The great genetic re-engineering healthcare divide created between the have and have-nots

There's a career in nutrition that's linked to genetics--that of metabolic and genetic dietitian. The work consists of planning diets based on the metabolic and genetic needs and requirements of an individual as prescribed by a physician specializing in genetic disorders or genetic research.

Nutritionists look at smart foods that may override gene variants, whereas geneticists look at the epigenetic tags that switch on or off those gene variants.

Some, but not all, genetic and metabolic dietitians/nutritionists wonder whether mankind is destined for a nutritional and genetic divide that may or may not yield a superior species of nutrition-enriched to exercise dominion over the nutritional have-nots.

The nutritional have-nots possibly also could be a genetic subset of humanity. It's a scary thought, but one discussed by nutritionists when they meet with genetics researchers to discuss the future.

Take a genetic dietitian, for example, having an informal discussion with a geneticist. The geneticist brings up the topic of self-directed evolution, of working with nutritionists and registered dietitians that specialize in genetic and metabolic issues.

The diets are tailored to the DNA in some ways, customized to genetic signatures and expressions based on testing that's not complete. You really need to test the entire genome to get the big picture and more of the details.

Nutrition-educated scientists and physicians may speak with genetics experts about self-directed evolution, where genetic technology is used as tools to correct health problems in society. But there's a hidden agenda. The technology also is used to enhance humanity.

That's what's frightening to some. The idea that society has traded the 1910 version of misinformed eugenics for newgenics. Metabolic dietitians know that the genetics experts have such correction going on along with research that's being funded. But who's funded all the gene therapies doing good for so many people with defective chromosomes or gene variations?

It's like walking a tightrope. The nutritionist is not yet called in when there's embryo screening. But is called in when there are numerous genetic therapies. Inherited disease is not wanted, and gene therapy to prevent it is being studied and funded. It's difficult to find out who's doing the funding for the average consumer. There are public records, of course.

What nutritionists, including metabolic and genetic dietitians, are being told by geneticists at conferences and conventions is that modification of genes responsible for adverse behaviors such as aggression and gambling addiction are being studied.

Genetics experts reveal to the dietitians who read their research that the technologies studied now will in the future permit healthier babies stronger and smarter in ways that society can only imagine since hearing of the Human Genome Project. Many of these improvements are available.

The improvements are costly. Parents will pay for correction. That seems to be the road genetics is taking, and careers for metabolic and genetic dietitians have been pulled into the arena of this research by looking at studies of how food switches on good gene tags and hopefully will switch off the risky ones.

Here's another scary part. Correction is expensive. The affluent can afford personalized medicine, including expensive genetic improvements as well as basic genetic corrections to common gene variants causing risks of developing diseases that vary from hypertension to vision problems.

What nutritionists are talking about when they talk back to the geneticists with whom they work is that there's going to be an economic class associated with genetic correction and improvement just as there's an economic class today associated with face lifts, tummy tucks, porcelain veneers, and breast augmentation.

It's about the great economic divide. Just as there's the digital divide between the haves and have-nots, the computer literate and the technology avoidant, the future is pointing in the direction of a great economic divide between personalized elective health care with genetic improvement for those who can afford it, and those on the other side of the divide. The poor will not have access to the type of genetic improvement seen as personalized medicine, nutritionists surmise.

When they point this out to the geneticists, they emphasize that it goes beyond selecting a designer baby. The genetically corrected class will be, they fear, selected for better jobs, insurance, credit, and basic health care resulting in better financial security in old age such as buy outs, pensions, insurance after retirement, and other perks enjoyed by the affluent.

Some metabolic and genetic dietitians may discuss with geneticists the possible future that includes benefits and advantages offered to the genetically correct or corrected. The question is what happens to those on the other side of the genetic divide? You find terms such as 'genelining'. (mentioned on page 442 of the best-selling book, War Against the Weak, by Edwin Black).

The book mentions the possibility of frightening scenarios such as designer babies for those with wealth versus genetic ghettos and a genetic underclass in the chapter, Newgenics. Some of us nutritionists have read the book and imagine talking with geneticists about what the book reports concerning "a sharp societal gulf looming ahead to rival the current inequities of the health care and judicial systems."

Designer babies and smart foods are nothing new, since the Human Genome Project became big news. Nutrition touting smart foods is as much of a branch of genetic technology as personalized healthcare is a branch of predictive medicine. Nutrition and genetics go together as far as researching food as medicine.

Nutrition looks at nature's randomness. So does genetics. Infant gender selection frequently is in the news. Here are some examples in the mass media of infant genetic selection that goes beyond choosing the gender of an infant before conception. "Science May Pave Way For Designer Babies - ABC News.com," 26 December, 2002. Or look in the Los Angeles Times and read the article, "A way to choose a baby's gender," Los Angeles Times," 3 March, 2003.

It goes beyond selecting before conception the gender of a baby for someone who has one boy and wants one girl. You now can choose the features and coloring. And if you have a gene variant that makes you deaf or a dwarf, you can choose to have a deaf or dwarf baby to fit into your family and community. Read the article, "Couple 'choose' to have deaf baby," British Broadcasting Corporation, 8 April, 2002. BBC News | HEALTH |. Or see, "Babies Deaf by Design," The Australian, 16 April, 2002.

In the book, War Against the Weak, on page 442, the author, Edwin Black, reports that a deaf lesbian couple in the Washington, DC area obtained sperm from a deaf man, and produced a deaf baby to fit into their deaf family and community. See: "Children by design: a deaf lesbian couple's decision to intentionally conceive deaf children .... Also read: Children by design: a deaf lesbian couple's decision to intentionally conceive deaf children reignites the debate over "designer" babies. (Parenting). The article is published online at the Free Library site.

The book, War Against the Weak notes that a dwarf couple wants to genetically design a dwarf child. And the book also mentions that a Texas couple wants to genetically customize a baby who will become "a large football player."

In War Against the Weak, on page 442, the book notes "that a West Coast sperm bank caters to Americans who desire Scandinavian sperm from select and screened Nordics." Other related books of note on similar topics include: Procreative compounds: popular eugenics, artificial insemination and the rise of the American sperm banking industry. Golden, Janet, Industry Overview, Sep 22, 2004. 12008, Antimicrobial postexposure prophylaxis for anthrax: adverse events and adherence. (Bioterrorism-Related Anthrax). Rosentein, Nancy, Oct 1, 2002.

There's also a Scandinavian sperm bank in Denmark. See the webiste: Nordic Cryobank with highly screened donor sperm. How do you feel about people of any ethnic group having access to sperm banks from their own group, regardless of race?

The truth is that there are numerous sperm banks catering to many diverse ethnic groups and blood types, where you can choose a sperm donor by blood type or ethnicity.That is, you can match your blood type if you want or select a different one. One example of an excellent quality diverse ethnic and blood type sperm bank is Xytex Cryo International.

If you view the site, you'll note people may select a sperm donor by: Race: Ethnic Origin: Hair Color: Eye Color: Religion: Blood Type: CMV Status: Height: Weight or other characteristics. Sperm banks exist for all types of ethnic origins and other characters, such as blood type, for those who want a specific blood type for medical or other reasons.

The site allows a person to combine selections. For example, you can pick a race, a religion, a specific height, weight, eye color (light or dark) and hair color along with blood type and ethnicity. So you can narrow down your choices, for example to sperm from a donor with light or dark hair and light or dark eyes, a specific height, blood type, ethnicity, and other characteristics.

Genetics and even supernutrition research seems to move from correcting defects and common gene variants that pose disease risks to genetic manipulation of intelligence. Nearly everyone thinking of having a baby imagines the infant being healthy, eager to learn, and born genetically happy rather than genetically depressed most of the time.

On the other hand, see what I think is a scary and controversial article, "Stupidity Should be Cured, Says DNA Discoverer," New Scientist.com, 28 February, 2003. The article begins, "Fifty years to the day from the discovery of the structure of DNA, one of its co-discoverers has caused a storm by suggesting that stupidity is a genetic disease that should be cured."

The article brought forth numerous incendiary responses from readers from the general public as well as from experts in the scientific industries. The public and the experts are divided on the issue of genetic re-engineering for intelligence.

Parents do want their children to be able to learn to become financially independent in adulthood. Again, there's the divide between those that are able to interpret scientific journal information and the public relying on mass media to interpret technical terminology in plain language on news broadcasts. From the nutritionist's angle, superfoods and smart foods are there to help make people healthier.

The nutritionist's role in this move towards mass re-engineering of society is that superfoods and whole foods along with supplements to replace the minerals and some natural vitamins taken out of the soil also can help at least 50 percent of the time, since genetics don't cover 100 percent of what happens to people as they thrive and age. Environment, stress, lifestyle, and nutrition play at least half of the role in what happens to us.

So we end up with nutrition versus mass social engineering. What happens in the future? Is it better food that improves the quality of our grandchildren's futures? Or is it, for those with enough money, a globalized genetic industry?

Is there going to be a genetic divide just as there's a digital divide? And what happens to the present nutritional divide between the fast-food diets and the specialized diets? Where do the customized diets from the metabolic/genetic dietitians stand when not customized for persons with genetic or metabolic issues?

Or does nutrition play a role in either shaping or regulating future generations? Will there be regulation and legislation? Or are we divided between the genetically endowed and those who must rely on nutrition alone because it feels safer and is about eating healthier with conviviality and connectedness?

It boils down to bioethics versus genetic tinkering. But the bioethics people may not have enough power unless consumers, the people are involved in understanding how technology breeds social challenges that are changing the definition of life. On one hand, we nutritionists want healthier children who won't have to pop pills to stay alive.

On the other hand are the huge pharmaceutical corporations that make their money by manufacturing and researching drugs in competition with whole foods. The question is, if future generations can be genetically engineered not to have to take pills after a certain age for degenerative diseases, will the pharmacuetical corporations that make money from the drugs oppose human re-engineering toward more perfect health at all ages and stages?

The other question nutritionists ask is that those on the other side of the genetic divide won't be able to afford designer babies. And so the commercial drugs will be aimed at the poor just as super nutrition and supplements today are aimed at those that can afford the superfoods.

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For more info: browse any of my 90 paperback books from the links at my site to the publishers. For example, some titles include the following: How Nutrigenomics Fights Childhood Type 2 Diabetes & Weight Issues (2009) or Predictive Medicine for Rookies (2005). Or see my books, How to Safely Tailor Your Foods, Medicines, & Cosmetics to Your Genes (2003) or How to Interpret Family History & Ancestry DNA Test Results for Beginners (2004) or How to Open DNA-driven Genealogy Reporting & Interpreting Businesses. (2007). Check out my free audio lecture on Internet Archive, How nutrigenomics fights childhood type 2 diabetes.

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