DNA Testing Is Prevention at its Best!
Is your body type better suited to eating carbohydrates, or actually okay with fat? What type of exercise is best for you and are you prone to excess risk of any cancer because your detox systems are poor and antioxidants are not working in your body? The good news is that there is something we can do, by giving specific personalized supplements to remedy the situation – once we know your personal DNA.
Genetic testing has become increasingly popular recently and there is something addictive about knowing our body’s unique basic building blocks! Touching a cotton bud inside the mouth gets enough DNA to send to our European laboratories, then we get the result back in 2 to 3 weeks. I’ve recently been very impressed
Touching a cotton bud inside the mouth gets enough DNA to send to our European laboratories, then we get the result back in 2 to 3 weeks. I’ve recently been very impressed at the information I’ve been getting back and I believe I can really help my patients.
Heart Disease and Cancers
This is not a specific test for any type of cancer as we don’t believe that this is helpful.
Do- Health Test or Oestrogen Test
It’s now believed that oxidative stress (decreased ability to attach oxygen to the cells and why we use anti oxidants such as vitamin C) and inflammation are the causes of all chronic disease such as heart disease and cancer. Some people simply have better enzyme systems to cope with this than others. This is one of the core DNA tests that we make and which will indicate a person’s chances of getting any type of cancer. We can do something about this by matching supplements to specific enzyme/genetic defects.
With women there is a specific DNA test included in our health test that indicates whether giving oestrogens in contraceptive pills / hormone replacement may increase chances of breast cancer. This is because they do not metabolize oestrogen well and so any oestrogens taken hangs around in the bloodstream longer than other people.
Stress, Anxiety and Depression
Do-Health test
Adrenaline and cortisol are naturally produced by all of us in situations of stress. As we know, this happens in Hong Kong more than most places! The thing is, around 5 to 10% of the population don’t metabolize the stress hormones. Again they hang around in the blood longer than they should, leading to longer anxiety affects and negative feelings such as trembling, muscle tension, headaches or digestives disorders.
Many have problems with absorbing essential fatty acids such as fish oil. This is essential for brain function as it is involved in neurotransmitter formation, and so these people need to take a huge amount of supplements.
MTHFR is related to metabolising folate, vitamin B9, and as many as 50% of our population have a large problem with it. This will directly lead to anxiety/ depression and is very easily helped with the correct type of supplement – not as simple as prescribing folate! More on this in the link at the bottom of this newsletter.
So – it’s all in the genes, you’re not going mad!
Sports Performance and Capabilities
Do-Sport test
Some people have fast twitch muscle, and some slow twitch. If you ever wondered which exercise type is going to be more beneficial for your body and your weight loss program, this will tell you. As well as your tendency towards injury, some people definitely need to do a lot of stretching exercises as they will easily sprain their ankle or Achilles’ tendon . For more serious athletes, it tells you if your muscle fibres can extend more than normal and also your blood vessel capability for aerobic exercise. All the top athletes have the same genetic variability in this respect (5% population).
What To Eat For The Perfect Body?
Do-Diet test
It turns out that some people can handle eating fatty food better than others, especially saturated fat such as cheese. Also in this test you find out whether you are lactose intolerant (and you simply don’t have the gene to metabolize dairy). Other people don’t do well eating carbohydrates such as bread or rice and are therefore better to restrict these foods.
The point is that not everyone is the same, so guessing and trying different diets simply won’t work for you. In some we see genes lacking in the ability to absorb vitamin D and calcium, which will lead to osteoporosis and fractures as they age.
It always puzzled me as a doctor, why many healthy people with a great diet, have low vitamin D Levels- Now I know why.
In short, to get a general indication of a little bit of all of these tests I recommend the
“Health test”
It may be best if you make an appointment to see me to discuss your health, and at the same time we can do the appropriate DNA test. Everyone is different and has a different family history and health history.
When the genetic tests come back, due to its complexity and technical language, we need you to spend time with our dedicated genetic nutritionist to personalize it for you with appropriate preventive supplements.
For some more information on what this test can do for you, please continue reading more here.
Hope this is interesting information for you, I certainly find it fascinating myself.
Please make an appointment to discuss your needs and have this interesting test done.
DNA tests cost between $3500-6500
Dr. Susan Jamieson
