When it comes to nutrition advice based off a genetic test, companies are promising more than meets the eye. Right now, companies advertising personalized nutrition based on genetic testing are backed by little scientific evidence and aren’t regulated through the FDA or medical boards.
Your genetics are such a small piece of the puzzle. Let’s say that your DNA test shows that you carry genetic markers for slower fat metabolization. It doesn’t mean that these genes will ever EXPRESS themselves.
Nutrients and hormones work directly or indirectly to influence what genes are expressed or suppressed. For example, Butyric acid – a compound produced by your gut bacteria after eating butter, ghee, raw milk, animal fats, and plant oils – can indirectly influence gene expression (negatively or positively). This is called Nutrigenomics, the scientific study of the interaction between nutrition and genes, especially with regard to the prevention or treatment of disease.
What does the research say? A study looked at how genetic predisposition would determine what type of diet would best result for the subjects to achieve weight loss. When the researchers further analyzed the data, they didn’t find that being assigned to a diet that matched that individual’s genetic makeup or insulin resistance could predict weight-loss success.
A systematic review of 18 research studies found no significant benefit to communicating risks to patients.
Although genes are critical for determining function, nutrition modifies the extent to which different genes are expressed and thereby modulates whether individuals attain the potential established by their genetic background.
Get your routine health tests done like colonoscopies, lab tests, bone density, etc. and work with intelligent providers who can provide health advice that is relevant and accurate, and save your money on the pseudo-science DNA tests.
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