Convincing somebody to try a cutting edge new diet is a difficult sell. These days everybody seems to have an opinion on what, when or how you should be eating. The truth is that basic nutrition isn’t that complicated. A balanced diet of leafy greens and high quality protein never hurt anybody, but there’s a game changer on the horizon. The age of nutrigenomics is here, and the sooner you get aboard the better off you’ll be. Don’t worry, it’s not as complicated as you might think. This article is here to teach you everything you need to know.
Table of Contents
Nutrigenomics 101
Sequencing Your Genome
Interpreting Your Results
Actionable Insights
Nutrigenomics 101
Imagine a library filled with all the construction manuals you would need to build a human. This is called a genome. It has 46 separate shelves called chromosomes, and each book is called a gene. Almost every human has their library organized in the exact same fashion, but the instructions in a few of the books are a little different from person to person. The different versions of each book are called alleles, and SNPs are the small changes in the instructions that separate one allele from another. You have two alleles for almost every gene. One comes from each parent. Knowing which versions of construction manuals you inherited allows you to predict where any problems might arise. This is the essence of nutrigenomics. It helps match your diet to the types of each manual you inherited.
Sequencing Your Genome
Step 1
Get your genome sequenced through a company like 23andme.com. They’ll ship a kit to your house with a small tube that you’ll need to fill with saliva. The box will include a return label that you’ll use to send your kit to the lab. Six weeks later you’ll get a report that looks something like this.
(Note: Amazon usually has great deals on these kits around prime day)
Step 2
Unfortunately, the 23andme reports lack a lot of critical information. Download a copy of the raw data by clicking the drop down menu next to your name on the 23andme website. Select browse raw data and click download on the next page. The report will take a few minutes to generate, but once it’s completed you’ll get a zip file with everything you need.
Step 3
Now for the final step! Right click the folder from the last step and select “Extract Files”. That will leave you with a .txt document that contains all your raw data. Once you’ve done that go to foundmyfitness.com, scroll down and click “Get the Comprehensive Report”. After you have uploaded your data it will generate a pdf with a ton of actionable insights.
Interpreting Your Results
The final report is pretty self explanatory, but you should know how to interpret the notation used in the document. The first group “CY2R1”, is the identification code for the gene in question. Going back to our library analogy, this is the identifier for the set of instruction manuals responsible for my genetic risk for vitamin D deficiency. rs2060793 is the SNP identifier, it tells us where the differences in the genetic code occur that separates one allele from another. (A;A) lists the two alleles I inherited from my parents. In this case they each gave me one copy of an identical construction manual.
Actionable Insights
Now that you understand how to interpret the notation you should be able to piece together your report. Unfortunately the data is a bit scattered, and it can be difficult to see the big picture until you consolidate all the genes and their associated problems in one spot. Create a table like the one shown below and all the insights will immediately become clear. Using this data I was able to make the following changes to my morning routine:
- Opt for a late breakfast rich in fiber and high in protein
- Supplement with fish oil, resveratol, and phosphatidylcholine
- Choose a multivitamin with zinc, B2, B12, folic acid, and vitamin C
- Get a 25-hydroxy vitamin d blood test. Supplement with 1,000 IU of vitamin D3 per for every 5ng/mL below baseline (30ng/mL)
- Avoid high fat diets (like the ketogenic or paleo diet)
- Avoid the use of statins
Here is a copy of the table I created using the data in my report.
| GENE | SNP | ISSUE | SOLUTION |
|---|---|---|---|
| FTO | rs17817449(G;T) rs1121980(C;T) rs1421085(C;T) rs9939609(A;T) |
Saturated fat may have a negative effect on blood glucose and insulin levels Decreased thermogenesis (burning of fat to create heat) Overproduction of ghrelin (The hormone responsible for hunger) |
Eat less fatty beef, pork, and dairy products Fish oil supplementation increases thermogenesis Eat a breakfast rich in fiber and protein. |
| TERT OBFC1 RTEL1 NAF1 ACYP2 |
rs2736100(G;T) rs9420907(A;A) rs755017(A;A) rs7675998(A;G) rs11125529(C;C) |
Short telomere length | Avoid Stress, sugary beverages, and processed meats Supplement with fish oil |
| Vitamin D Binding Protein CYP2R1 |
rs7041(G;T) rs2282679(A;C) rs2060793(A;A) |
Chronically low vitamin D levels (Involved in bone strength) | Get a 25-hydroxy vitamin D blood test. Any result below 30 ng/mL is a deficiency Supplementing with 1,000 IU of vitamin D3 daily raises blood levels 5-10 ng/mL. |
| FADS1 PEMT MTRR MTHFD1 |
rs174548(C;G) rs7946(T;T) rs1801394(G;G) rs2236225(C;T) |
Poor phosphatidylcholine levels (associated with less REM sleep,memory deficiencies, and fatty liver disease) Increased risk for hyperhomocysteinemia and altered choline metabolism Increased risk of cholinedeficiency even at adequate dietary choline intake levels |
Phosphatidylcholine supplement Check B2 and B12 levels Folic acid supplement |
| FUT2 | rs602662(A;G) rs601338(A;G) |
Slightly lower vitaminB12 levels | B12 supplementation |
| GSTP1 | rs1695(A;A) | Vitamin E supplementation raises levels on inflammatory cytokines | Do not take supplemental vitamin E |
| JAK2 | rs12340895(C;G) | 2x Increased risk for blood cancer | Intermittent fasting (16+ hours) and resveratrol (1000mg) increase the clearance of damaged hematopoietic stem cells |
| FADS2 | rs1535(A;G) | Poor conversion of ALA into omega-3 epa | Fish oil supplementation (or eat more fish) |
| SLCO1B1 | rs4149056(C;C) rs4363657(C;C) |
Increased risk formyopathy with statin use | Seek alternative treatment should statins ever become necessary |
| UCP1 | rs1800592(G;G) | Reduced restingmetabolic rate | Fish oil supplementation Cold exposure therapy |
| MTNR1A | rs12506228(A;C) | Deformed melatonin receptors. Particularly susceptible to blue light induced circadian rhythm advancement | Avoid exposure to blue light 3-5 hours before bed Consider melatonin supplementation before bed |
| SLC23A1 | rs10063949(C;T) | Poor vitamin C transport(Competes with glucose for GLUT transport use) | Supplement with vitamin C Avoid large spikes in blood glucose |
| ACE | rs4343(A;G) | High blood pressure secondary to increased levels of ACE (Angiotensin Converting Enzyme) when diet includes high amounts of saturated fats | Avoid eating large amounts of saturated fats |
| SLC30A8 | rs13266634(C;T) | Slight increased risk for type 2 diabetes secondary to poor zinc transport | Supplement with Zinc |
