Genes and Nutrition
Each of us is metabolically unique. Gene variations known as SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) often are a factor in an individual’s ability to metabolize or use nutrients efficiently. Each of our specific nutrient needs is affected by which specific combination of SNPs we have, but with thousands known to impact nutrition metabolism, how do we know what those needs are?
NRI researchers are working to create a “catalog” of SNPs that alter our nutritional needs by understanding how genetic and other complex biological information can be used to better estimate individual nutrition requirements and intolerances. Our scientists use bioinformatics to extract such information from population and intervention studies, develop rules for predicting individual needs, and bring precision nutrition to health care providers and consumers with digital tools.
Publications
Genes and Nutrition Publications
2020
Genetic variants affecting bone mineral density and bone mineral content at multiple skeletal sites in Hispanic children. Voruganti VS
Precision (Personalized) Nutrition: Understanding Metabolic Heterogeneity. Zeisel S
2019
DNA methylation in mice is influenced by genetics as well as sex and life experience. French J
Cytosolic 10-formyltetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase regulates glycine metabolism in mouse liver. Krupenko S
Deleterious mutations in ALDH1L2 suggest a novel cause for neuro-ichthyotic syndrome. Krupenko S
Fine mapping and identification of serum urate loci in American Indians: The Strong Heart Family Study. Voruganti VS
Heterogeneity in Metabolic Responses to Dietary Fructose. Voruganti VS
Genetic analysis of hsCRP in American Indians: The Strong Heart Family Study. Voruganti VS
A trans-ancestral meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies reveals loci associated with childhood obesity. Voruganti VS
Healthy dietary patterns and risk and survival of breast cancer: a meta-analysis of cohort studies. Voruganti VS
Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Genome-Wide Interaction Analyses Reveal DPP10-Pulmonary Function Association. Voruganti VS
2018
C16-ceramide is a natural regulatory ligand of p53 in cellular stress response. Krupenko N
Nutritional Genomics of Cardiovascular Disease. Voruganti VS
Genetic determinants of BMI from early childhood to adolescence: the Santiago Longitudinal Study. Voruganti VS
Serum Lipid Concentrations and FADS Genetic Variants in Young Mexican College Students: The UP-AMIGOS Cohort Study. Voruganti VS
Arsenic-gene interactions and beta-cell function in the Strong Heart Family Study. Voruganti VS
Dietary Modulation of the Epigenome. Zeisel S
2017
Exome sequencing reveals novel genetic loci influencing obesity-related traits in Hispanic children. Voruganti VS
Genetic variation underlying renal uric acid excretion in Hispanic children: the Viva La Familia Study. Voruganti VS
Reduced brain volume and impaired memory in betaine homocysteine S-methyltransferase knockout mice. Zeisel S
Choline, Other Methyl-Donors and Epigenetics. Zeisel S
2016
CerS6 Is a Novel Transcriptional Target of p53 Protein Activated by Non-genotoxic Stress. Krupenko N
Genotype, B-vitamin status, and androgens affect spaceflight-induced ophthalmic changes. Zeisel S
Related News
Balchem Scholarship Supports Doctoral Student
A $110,000 gift from Balchem Corporation will expand the work of an NRI Research Assistant and enable further research in the area of choline metabolism.
NRI Welcomes New Researcher Dr. Martin Kohlmeier
Internationally-renowned researcher and author, Martin Kohlmeier, M.D., Ph.D., has relocated to Kannapolis to join the NRI team. Dr. Kohlmeier’s many accomplishments include developing consumer software about healthy foods and online nutrition education for medical students.
Dr. Steven Zeisel presents research at Harvard Nutrition Symposium
Dr. Steven Zeisel, NRI Director, spoke at the 11th Annual Postgraduate Nutrition Symposium at Harvard University. His presentation centered on the topic of choline as an essential dietary nutrient in humans.
Keimyung University Researcher Partners with NRI
Dr. Seung-Wan Ryu, Associate Professor in Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery at the Keimyung University School of Medicine in Korea, is visiting the NRI to collaborate on cutting edge nutrition research. Dr. Ryu is studying the effects of dietary choline on the growth of blood vessels in tumors.
Study Reveals Diet Rich in choline Promotes Fetal Brain Development
A mouse study by NRI scientists shows that prenatal diets that are deficient in choline—an essential nutrient that is part of all cell membranes— form fewer blood vessels in the brains of developing fetuses. These findings could prove significant for pregnant women.
NRI Scientist Joins International Public Education Campaign
Dr. Carol Cheatham, developmental cognitive neuroscientist with the NRI, is a featured expert with an international public education campaign. Sponsored by Abbott Nutrition, the makers of Similac infant formula, the campaign was designed to promote awareness of proper nutrition for pregnant women in Vietnam and Singapore.