DNA testing for diet and lifestyle on way

DNA profiling of individuals to determine dietary and lifestyle changes needed to maintain their health could become standard as part of gym membership, according to the boss of Leatherhead Food International (LFI).

The contract research organisation’s chief executive Dr Paul Berryman said personalised nutrition would become increasingly popular as science and technology became available to measure an individual’s predisposition to specific diseases and illnesses later in life.

“There is technology available now where you can take a cheek swab, look at the DNA profile of an individual and quite easily work out whether they are prone to diabetes, or high cholesterol levels or whether they can handle caffeine or whether they are likely to get macular degeneration in the eye,” he said. “All of these things can be addressed by changing the diet.”

The NHS could end up prescribing bad LDL cholesterol-lowering statins on a more “routine basis” to help prevent coronary heart disease, said Berryman. He added that he foresaw saw a time very soon when health clubs would be regularly offering DNA testing costing perhaps £300 on top of an annual membership fee.

Ingredients companies are already developing products aimed at more personalised nutrition, said Berryman. “You can imagine a brave new world where people have different menus depending on their genetic make-up.”

The main obstacle to further developments in DNA testing, warned Berryman, was the potential for problems in obtaining life insurance for individuals where potential life-threatening illnesses were identified. He said government legislation was necessary in this area to prevent discrimination against such people.