Yeah, yeah - what you eat you are - but how does it work?

A recent paper by Craig Thompson and his colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia uncovers a direct connection between a well-known metabolic enzyme — ATP citrate lyase (ACL) — and changes in gene expression (K. E. Wellen et al. Science 324, 1076–1080; 2009). Through a chain of reactions, ACL influences the functioning of the histones, proteins that package lengths of DNA — and unpackage them for 'reading'. This means that there is a basic — and surprising — relationship between cell glucose levels and gene expression. . .

It is likely that we are just at the tip of the iceberg in terms of our understanding of the molecular basis of how metabolic inputs dictate gene-expression changes in mammalian cells. . . Moreover, our knowledge of this metabolic linchpin may provide a therapeutic window for the treatment of certain forms of cancer, almost all of which undergo metabolic adaptation.

Garbage in, garbage out. It really does matter. Eat well. Feed your children well. I'm not suggesting that you adopt some sort of wacko health cult regimen driven by voodoo ideology or something, but I am suggesting that you rationally pursue a good diet as well as you can. This isn't easy due to all of the misinformation that has been spewed - much of it by government bureaucracies and "experts" - but give it your best shot.