Genetics and Diet – What it Means for You

The mapping of the human genome brought tremendous opportunities for optimizing human health, but this flood of information has also led to more questions. Can genetic variations lead to long-term health consequences? How can these be bypassed? And, how can clinicians use genetic information to help people achieve their best health?
I just came from the national meeting of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) where I attended a seminar about how nutritionists can use common genetics tests (23& me) to help people customize their diet and supplements in accord to the own genetics. Imagine knowing which nutrition approaches and supplements would help address your unique mental health and metabolic genetics. What makes us each unique is the collection of single nucleotide polymorphisms – SNPs, in our genetics. 23&me testing will give you the raw data, and now there’s a group – a supplement manufacturer – who will help analyze those SNPs to guide nutrition based on your genetics.
The expanding field of nutritional genomics holds tremendous potential for healthcare providers to connect the dots between the human genome and nutrition to optimize health. The challenge lies in sorting through pages of genetic data, which requires a skilled eye and may take hours to interpret effectively. This means it is incredibly difficult for practitioners to take full advantage of this powerful information and provide every single patient with a personalized treatment plan for optimal health.
If you are interested in learning more about how your unique genetics interfaces with nutrition, and if you are interested in having your 23&me genetic report analyzed for its nutritional implications, let me know. annie(at)anniebkay.com.
A note on fees and financials: I do not have a financial arrangement with 23&me nor with the supplement group I would use to translate the genetic reports into nutrition recommendations through. The supplement groups assumes that the process will turn into supplement recommendations. My fees to you will be analyzing your 23&me data, interpreting the tests for you and your coaching session around it.