Dear Lactnetters - there is a hot new "topic" in the world of nutrition that 
I believe is really going to explode in the next ten years or sooner, called 
"Nutrigenomics";  this is the study of how nutrition and the environment 
interact with an individual's genes to turn on or off gene expression - very 
soon, people will be able to have testing done on their genes, then take 
their report to a skilled clinician to determine exactly what type of diet 
works best with their genetic profile.  The research coming out is 
absolutely fascinating - just an example:  they have determined which gene 
is linked to high blood pressure when a person consumes too much salt - if 
you don't have this gene, there is really no reason for you to consume a 
low-salt diet.  Other research has shown the immediate effect of certain 
vegetables on cancer prevention - eat broccoli tonight, kill a potentially 
cancerous cell.

The reason I'm posting to the lactnet listserv is that I am becoming 
increasingly alarmed that breastmilk is not being included in the research 
on this topic - I have emailed two of the best-known researchers in the USA 
to see if they knew of research on nutrigenomics and breastmilk, and neither 
of them knew of any being done right now, although they both expressed 
interest in the topic. The more I learn about the topic and apply it to what 
I know about breastmilk, the more excited I get because I know many of the 
great things about breastmilk happen at the genetic expression level - 
infants receiving breastmilk are literally allowed a healthier gene 
expression, with many of the benefits lasting long after they have stopped 
breastfeeding.

My alarm reached it's peak this morning when I received notification of a 
conference on milk and nutrigenomics - I got very excited thinking they were 
finally talking about breastmilk, but scrolled down to realize it was 
sponsored by the dairy industry, and we all know which industry is a kissing 
cousin away from the dairy industry.

I would like the lactation world to be aware of this new science and to 
start talking about it and becoming involved so that breastmilk is not left 
behind.  There is a listserv you can sign up for, if interested (which is 
where I learned about the dairy conference).  There are several websites you 
can check out, but try http://nutrigenomics.ucdavis.edu/.  Once you start 
watching the research, you will see every day new studies talking about 
genes and diet.  And for those of you who are in research, hopefully you can 
put breastmilk on this important playing field - it won't be long before we 
see formula marketing itself to certain genes types.

Thanks!
Melinda Johnson, MS RD

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