Turns out, "you are what you eat" isn’t just a catchy phrase. It is science that we have been pursuing at the Dr. Rath Research Institute in California. Over last decades, our scientists have discovered the health potential of nutrient combinations to balance blood sugar, blood pressure, boost the immune system, enhance collagen production and more.
But they didn’t stop there. They dug deeper to explore how the nutrients in our food can flip genetic switches—turning genes on or off. This whole field is called nutrigenomics, a fast-growing branch of science that studies how what we eat affects our health by changing gene activity.
Today, we know that even without changing the letters in our DNA sequence, everyday foods - things like vitamins, minerals, or plant active compounds - can send signals that “talk” to cellular biological switches to modify gene expression. That affects everything from how we process our medications to how likely we are to develop diseases.
Even our food preferences, like craving sweet or savory, can be traced back to tiny genetic quirks. And here’s the curious part: studies in humans and animals show that our grandparents’ diet—what they ate before and during pregnancy—can influence disease risk and lifespan for grandchildren. Think of it like a legacy of food signals being passed down.
What does it mean?
- Nutrients are like messengers that can tell our genes to switch on or off.
- Your genetics shape how you use food, and your food shapes your genetics. It goes both ways.
- Even past generations matter—your health today is partly shaped by what your grandparents ate, thanks to these gene switches carrying over.
So next time you choose an apple over chips, remember you’re not just feeding your stomach—you’re helping direct the orchestra of your genes, now and for future generations.
1. How Food Talks to Our Genes: Real-Life Examples
Food doesn’t just fuel our bodies—it sends powerful messages to our genes. Here are some fascinating ways this happens in nature and in us:
🐝 Bees: Same DNA -Two Different Lives
Here’s a wild fact: queen bees and worker bees have exactly the same DNA—but live completely different lives. Worker bees are sterile, work nonstop, and live only a few weeks. Meanwhile, the queen bee lays thousands of eggs and lives for years. The difference? Their diet. Worker bees eat nectar and pollen, but queen bees are fed royal jelly, a nutrient-rich substance that can switch on certain genes to grow a queen’s body and reproductive powers. Same genes, different food = two completely different destinies.
🧬 Meat Molecules That Influence Genes
Our bodies make special molecules like S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) and homocysteine when we digest foods high in the amino acid methionine (found in meat and fish). These molecules help control genes involved in cell growth, stress response, and development. So, what we eat can directly impact how our cells behave.
🍊 Vitamin C: Gene Protector
Vitamin C isn’t just good for colds—it helps protect our DNA from damage, boosts repair systems in our cells, and even affects the way certain genes work. For example, it influences genes involved in making collagen (which keeps skin and tissues strong) and helps regulate blood vessel function by impacting genes like ACE2. That’s a lot of power for one vitamin!
🥛 Milk: Not All Cows Are Equal
The milk we drink also sends signals to our genes. Grass-fed cows produce milk richer in omega-3s, CLA (a healthy fat), vitamins, and antioxidants compared to milk from grain-fed cows. These extra nutrients give stronger health benefits and may influence how our genes respond to what we eat.
👶 Moms’ Diet Affects Babies’ Genes
Even breast milk carries genetic messages. What a nursing mother eats can change the levels of important nutrients—like B vitamins and healthy fats—in her milk. These changes might affect how a baby’s genes are switched on or off. Scientists are still studying exactly how this impacts a child’s development, but the link is clear: a mom’s diet can shape her baby’s biology.
What does it mean?
Food is more than just calories- it’s information. Every bite we take has the potential to shape our genes, our health, and even the next generation.
2. How the Environment Affects Our Genes Through Food
When we think about food and health, we often focus on vitamins, minerals, and calories. But there’s more to it, the environment where our food is grown and processed can also affect our genes.
🧪 Chemicals in Packaging Thar Mess with Our Genes
Take plastic food packaging, for example. It often contains chemicals like BPA (Bisphenol A), which can leak into the food. BPA can interfere with our body’s natural hormone systems. It’s been shown that exposure to BPA can affect puberty timing, fertility, and turn on certain genes at the wrong time—leading to possible long-term health issues.
🐞 Pesticides: More Than Just Bug Killers
Pesticides used in farming and even in our homes can do more than kill pests—they can also alter how our genes work. Some pesticides damage DNA directly, while others affect the “switches” that control gene activity, without changing the DNA itself (this is called epigenetics).
With frequent or long-term exposure these changes have been linked to:
- Parkinson’s disease
- Asthma
- Cancer
- Reproductive issues
- Nervous system problems
In the short term, pesticide exposure can cause symptoms like nausea, headaches, and fatigue—and children are especially at risk.
🌽 GMO Foods: A Growing Concern
Many common foods in the U.S.—like cornstarch, corn syrup, soybean oil, and beet sugar—come from genetically modified (GMO) crops. Some fresh produce like papayas, apples, potatoes, and even pink pineapples are also available in GMO forms. A substantial majority (more than 95%) of food-producing animals in the US, including cattle, consume feed containing genetically engineered ingredients. The food regulatory agencies state that consuming GMO feed does not result in the animal becoming a GMO itself, and the resulting meat, milk, and eggs are considered safe and nutritionally equivalent to products from animals raised on non-GMO feed and do not require labeling.
While the U.S. doesn't require labeling of most GMO foods, the European Union (EU) takes a stricter approach. As such, in the EU:
- All GMO foods must be labeled
- They must be traceable back to their source
- Any food with more than 0.9% GMO content must be stated on the label
Scientists are still working on revealing what are the long-term effects of GMOs on health and the environment? Until we know more, the debate around GMO safety and labeling continues.
What does it mean?
What’s in your food doesn’t just come from nature - it’s also shaped by farming practices, food packaging, and national policies. All of these can send signals to your genes, some helpful, others potentially harmful. That’s why it’s so important to stay informed about how your food is grown, processed, and labeled. It’s not just about what you eat - it’s also about what your body does with it.
3. Our Research Reveals How Food Can Help Protect Our Genes and Health
While most research looks at how individual nutrients (like vitamin C, calcium or EGCG) affect our genes, the work at Dr. Rath Research Institute goes a step further. Since all food ingredients cooperate in our body, we focus on how combinations of natural compounds can work together more effectively than they do alone.
🧬 Better Together: Nutrients That Team Up to Fight Cancer
Our research has shown that when you combine certain nutrients—like vitamin C, green tea extract, amino acids lysine and proline and others - they can protect over 50 types of human cells from cancer development and spread by switching on and off specific cancer-related genes. That’s not something any ingredient could do on its own. Even adding to the nutrient mixture just one more ingredient, like quercetin, made the mix even more effective—especially in blocking the growth of breast cancer tumors.
🦠 Natural Defense Against COVID-19
During COVID-19 pandemic we directed our research efforts on how we can support our body against SARS-CoV-2 virus by using the power of natural ingredients. We developed a unique nutrient combination (found in YouCell-V) that can help protect lung cells from being infected by SARS-CoV-2 and its variants by affecting critical mechanisms of infectivity. These nutrients also acted at the genetic level by decreasing the expression of a specific cellular receptor involved in this virus binding. Our unique combination received US and international patents.
🧠 Supporting Brain Health in Women
In our research on women’s health, we developed a specific nutrient combination (found in Femicell) that offers a range of complex health benefits, especially after menopause. These nutrients can mimic some of the protective effects of estrogen—a hormone known to help protect the brain—the levels of which drop after menopause.
We have shown that these nutrients, working together, can regulate key genes involved in the development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), including ApoE, Tau, and genes that drive the inflammation process associated with AD.
Interestingly, this nutrient composition not only supports brain health but also may promote healthy blood formation, hormone balance and the immune system function.
This unique nutrient combination received U.S. and international patents.
What does it mean?
Food is more powerful than we often realize—but it’s not just about individual vitamins or herbs. When specific nutrients are combined in the right way, they can send strong messages to our genes and help protect us from serious health problems like cancer, Alzheimer’s, and viral infections. Our research continues to explore how to unlock the full potential of natural compounds by working in harmony towards better health.
Our studies:
1. Series of publications on cancer (Over 100 studies)
https://www.drrathresearch.org/publications/cancer
2. Publications on SARS-CoV-2
https://www.drrathresearch.org/publications/infectious -disease/coronavirus
Including: Inhibitory effects of specific combination of natural compounds against SARS-CoV-2 and its Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Kappa, and Mu variants. Goc A, Niedzwiecki A, Ivanov V, Ivanova S, Rath M. Eur J Microbiol Immunol (Bp). 2022;11(4):87-94. https://doi.org/10.1556/1886.2021.00022
3. Publications on dementia related diseases
https://www.drrathresearch.org/publications/new-new-publications
Including: Combinations of Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators and Phospholipid Precursors Differentially Modulate Expression of Inflammatory Genes in Alzheimer’s Disease. G. N. Lopez, A. Goc, M. Rath and A. Niedzwiecki. American Journal of Food and Nutrition 2025; 13(4):126-137. https://pubs.sciepub.com/ajfn/13/4/2/index.html