Understanding Your Genes Can Help Customize Your Nutrition and Life
Our bodies are remarkable when it comes to overcoming emergencies and getting stronger. But when you develop a chronic health issue, your system often fails in ways you didn’t think possible. You might be wondering why issues like heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and cognitive impairment continue to rise when there has been a focus on eating healthier and exercising. The reason may be that we are ignoring the blueprint upon which all life is founded.
Introduction to Genetic Testing
Answer me this: When was the last time you paid attention to your genes?
Like the jeans you wear, your genes that make up the very core of who you are do not come with a one-size-fits-all make or pattern. People might have the same disease, but they would suffer from it differently. Therefore, rather than following a generic guideline, it’s better to treat the underlying causes of a disease or condition by targeting your personal needs.
How do you do this?
You can learn so much about yourself with something called genetic variance testing, or just genetic testing, for short. By understanding your unique genetic makeup, you will be able to unlock your body’s potential.
To prove how useful genetic testing could be, think about the following questions:
- Do you have trouble losing weight, even when eating healthily and exercising regularly?
- Would you like to know which foods are best suited for your body?
- Would you like to understand how your neurotransmitters and hormones are functioning?
- Do you know if your body can properly detoxify itself?
- Do you know what nutrients you absorb well or don’t absorb well enough?
- Should you be focusing on a ketogenic diet? A plant-based diet? Or something else?
- Are you more affected by caffeine and alcohol than other people?
It might sound odd, but your genes define these things—such as your ability to lose and gain weight, how much alcohol you can tolerate, and whether your body runs better on carbohydrates or fat. By identifying the common genetic variations, also known as Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs), you can learn a lot about yourself.
About Genetic Variations
In order for cells to divide and proliferate, the inside DNA is copied; but sometimes, mistakes are made. Erring is so human that it’s even in our cells. These little mistakes, however, can have major effects on the body.
The variations, or SNPs, affect more than your weight and tolerance to caffeine. SNPs also play a role the development or predisposition to certain diseases. SNPs also interact with environmental factors, and those factors can exacerbate or cover up the variation. While millions of variances in genes have been discovered, there are a handful that have major significance.
In other words, your lifestyle choices and what you eat can have a direct impact on your unique genetic code. Therefore, by finding out what your genes are, you can then come up with a more individualized approach to fitness and nutrition that supports your body, rather than working against it.
Living in accordance to your SNPs can help with the following:
- Personalized control over your health
- Increased metabolism
- Heightened detoxification
- Balanced hormones
- Enhanced immunity
- Better cognitive function
- More energy
In short, while health and wellness is not 100% about your genes, genetics does indeed play a role. By personalizing your approach based on those genes, you can unleash a part of yourself you didn’t know existed—and that can be the key to your success and long-term health.