How Genetics Play a Role in Your Health

When it comes to your health, the answers are in your genes. Now, you have the tool that gives you those answers with the Gene SNP™ DNA Analysis Program.

Your DNA tells a story. With the Gene SNP™ DNA Analysis, you can gain insight into your genetics and how they impact your health. You will gain insight into what role your genes play in digestive health, how well your body copes with the stress of physical activity, how environmental factors affect your body, and how your genetics and lifestyle affects your health.

How Genes Affect You

No two people have the same fingerprint. Like our fingerprints, our genetic variations are unique identifiers, which make us different from every other person. It’s the variations in genes that make us who we are. From our gender, the color of our hair, eyes and skin, the types of foods that work best with our bodies, and even the type of exercise designed to maximize our individual performance, our genes are the instruction manual for the creation and maintenance of our bodies.

Our genes are composed of combinations of protein bases. While there are only four possible bases, they can be combined in billions of ways to code for countless functions in the body. These four bases make up the DNA alphabet and combine to form words and phrases that give instructions to your body for everything from how your cells function to the color of your hair. Sometimes, when cells in the body replicate to make new cells, mistakes are made and a gene that was supposed to code for the word is changed by just one letter or just one base. The gene now has a totally new meaning and function. These variations are called single nucleotide polymorphisms (or SNPs.)

These small variations in DNA can influence how we metabolize food and what types of exercise are best suited for our bodies. By identifying our own unique gene variations, we can customize lifestyle approaches and nutritional supplementation to maximize our genetic potential promoting optimal health.

THE LINK BETWEEN GENES AND DISEASE

Many diseases are influenced by our genes. Genes, through the proteins they encode, determine how efficiently we process foods, how effectively we detoxify poisons and how vigorously we respond to infections. More than 4,000 diseases are thought to stem from mutated genes inherited from one's mother and/or father.

When a gene contains a mutation, the protein encoded by that gene will be abnormal. Some protein changes are insignificant, while others are disabling. Common disorders such as heart disease, obesity and depression arise from a complex interplay among multiple genes and exposure to factors in the environment.

Gene SNP DNA Analysis can be a powerful tool to help you make the dietary and lifestyle changes best suited for your particular needs. By using the Gene SNP Analysis and the accompanying guide, you can make an educated decision on the use of, form, and even amounts of targeted nutrients.

Cardiovascular Health

Heart health depends on a balance of environmental, dietary, and genetic factors. The Gene SNP DNA analysis screens for genes that affect a variety of factors linked with heart health, including the metabolism of cholesterol, leptin, B-vitamin utilization, and antioxidant activity. While some people have genetic variations that have an impact on the way their bodies use B vitamins, others have issues with leptin and insulin sensitivity.

Obesity

Specific genes correlate to the buildup of fat tissue in the body. How much a person weighs and how that fat tissue is distributed in the body depends largely on individual genetic makeup. Certain genetic variations relate directly to food processing such as how the body reacts to fat, protein and carbohydrates.

Fitness

Our bodies are made up of two kinds of muscles: slow and fast twitch. Each individual’s genetics favor one over the other and this information can direct the individual to the type of exercises he or she should employ to more effectively burn fat and help regulate blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Inflammation

Inflammation is the body's response to injury, infection or foreign proteins. Inflammation is characterized by pain, redness, heat, swelling, and altered function of affected tissue. Although the ability to mount an inflammatory response is essential for survival, the ability to control inflammation is also necessary for health. Some gene variations produce altered proteins that may hinder inflammatory processes from shutting down when needed. Excess and chronic inflammation is associated with many diseases today. The Gene SNP Analysis provides insights into a person’s inflammatory control mechanisms.

Mental Emotional Health

People can feel sad, anxious, irritable or restless without an indication as to why. They may lose interest in activities that were once pleasurable, experience loss of appetite or overeating, have problems concentrating, remembering details or making decisions. Gene variations can give information regarding behavior and motivation.

Detoxification

Toxic substances can cause tissue irritation or produce a wide range of harmful effects. Some toxins can accumulate in the body faster than they can be eliminated or neutralized. Certain genetic variations are implicated in sluggish enzymes preventing sufficient detoxification and limit our body’s ability to neutralize free radicals and toxins. All of which may contribute to physiological decline.