Genetic diet on the way

The adage "You are what you eat" may soon become "You are what you need to eat."

Thanks to studies that have mapped humans' genetic makeup - which can outline illnesses we are prone to - we could, in theory, change our diets to include foods that combat those ailments, a Canadian study shows.

"In the future, we may choose a breakfast cereal based on our genes," says Dr Peter Singer, director of the Joint Centre for Bioethics at the University of Toronto.

"It is hypothetical, but possible, that if you have a particular gene you eat honey nut cereal to reduce your chance of heart disease or, if you have another gene, you take the raisin bran to cut your chance of prostate cancer."

But scientists warn that nutritional genomics is in its infancy, with no evidence yet that it will succeed on a mass scale.

- REUTERS