Health UK (Commonwealth Union) – Fruit flies and humans not only share an affinity for fruit during the warm summer months but also possess striking genetic similarities. This genetic connection has become instrumental in recent research aimed at unraveling the intricate relationship between diet and health.
The most recent study, spearheaded by the University of Glasgow and published in PLOS Biology, highlights the notion that subtle genetic alterations can transform poor diets into healthy ones and vice versa. This underscores the vital importance of comprehending how human genetics play a pivotal role in shaping our responses to various dietary regimens.
The study uncovered that genetic variances within minuscule compartments within fly cells can determine the impact of different foods on the insects’ health. Remarkably, these same cellular compartments with analogous genetics exist in human cells, leading researchers to anticipate that similar mechanisms could dictate whether a specific diet proves beneficial or detrimental to human well-being.
Food serves not only as our bodily fuel but also exerts a profound influence on every facet of our health. However, due to the significant individual variations in responses to identical foods, what constitutes a healthy diet for one person may not be as suitable for another. Inquisitive to decipher this variability, researchers from the University of Glasgow in the UK, Monash University in Australia, and Dresden University of Technology in Germany embarked on a study investigating the effects of two distinct diets on the health of fruit flies.
Their findings unveiled that, for certain aspects of health, genetics wielded such a substantial influence on the dietary impact that the concept of a universally “good” diet may not hold true. Instead, the research suggests that identifying the ideal personalized diet for each individual might yield more substantial benefits.
These genetic variations among individuals are etched into our DNA. While the majority of DNA resides within the cell nucleus, a small portion resides within the mitochondria, the energy-producing powerhouses of cells responsible for nutrient processing. Both mitochondrial DNA and nuclear DNA can exhibit variations among individuals, leading researchers to recognize that comprehending one without the other is incomplete. The intricate interplay between them gives rise to a phenomenon known as mito-nuclear variation, potentially holding the key to understanding why individuals react differently to the same dietary choices.
Despite the outward dissimilarity between flies and humans, at the cellular level, in terms of genetics and metabolism, they share striking resemblances. This similarity allows researchers to expedite their understanding of these processes using flies as models, a process that is considerably more time-consuming when applied to humans. In this particular case, investigating mito-nuclear variation and responses to various diets in fruit flies holds profound implications for understanding the health repercussions of human dietary choices.
The research team deliberately induced mito-nuclear variation in fruit flies and fed them high-protein or high-fat diets to emulate common dietary preferences among humans. They subsequently gauged the flies’ reproductive capabilities, a reliable indicator of overall fly health. What they discovered was truly astonishing: the amalgamation of mitochondrial DNA and nuclear DNA variations could dramatically alter the effects of different diets, occasionally leading to life-or-death consequences. Intriguingly, these variations in dietary responses could even be passed down from parents to offspring, persisting across generations, even when the offspring themselves did not partake in distinct dietary regimens.
Dr Adam Dobson, the lead of the study from the University of Glasgow, says “To understand how to personalise nutrition, we need first to understand the biology of why individual responses vary. In fruit flies we found that a three-way interaction of diet, mitochondrial DNA and nuclear DNA had a big effect on health.”
