ABSTRACT
Biochemical individuality has been known to exist for decades, and nutrition scientists have realized that the recommendations of nutrient intakes must allow for this. Hence the early intake recommendations were made such that nearly all people could avoid the consequences of deciency if they followed these intake recommendations. Now, however, scientists have come to realize that some intake recommendations are inappropriate for some people. For example, the energy intake recommendation is very uncertain (there is no energy DRI) because if only a single energy intake was provided it might be too little for one individual while for another it would be too much and could result in excess fat storage. This is perhaps the most interesting example of how nutrients and genetic heritage interact to determine the nutrient needs of the individual. Other instances can be cited as well. However, before these instances are listed, it is important to consider how genes are expressed and how nutrients affect this expression.
