Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). IBDs are health issues that affect the digestive tract by causing inflammation that lasts longer than an…
DNA methylation is a very important factor in our biochemical pathways. Methylation uses a process of donating methyl groups to a substrate. These methyl group substrates contain DNA and RNA, chemicals, neurotransmitters, hormones, and immune cells. A few examples of methylation include: regulating gene expression, biotransformation, myelination which is the production of the protective coating that surrounds our nerves), building neurotransmitters, immune cells, processing hormones, and DNA/RNA synthesis.
Osteoporosis is a disease process based on stem cell and immunological dysfunction and it is where this dysfunction collides with energy regulatory mechanisms leading to weak and brittle bones. The skeleton is a large block of calcium that the body taps into to survive. This leaves the skeleton depleted of essential nutrients if not properly maintained. One thing that is important is to work on skeletal health from a metabolic level.
We all have specific genes that either increase or decrease our risk of developing cardiovascular disease. These genes can have SNPs, and each has the ability to influence lipid metabolism. These influences can be modulated by the gene’s metabolism. There is heavy evidence that suggests environmental factors will influence most premature cardiovascular cases if action is taken in favor of an individual’s genetic predisposition.
We use DNA Health by DNA Life to test our patients for their genetic variations and to create a personalized healthcare plan for them to better lower their risk of developing diseases.
Our brain is constantly working to help us make decisions, speak, read, and perform many other important functions. It’s also responsible for several involuntary processes,…
Folate is a B vitamin naturally found in a variety of foods. The body can’t produce folate, that’s why it’s important to get it from…
Taste perception impacts the food choices we make, our nutrition, and our overall health. Genetically speaking, the taste response we have represents a phenotype. The five taste qualities we have include sweet, bitter, salty, umami, and sour. Genetics shows that humans who are more susceptible to the liking of sugar and fat are influenced by a specific genotype. Similar to this, individuals who have the ability to detect bitterness and rotting food have another genotype. Understanding the genotype people possess is highly important and can be used to create tailored programs for individuals.
Fructose is one of the main components of added sugar. It is a simple type of sugar that makes up about 50 percent of table…
Folate, and its synthetic form folic acid, is a water-soluble B vitamin that plays a fundamental role in a variety of functions in the human…
Our diet can significantly affect inflammation in our bodies. Several foods can increase inflammation while other foods can reduce inflammation. According to healthcare professionals, a…
Salt is in nearly every food consumed, but some may have a genetic variation causing them to have salt sensitivities. Salt sensitivity is estimated to be present in 51% of the hypertensive (high blood pressure) population. The ACE and AGT genes are both apart of the Renin-Angiotensin System (RAS). The ACE gene codes for the angiotensin-converting enzyme and is part of the RAS. This system controls the blood pressure by regulating the specific volume of fluids in the body.
The MTHFR or methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene is well-known due to a genetic mutation that may cause high homocysteine levels and low folate levels in the…
Exercise has been proven to help many medical conditions and reduce inflammation. However, those who are high risk do not usually feel comfortable exercising. Treating disease and developing a program for long-term health is the overall goal with exercise prescriptions. To begin, all patients must undergo an assessment of physical capabilities as well as physiological. The hard push of exercise is not something all patients are mentally ready to tolerate.
The first Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) conference was held in 1990 and discussed what PCOS is and how they were diagnosing and treating patients. They looked at oligo-anovulation, no ovulation, and too many androgens. Now, we use the Rotterdam criteria. This criterion groups together anovulation abnormal ovulation, clinical hirsutism acne (signs of hyperandrogens), and an ultrasound to view the presence of 12 or more follicles and determines if you have two out of those three then you are diagnosed with PCOS. There are multiple pathways that PCOS develops. Ultimately, these pathways are categorized into 4 groups: LIfestyle induced PCOS, Poor Fat Digestion/Sugar Burner, Inflammatory Diet/Poor Food Choices, and Genetic Predisposition.
Calories are defined as a measurement of the energy our body produces from the foods we eat. However, not all calories are created equal. If…
For those who have lactose intolerance, the LCT gene transcription is reduced, leading to a low level of lactase. To turn off LCT it involves blocking an activator or turning up a repressor. In fact, it is theorized that lactase persistence is a human evolutionary adaptation to drinking milk from domesticated animals. The mutation in the gene started to appear around the same time as the domestication of cattle.
Nutrition is considered to be one of the most well-understood environmental factors associated with changes in the epigenome. Nutrients in the foods we eat are…