each person's diet to her or his genome to improve health and prevent disease.

duane hennon wrote:
am I doomed because I come from a long line of donut and pie hunters?

No, cuz pie and donuts are not exiting the Western diet any time soon, especially in the US where the structure of food production make such items readily available and affordable from your local gas stop to your neighborhood soup kitchen.

It's an interesting notion....how much plant fiber do the Inuit and similar people ingest?

Along similar lines:  "Fido may prefer steak, but his digestive system is also geared up for rice and potatoes. That's the conclusion of a new study, which finds that dogs have evolved to eat a more varied diet than their wolf ancestors. The shift parallels genetic changes seen in people and bolsters the idea that dogs and humans share similar evolutionary stories.

...The analysis turned up 36 regions, with 122 genes in all, that may have contributed to dog evolution, the team reports online today in Nature. Nineteen of these regions contain genes important for the brain, eight of which are involved with nervous system development, which makes sense given the importance of behavioral changes in the transition to becoming man's best friend, Axelsson notes.

More surprising were genes for digesting starch. Dogs had four to 30 copies of the gene for amylase, a protein that starts the breakdown of starch in the intestine. Wolves have only two copies, one on each chromosome. As a result, that gene was 28-fold more active in dogs, the researchers found. More copies means more protein, and test-tube studies indicate that dogs should be fivefold better than wolves at digesting starch, the chief nutrient in agricultural grains such as wheat and rice. The number of copies of this gene also varies in people: Those eating high carbohydrate diets—such as the Japanese and European Americans—have more copies than people with starch-poor diets, such as the Mbuti in Africa. "We have adapted in a very similar way to the dramatic changes that happened when agriculture was developed," Axelsson says."


http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2013/01/diet-shaped-dog-domestication

Fascinating! I have told this many a times to my vegetarian friends without scientific research, just anecdotal evidence. My father's side of the family NEEDS steak. Like we get low energy and can't think right and CRAVE it. However, we can go like 6 months and then maybe think, ah geez... I should eat something green. No cravings, no side affects. Even when I tried to be healthy and eat salads and no meat or just white meat occasionally and fish, it wasn't the same. Now my vegetarian friends say they never craved meat and have no interest. The closest I got to a no meat moment is saying, "uh, it's a little heavy for every day, maybe every few days." Us meat-geners cannot handle a lot of the acidity in a lot of fruit either, so tomatoes plain can make me sick. Nuts don't usually fill me up either. I tried it all because vegetarianism can be convenient, but yeah, our bodies are not made for it. And my daughter at 5yo can eat as much steak as a full grown adult, and like her meat-obligate ancestors, can hold off on eating anything substantial in anticipation of that meat meal for longer than her parents sanity at watching.

I used to feel guilty as some sort of obligate killer, until I learned more about ecology and farming. Now anyone who attempts to guilty me at that can easily get an earful.

Thanks for sharing!

there is a nice book called fat from sarah fallon (spelling?)
Vegetarian farmers?? Really did they exist? I did not hear about that. Maybe there wer impoverished farmers who got little meat, but vegetarian I don't really believe.

Very recent research on human development is showing that genes can be and are changed by foods eaten by the mother as the fetus develops.
There is also new research that shows that developing humans are affected both genetically and developmentally by stress felt by the mother as the fetus develops. (this study focused on the mothers and children from the Long ice storm in Canada that left many without power for almost a month)
Things like sugar cravings, can come from this developing time period, as well as I.Q. changes, thought processes and lots of other variables.
There is good evidence that the fetus that is raised on a mostly veg diet will also be most comfortable with a  mostly veg diet.
Those who develop through a well balanced diet of vegetables and meats will most likely prefer a similar diet.
There are two proteins that the human body can not get except from meats, and those two proteins are necessary for full development of the brain.
These two proteins have been verified (for years) and it is thought that the inclusion of meat in the ancient diet was what moved the hominid to the Homo sapiens species through increased brain size and cognizance.

These newer studies are ongoing but are far enough along to make some statements.

A mother diet that is rich in all the right nutrients will have the effect of a well developed fetus with protein being a factor in I.Q., muscular development and brain size, activity and functionality.
A mother under great stress can cause reduced I.Q., hampered thought processes and perhaps even autism.
Genetic makeup can change from dietary needs not being met correctly, stress, overabundance of fats compared to proteins and carbohydrates.

The research is just at the beginning phase but after the first ten years, the evidence is there to warrant more in depth studies to be done.

This new research is opening new doors to the "you are what you eat" idea and taking it to the you are what your mother experienced and ate before you were born idea.

Redhawk

You also tend to get your gut bacteria from both your environment(living with your family for 18 years), and the foods you eat(What Mom fed you for 18 years).  They have an extremely big impact on your health. Often times when people have food intolerances, it is really they are lacking the right gut bacteria. Or you are lacking enough of one or more kinds.  i.e. If you don't eat beans often enough to build up the right balance of bacteria, you will get gas every time you eat beans. Good gut flora will kick-start the digestion with proper enzymes. Over time, higher order mammals can lose genes if they always have a symbiotic bacteria to do the work for them.

On the plus side, it is possible to reset your gut bacteria. On the negative side, it usually involves 3 days of diarrhea.

Also note, your bacteria respond to your ACTUAL diet, not your ideal diet.  I heard lots of asian friends say, "I'm skinny because I eat a traditional asian diet". However once they hit 30 they got a gut like everyone else.  Your bacteria know the difference between a "Traditional Asian Diet" and a "Traditional Asian Diet + 3 Beers + 1/2 bag of Cool Ranch Doritos + Frappachino + Croissant"

duane hennon wrote:
am I doomed because I come from a long line of donut and pie hunters?

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170612153554.htm

Healthy diet? That depends on your genes

Shifts in the diets of Europeans after the introduction of farming 10,000 years ago led to genetic adaptations that favored the dietary trends of the time, new research indicates. The study has implications for the growing field of nutritional genomics, called nutrigenomics. Based on one's ancestry, clinicians may one day tailor each person's diet to her or his genome to improve health and prevent disease.

It IS (wrote isn't before...) well know that Scandinavians tolerate dairy far better than any other population on earth - simply because if you couldn't eat dairy in the old days, survival probably was somewhat difficult.

When I see my vegetarian friends and the amount of carbs they eat I know I could never be vegetarian - even the gluten free vegans I know eat more carb in a day than I do in a week, and when I go to parties with vegetarians it is basically wheat-fest... If I eat as much wheat as they do, my stomac balloons and I feel lousy for hours... if I eat the same amount of nuts as they do, I would have eczema on my entire body...

But is it genetic or epigenetic? It it because of the enheritance of my mothers genes or because I inherited her lousy gut flora (and the had what ever good bacteria I had completely ruined by multiple rounds of anti-biotics every year as a child). I think that is not entirely understood by scientists - yet.

I think the only thing we can say for sure is that we all need a lot of veggies in a great variety (I am currently very fascinated with the Wahls protocol). I also think we need a lot of fat for proper brain function - but it needn't be animal fat, coconut oil is at least as good (though if you live in Europe not a very sustainable food source). I do know some vegetarians who are very very healthy - but I also know a lot who are struggling health wise - though most have started their venture into vegetarianism for health reasons, so which came first?

I know kids from vegetarian mothers who eat large quantities of meat... gosh I don't know...

My Spanish friends tend to be at least semi-vegetarian in the summer when huge amounts of calories seem unfathomable to consume, and cooking even less attractive, and then survive on puchero and other meat/broth heavy dishes (with lots of beans too - so very heavy on the proteins) etc all winter. I thend to feel like doing something like that - except I really need the meat and opt for light fish dishes in the summer with loads of veggies.

P.S. I do believe that Europeans - and all farming nations - developed to tolerate grains and gluten quite well... I find it hard to believe that the Europeans conquered the world, with IBS and ulcerative colitis... But just because you can tolerate grains doesn't mean that you can tolerate modern bread... my daughter eg. gets tummy aches if she eats store bought bread, and it actually stunted her growth for quite a while until we discovered the connection. But if we make her home made organic bread with a sourdough starter (no or very little yeast), on presprouted wheatflour she has no problems - even with regular wheat, doesn't have to be spelt or kamut. So there again is the question about genetics and environment, and it all plays a role. You may be genetically able to tolerate wheat, but not RoundUp or commercially produced yeast...

Your genetics versus your gut Flora is interesting. Here's another factor: intestinal design. My understanding is you can gain or loose certain features as you age. Certain food digestion requires more bacteria or fermentation than others. The size of the large intestine in horses is what allows them to digest grass, because it acts like a rumen.