Genetic Testing & Personalized Medicine

Earlier this year, the FDA gave the OK to home DNA tests that identify a person’s genetic risk for 10 diseases. Ideally, the results will help people make specific healthy choices to help lower their risk.

But that doesn’t always play out in the real world. One notable review in the BMJ found that

Expectations that communicating DNA based risk estimates changes behaviour is not supported by existing evidence.

Some of that may come from the fact that 23andMe – the company initially authorized to market the testing – can only deliver the basic results, not analysis or guidance. This had led to other concerns, from patient self-misdiagnosis to the impact of false results to overspending on unnecessary follow-up tests.

More, as a commentary in the Pharmaceutical Journal noted,

genetic testing is not a panacea for understanding individual health risks. Genetic variants do not inform you that you have a disease, but that you have a certain percentage likelihood of someday getting it. It remains unclear how useful this information really is.

Indeed, as we noted before, genes aren’t destiny. They’re potential – until they’re triggered. Environmental factors play a huge role – up to 90% in some cases of cancer, according to research published in Nature. The daily cocktail of chemicals we’re exposed to, the food we eat, the stress in our lives, our mental states, our daily physical activity (or lack of it) – all these and more affect how our genes express themselves.

This isn’t to say that genetic testing isn’t beneficial. It can be very useful under the guidance of a knowledgeable physician. Why? It can help us individualize treatment plans in ways never before imagined.

As a clinic specializing in holistic, preventive, longevity medicine, we’ve begun offering genetic analysis through PureGenomics. Using the 23andMe test kit, PureGenomics analyzes the raw data to identify metabolic blocks to health. The focus is on genetic variations that are relevant, validated by published research, and responsive to nutritional support.

Once we’ve identified those blocks, we can focus on overcoming them with nutrients. The end goal? Better health through better assimilation of the nutrients your body needs to thrive.

And this is just one of the possibilities of genetic testing – another way to provide the kind of personalized medicine that our patients seek.

For though we have many commonalities, each of us is biochemically and bioenergentically unique.

Each of us has our own particular history of injuries and illnesses and stressors. Each of us makes a unique set of lifestyle choices, some of which support good health, some of which undermine it. All these combine, too, to manifest the particulars of any illness.

This is why, for instance, two people can be exposed to the very same “germs” and only one will get sick. It’s why two people can smoke cigarettes for decades and only one will develop emphysema. It’s not luck. It’s not some mysterious force.

It’s individuality.

Only when you are seen, understood and treated as the unique individual you are can you find the path you need to optimal wellness and Radiant Health. That path is a little different for everyone. As it should be.

It starts with information – the very being of every gene in your body.

Image by Webridge, via Wikimedia Commons

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White Bread Is Good for You?! What?!

Did you catch the headlines last week declaring that “White Bread May Not Be Bad for You After All”? The hype around this study seemed a little reminiscent of last year’s “pasta won’t make you fat” study.

Just as back then, the spin is more than a little misleading.

 

For the study, researchers had 10 volunteers eat industrial white bread for a week and another 10 eat artisanal whole grain sourdough. For a second week, the groups switched breads. At the beginning of each week, the researchers evaluated each participant’s gut flora and measured variables such as blood sugar, cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure.

They found that the type of bread had no significant impact on any of the factors they measured.

We demonstrate statistically significant interpersonal variability in the glycemic response to different bread types, suggesting that the lack of phenotypic difference between the bread types stems from a person-specific effect. We further show that the type of bread that induces the lower glycemic response in each person can be predicted based solely on microbiome data prior to the intervention.

This doesn’t say that white bread is a-ok, only that individuals seemed to respond to different bread in different ways.

This jibes with earlier research by two of the authors, which found that “even if we all ate the same meal, how it’s metabolized would differ from one person to another.”

Both studies point to the importance of personalized nutrition.

Some others have noted the real limitations of the new study, including it’s very small size, its short time frame, and its reliance on self-reported data. More, as Ed Yong points out in his coverage for the Atlantic,

A single study like this…cannot refute a large body of epidemiological evidence showing that people who eat more whole-grains tend to have lower risks of cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and other conditions. If you assume that these effects are causal, rather than just correlational, it may be that you need to eat a lot of whole grains, over long periods of time, to experience any benefits. Alternatively, large population-wide studies might mask the fact that only some people would benefit from these foods.

And beyond that, there’s more to a food’s healthfulness than glycemic response alone.

White bread is white because its flour is so heavily refined – a process which strips essential nutrients from the original grain. More processing is required to add back synthetic nutrients, not to mention all the synthetic chemical additives and preservatives used to create the desired texture and taste, as well as to help the product hold up during transport and have a long shelf life.

Notably, research suggests that food additives may contribute to an imbalance of gut flora, as well as obesity.

An artisanal whole grain sourdough has starter, whole grain flour, water, and salt – perhaps some oil or yeast. That’s it. The flour is higher in fiber and protein. It’s a better source of B vitamins and iron. Whole grains also contain other key nutrients such as selenium, potassium, and magnesium.

If you choose to eat wheat bread – and not all folks want to or can or even should – whole grain clearly remains the way to go, regardless of what the headlines say.

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