We are what we eat, and despite there being no evidence that eating carrots will improve your eyesight (as your mother probably tried to convince you), there is bountiful evidence that eating a balanced diet is important for our overall health and wellness.  Just how careful we need to be about this is influenced by our genetic make-up.

To maintain good health, we need vitamins and nutrients to supplement the energy obtained from fats, carbohydrates and proteins.  These are found in many of the healthy foods available to us, and if we are not getting enough in our diet, we can make up the difference with the right vitamins and supplements.  Just how much is 'enough' can vary due to genetic variations in some of the proteins that regulate how our bodies use these nutrients; for some of us a 'standard' dietary intake can leave us at risk of developing certain diseases. 

B vitamins are essential for many cellular functions we are unaware of in our everyday lives, such as repairing damaged DNA.  If these vitamins are not metabolized properly, the effect on our bodies over time can be negative and profound. Individuals with certain variations in two of the genes that control B vitamin metabolism, called MTHFR and TCN2, do not metabolize B vitamins as effectively as the rest of us. If this is not accounted for by increasing their dietary intake of B vitamins, they may be at an increased risk of developing heart disease, and of giving birth to children with spinal cord defects.

How your genes affect antioxidants in your body.

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