Genes Testing Nutrigenomics
Get you Gene Profile Done
Your gene profile can tell you alot about how to live a much healthier lifestyle and what nutrients and medication are right for you. Get your gene profile done with Judith Johnson from HealthyLife Cape Town to start the journey towards a healthier life.
Your Diet and Your Genes
How are they linked?
Nutrigenomics studies the interaction between our diet, our lifestyle and our genes, especially regarding the prevention and treatment of disease.
Each of us has a unique body chemistry determined by our genes. DNA serves as the blueprint for everything about us, from our hair colour to our susceptibility to disease, our health potential and our ability to manage our weight. Genes determine the way our body responds to food, physical activity and other lifestyle choices.
Basically, the degree to which diet influences the balance between health and disease depends on an individual’s genetic make-up and dietary components can alter the way genes behave (gene expression).
This is personalised nutrition. Poor diet and lifestyle choices can influence the expression of genes we may wish to keep silent and quieten the genes we want active.
Epigenetic Influences
Switch genes on and off
Epigenetic influences are like tiny switches in our bodies that can turn genes on or off. Even though our DNA stays the same, these switches can change how our genes work. These changes are influenced by various factors.
For example, the kind of food we eat can affect these switches. If we’re stressed, that stress can also make these switches change. Even things in our environment, like pollution or chemicals, can have an impact. It’s kind of like how different ingredients can change the taste of a recipe.
And here’s something really interesting: these changes can sometimes be passed down to our children.
So, epigenetics is a way our bodies can respond to our surroundings and affect our health, how we grow, and even the health of our future generations.
Interested in having your genes tested?
If you are interested in knowing whether the medications you are currently taking are agreeing with you, the Pharmaco gene tests are highly recommended.
This video explains everything you need to know about Pharmacogenics.
What is Nutrigenomic Testing?
In the field of Nutrigenomics, it is the low penetrance genes that are tested. These are not predictive of disease but rather represent the metabolic pathway or system within the body; how the body is geared to defend itself against disease.
Unlike genes that can be tested for a high probability of a disease, nutrigenomic testing creates a mapping of your genetic risk score for various pathways of cellular defense. The genes are usually a variation of a single nucleotide (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism) and hence can be influenced by the environment.
The high penetrance gene testing are predictive of disease and require genetic counselling beforehand as the environmental influence is much less (BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are good examples of high penetrance genes that convey an 80% prediction of developing breast cancer).
HealthyLife Cape Town works with 2 different laboratories in South Africa.
Both laboratories do genetic profiling for personalised nutrition and these gene tests cover the main metabolic areas, the cellular areas, your energy pathways, nutrient needs and more.
