BENEFICIAL personalised diet plans will not be widely accepted until regulations are in place to protect information about our DNA, new research has shown.

Led by Newcastle University, the Food4Me project is a €9m European Union project investigating the potential of nutrigenomics - a relatively new branch of nutrition which looks at how the food we eat affects the behaviour of our genes.

Using DNA, experts are able to look at not just the usual factors such as age, sex, body mass index (BMI) and physical activity, but also the way in which each individual's genes interact with the food we eat. This in turn enables them to create a bespoke nutrition plan.

Early indicators suggest the technology could offer a vital tool in the fight against various lifestyle-linked diseases such as obesity, heart disease and Type II diabetes.

However, a study by the Newcastle-led team and published in the online journal Plos One, suggests that despite the potential benefits of nutrigenomics, people's reluctance to hand over personal data is likely to prevent widespread uptake of the system.

Study lead Professor Lynn Frewer, from the School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development at Newcastle University, said: "There's an assumption in many communities that people are risk averse to food technologies such as GM and nutrigenomics.

"But actually, we found the opposite. The people we questioned could really see the benefits of this approach but said they were yet to be convinced that it would be worth the risk of handing over data about their DNA.

"Nutrigenomics has the potential to be the next big thing in our fight against lifestyle-linked diseases, particularly if it becomes available on the NHS."