DNA Testing: the future of personalised healthcare

Ever wondered why you have high cholesterol, even though you eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly? Or why your vitamin D is always low, despite taking a supplement and having regular sun exposure? Do you have a family history of anxiety or other mental health issues?

Last year I completed extensive training relating to using DNA testing in clinical practice and it was a huge eye-opener.

The type of genetic testing I am referring to is called nutrigenomics and it focuses on the interaction between genes, nutrition and health (note: this is different to the DNA testing used to diagnose genetic disorders or risk for cancer or other diseases).

Without getting too technical, genetic variations, or SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) occur when a piece of DNA is deleted, inserted or changed, with these changes resulting in a protein being miscoded.

We all have genetic variations, either inherited from our parents or non-hereditary variants that occur during a person’s lifetime. Most variants do not lead to development of disease, however some can have an impact on health outcomes by altering enzyme activity and biochemical pathways in the body.

For example, everyone knows that we get vitamin D from the sun, but you may not be aware that there are several enzymes and biochemical pathways involved in the conversion of sunlight into the form of vitamin D that our body can use. Genetic variations affecting the vitamin D pathway can cause people to break down vitamin D too quickly or not convert it efficiently into the active form. The vitamin D pathway also affects cholesterol production, with one particular gene variation causing the body to produce more cholesterol (and less vitamin D), explaining why some people have high levels of cholesterol and low vitamin D.

It is true that your genes are not your destiny but having said that, it can be very helpful to know about individual gene variations that may be impacting your health.

Nutrigenomic testing allows practitioners to combine a client’s genetic profile with information about diet, physical activity, chemical exposures and current health issues to create a personalised treatment plan which can reduce risk of disease and improve overall health and quality of life.

I would love to see DNA testing becoming a routine part of patient care in mainstream healthcare, rather than the current model which provides treatment to people after the onset of disease symptoms. I think it might be a while before that happens but we can dream...

Nutrigenomic DNA testing is available at Nourish To Thrive Family Nutrition. The myDNA Comprehensive Health Report test is a simple cheek swab (self-administered in the comfort of your home) that covers 92 genes and 113 SNPs across the following areas:

✅ Digestion

✅ Energy

✅ Hormones

✅ Stress and cognitive performance

✅ Inflammation

✅ Athletic performance

✅ DNA protection and repair

✅ Detoxification

If you would like to find out a bit more about your DNA and whether gene variations may be affecting your health, contact me at info@nourishtothrive.com.au or use the contact form on the website. You do not need to book in to see me before doing the testing, however we will need to have a consultation afterwards to discuss the test results.

References

Furness D, 2019, ‘DNA in Practice’, Bioceuticals, Australia.