Excerpt: Furthermore, the diet-related genes also appear to have evolved faster than other genes — protein and promoter sequences of these genes changed faster than expected, possibly because of adaptation to new diets.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080130092139.htm
Excerpt: Similarly, scientists hypothesize that the reason people from central and northwestern Europe and some parts of Africa are able to digest lactose, while many adults in most of the rest of the world are lactose-intolerant, is that these areas have a long history of dairy farming. According to the report Diet and Health: Implications for Reducing Chronic Disease Risk by the Committee on Diet and Health, a research arm of the National Research Council (National Academy Press, 1989), the gene for lactase persistence [ability to digest lactose] conveyed a survival advantage to people in dairy farming cultures in which milk products were a primary source of nutrients. Over the generations, this gene proliferated in the population because people who were able to absorb milk as children and young adults were either more fertile or less likely to die early.
Clearly, our genes have a major role in determining the nature of our responses to the foods we eat and, in turn, our health. So the question raised by D'Adamo's book and other recent books that have promoted highly individualized diets is this How can each of us figure out the diet that will be best for our unique genetic selves? The answer lies in a true understanding of our genetic heritage, both ancient and modern.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0820/is_n242/ai_19945125/
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