You are due for your regular diet MOT (moment of truth). You take the smart card containing your DNA profile, which is your genetic signature, to the diet clinic and provide a pin-prick of blood. Your blood is analysed and compared to your DNA. After a short wait a dietary prescription tailored to your specific genetic needs and perfectly balancing your macro- and micro-nutrients needs is prepared. Your prescription for the next few months is nothing like the one prepared for your Italian friend or your boss, who is a second generation Indian. Even your brother, who leads a much more hectic lifestyle than you, has been recommended a completely different range of foods. At the moment this is a fantastic scenario, but it is one that scientists are already predicting could become technically possible in the future.

It has been known for some time that diet and specific nutrients can affect the functioning of our genes. We all know that even when people are eating the same diets, some will become overweight, some develop heart disease and some develop allergies, while others will not. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to know why? The anticipated benefits from research into the function of genes include advances in the development of nutritious foods and special functional ingredients, optimal diets for individuals and improved methods for preventing many lifestyle-related diseases.

Nutrition research in the future will increasingly focus on the ways in which our genes are affected by what we eat. Foods that are safer and more nutritious, new medical treatments and novel ways to help save the environment - these are just some of the potential benefits that are expected to be derived from such research.