Researchers have pinpointed genes that help the body adapt to specific diets; the team believes without these genes dietary changes could cause premature aging and even death.
The study also suggests that certain individuals may be genetically programed to do better on certain diets, a University of Southern California news release reported. With today's technology people could have their genes sequenced to find out what diet is best for them.
"These studies have revealed that single gene mutations can alter the ability of an organism to utilize a specific diet. In humans, small differences in a person's genetic makeup that change how well these genes function, could explain why certain diets work for some but not others," Sean Curran, corresponding author of the study and assistant professor with joint appointments in the USC Davis School of Gerontology, the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, and the Keck School of Medicine of USC, said in the news release.
The team looked at Caenorhabditis elegans ("a one-milimeter-long worm that scientists have used as a model organism since the '70s") to make their findings. The C. elegans is ideal for this type of study because its genes are "mirrored" in humans while its short lifespan allows researchers to observe the full aging process.
The team found a gene called alh-6 delayed diet-based aging by protecting the organism against "diet-induced mitochondrial defects," the news release reported.
"This gene is remarkably well-conserved from single celled yeast all the way up to mammals, which suggests that what we have learned in the worm could translate to a better understanding of the factors that alter diet success in humans," Curran said.
Further research will be needed to determine what triggers positive or negative responses to certain diets; the team hopes the study will bring us one step closer to personalized diets based on genetics.
"We hope to uncover ways to enhance the use of any dietary program and perhaps even figure out ways of overriding the system(s) that prevent the use of one diet in certain individuals," Curran said.
