Exploring the links between diet, genes and diseases in
minority populations is the aim of a new National Center of
Excellence in Nutritional Genomics at the University of
California, Davis, and the Children's Hospital Oakland
Research Institute (CHORI).

The center is supported by a five-year, $6.5 million grant
from the National Center on Minority Health and Health
Disparities, a division of the National Institutes of Health.

Nutritional genomics, or "nutrigenomics," is the study of how
different foods can interact with particular genes to
increase the risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes,
obesity, heart disease and some cancers.

Many of these diseases are especially common among minority
populations. For example, African American men have a 60
percent higher risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer
than Caucasian men do. Half of all adult Pima Indians in the
United States have type 2 diabetes, compared to 6.5 percent
of adult Americans of Caucasian descent. Genetics, diet,
economic and social conditions, culture and behavior may all
contribute to these disparities.

"The research we'll be doing in the Nutrigenomics Center is
one of the first examples of taking the benefits of human
genome research from the lab to the home," said Ray
Rodriguez, professor of molecular and cellular biology at UC
Davis and director of the new center.

Noted Bertram Lubin, director of medical research at CHORI
and deputy director of the new center, "Just as our work on
sickle cell disease in African Americans has broadened our
understanding of blood disorders, I believe that focusing our
efforts on minority populations with significant health
disparities will give us the answers to better health for all
Americans."

"This new initiative illustrates the power of bringing
together a diverse group of experts to collaborate on a
common goal," said Phyllis Wise, dean of the UC Davis
Division of Biological Sciences.

Diet can be a serious risk factor for a number of diseases,
Rodriguez said. But in an individual, the exact effect of
different components of food may depend on that person's
genetic makeup.

"It's not a question of your genes being good or bad, but
rather how they interact with your environment," Rodriguez
said.

For example, a single letter change in DNA in people living
in Scandinavia 10,000 years ago allows most Caucasian adults
today to drink milk without getting sick due to lactose
intolerance.

The center will seek to identify genes controlled by
naturally occurring chemicals in food and study how some of
these genes can tip the balance between health and disease,
Rodriguez said. "Nutritional genomics will enable individuals
to better manage their health and well-being by precisely
matching their diets to their unique genetic makeup."

The director of the National Center for Minority Health and
Health Disparities (NCMHD), John Ruffin, said, "Programs like
the Center of Excellence for Nutritional Genomics lay the
foundation for our nation's future efforts to eliminate the
health disparities that plague so many populations within our
country."

The nutrigenomics center will include researchers from UC
Davis; Children's Hospital and Research Center at Oakland;
Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute; and the
Western Human Nutrition Research Center of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service.
The Western Human Nutrition Research Center is located at UC
Davis.