Genetic Testing
The Northern Lights from my slightly overcast vantage point.
I recently have had several genetic tests, some because of the cancer I am dealing with others because my sister had testing done and it found a few things we had to investigate.
One, Nutrition Genome, was very interesting. This is not a 23 and Me test to tell you who you are related to, rather it is a reading of your genes and lifestyle. A note on any genetic testing: your genes dictate some of your health, but what you eat and your environment control about 80% of genetic response. For example: I show no genetic disposition to cancer, yet I have it. I have ideas about how I developed an immune response that allows cancer to grow, but that is another conversation.
Here’s the fun stuff the Nutrition Genome test will tell you: diet recommendations, fitness capacity, ApoE status and a myriad of other cool details. ApoE is often called the Alzheimer’s gene. If you are ApoE4/4 you have a stronger possibility of developing Alzheimer’s. I have a 3/4 combo. Not as strong as a 4/4. Only about 3% of the population have 4/4. This genetic twist that causes us issues today is a carry over from those of from northern European ancestors. A 3/4 or 4/4 conferred stronger reproductive success. Now it may bring Alzheimer’s. But again environment comes into play, mostly being diet. By eating a low inflammatory diet it will keep the plaque from building up in the brain and help prevent Alzheimer’s. Exercise and sleep are also equally important to brain health.
Other not so scary things like do you process carbohydrates well? I have known for years that I do not and this test confirmed it. Are you at risk of macular degeneration? How well do you recover from a hard workout, how well your DNA repairs, and on and on. One interesting note is that depending on your genes, you may need to take glutathione to help your body recover from chlorine exposure after swimming.
Interesting stuff. You can order a test and do it at home. It is a cheek swab type. Pop it back in the mail and in a few weeks you will get a report that is stunning in how much information there is in it. https://nutritiongenome.com/shop-nutrition-genome/ is the website. The test is priced in the moderate range of health care testing: $359. No affiliation on my part, I just like having the information.