General Health

A genetic risk for autoimmunity doesn’t necessarily mean that you will develop a condition, but the beauty of knowing any genetic predisposition is that you can be in control of modifying your behaviour or environment to optimise your health and do all you can to keep autoimmunity at bay.

One of the main triggers of autoimmune conditions is body inflammation for which there are many causes. Too much cortisol can cause inflammation as can elevated blood sugar levels. Some people have genetic predispositions which mean they are more susceptible to inflammation because of infections. Dairy and gluten can be inflammatory to most people if the integrity of the gut wall isn’t optimal. A lack of ability to absorb vitamins which help our immunity or an increased need for them can also make us more susceptible.

We are able to look at your DNA to see if you are more genetically vulnerable to developing autoimmunity. As well as testing for autoimmune genes, we can also test for nutrition and lifestyle genes which if optimised can help reduce your overall risk. Once you have all this information and we know of any weak spots, we can advise you how to support yourself through diet, lifestyle and potentially supplements in order to reduce your risk of triggering your autoimmune tendencies.

A history of heart disease can be a worry, especially if you have lost members of your family at a young age. We can’t change our genes but by knowing any weaknesses we may have we can look at optimising our diet and lifestyle to prevent these weaknesses from impacting our future health. A process in the body called Methylation is a good place to start as it often needs extra support to avoid the accumulation of too much homocysteine, which can be toxic and, in turn, contribute to heart disease. Knowing if you have a genetic predisposition to high blood pressure, how you make and metabolise cholesterol, how your body might respond to statins and how your body processes, fats, sugar and other nutrients, will allow you to make the changes you need to optimise your health and reduce your risk.

Genetics can play a major role in our susceptibility to low energy levels. This susceptibly can also be exacerbated further following infections including COVID. A process called Methylation is needed for so many aspects of healthy life – it produces products that support our mitochondria which make energy, it helps us sleep, is responsible for making serotonin, it supports detoxification and aids metabolism. If this process isn’t working efficiently, it can mean we may struggle to produce optimal energy levels, can be more sensitive to pain and more vulnerable to stress.

Inflammatory tendencies and cytokines play a huge role in our predisposition to, and the severity of, low energy states including Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Long COVID or Fibromyalgia.

Genetic variances in our Nervous System can also make us more sensitive to pain, along with pre-dispositions to low mood and energy, and fatigue. We can look at your gene tendencies and teach you how you can support these genes through diet, lifestyle and potentially supplements when we know where the weak spots are.

The liver is crucial for metabolising and detoxifying all medicines, chemicals and toxins and therefore plays a major role in protecting the body, it is therefore essential that it can work at maximum capacity. There are several genetic factors that can affect the way our bodies process and remove cholesterol and triglycerides, which ultimately causes NAFL.

Having a fatty liver can be indicative of other health issues in the future and hence the importance of making changes to your health and lifestyle. Excess sugar in the blood stream is stored as fat, reduced Methylation and genetic weaknesses on the APOE gene can all put people at increased risk. NAFL is more prevalent in menopausal women and men with specific genetic tendencies that can further reduce Methylation.

Having knowledge of any predispositions that could have caused this, will allow you to make sustainable nutrition and lifestyle changes to prevent future chronic diseases, especially Cardiovascular Disease.

The Gall Bladder stores bile which is produced by the liver. Bile has multiple roles in the body and hence a lack of it can cause gastrointestinal symptoms as well as general health symptoms. Bile is released in response to us eating fatty foods so that nutrients can be more easily absorbed through the gut lining. It is needed for the absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E & K which are important for immunity and reducing inflammation. Bile helps to eliminate toxins from the body and supports the microbiome, so a poorly functioning Gall Bladder (or if the Gall Bladder has been removed), will mean that the body could be left vulnerable, especially if you have underlying genetic predispositions that also make you more at risk of the consequences of inflammation or reduced immunity. Other genetic predispositions can mean that your bile could be thicker and hence will flow less easily, making you more at risk of gallstones and gall bladder inflammation. Knowing if you have a higher need for fat-soluble vitamins, how you process cholesterol and bile, and if you have a higher need for the constituents that make bile, will allow you to optimise your situation which will ultimately help you reduce your risk of inflammation and chronic disease, as well as alleviate any gastrointestinal discomfort.

There are increasingly more indications and recommendations for people to be prescribed Statins. However, Statins aren’t for everyone: for some people the side effects of Statins make them choose to stop taking them, and others are keen to initially explore alternative ways of lowering their cholesterol. Although too much cholesterol in the wrong place (in the blood rather than in the cells where it could be utilised) is bad for you and can cause cardiovascular disease, it is important to have some cholesterol as it is needed to make cell membranes and produce steroid hormones including Vit D, Oestrogen, Progesterone and Testosterone. It is also needed to make Co-enzyme Q10 which is needed for mitochondria to work efficiently to produce energy. Cholesterol is also needed to make bile to aid digestion and to allow the absorption of anti-inflammatory fat-soluble vitamins. Knowing your DNA tendencies on how you process cholesterol in the cells, your ability to remove the bad LDL cholesterol from the blood, and how good you are at converting cholesterol to bile, will allow you to optimise your diet with nutrients which can improve your cholesterol profile. Improving your cholesterol profile means you may not need a statin or knowing how you process cholesterol could allow you to tolerate your statin, by reducing the side affects you are experiencing.

Autoimmune Thyroid Disease (AITD) occurs when the body’s immune system becomes overactive and starts to launch an immune cascade against itself. The 2 major AITDs are Graves’ Disease and Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. Whilst clinically they present differently, the underlying cause can be the same, and having either of these conditions makes you more susceptible to other autoimmune conditions including Type 1 Diabetes, Coeliac Disease, Pernicious Anaemia. It is therefore important to know your predispositions to prevent further diseases.

Some people have genetic predispositions which mean they are more susceptible to inflammation. For example, an infection, too much cortisol or elevated blood sugar levels can all cause inflammation. Dairy and gluten can be inflammatory to most people if the integrity of the gut wall isn’t optimal, but to others they can be a major source of inflammation due to genetic predispositions. A lack of ability to absorb vitamins which help our immunity or an increased need for them can also make us more susceptible.

Our hormones are very good at helping to reduce inflammation hence why lots of ladies experience autoimmune thyroid disease when there are big fluctuations in their hormone levels, eg. pregnancy and the perimenopause/ menopause.

As well as testing for autoimmune genes, intolerances, and vitamins, we have a specific thyroid report that will allow you to look at optimising any functioning thyroid that you may still have. The thyroid hormones set our basal metabolic rate which is important for weight management as well as energy levels. This thyroid report will also allow you to make sure that you can utilise levothyroxine (T4) which is now the only thyroid replacement generally offered on the NHS. Knowledge is powerful and to know why you have experienced thyroid problems, how you can optimise your current situation and, even better, how you can prevent any other autoimmune conditions is what most people want to know, and now they can.

Psoriasis is an autoimmune condition and as such there are many genes which we can look into to help support the body and improve the condition or prevent it from occurring. Although we don’t test for specific psoriasis genes, we test for several genes involved in the immune system function and inflammation, variants on these genes increase the risk of developing autoimmune conditions including psoriasis.

Autoimmune disease occurs when the body’s immune system becomes over active and starts to launch an immune cascade against itself. In the case of psoriasis, this shows up as an increase in the speed of skin turnover which causes thick plaques, itching and flaking.

It is so important to reduce body inflammation in people suffering with psoriasis and one of the first places to start is the gut and making sure that the microbiome is optimised as well as making sure that the strength of our gut lining is strong to stop any further gut imbalances.

We also need to make sure that the foods we are eating aren’t adding to our body inflammation, dairy and gluten can both be inflammatory, we test for intolerances to both of these. Cortisol can lead to inflammation, so managing stress levels and blood glucose levels (both of which can lead to high cortisol) is so important. If you have any genetic predispositions to inflammation, it is even more important that the body is able to perform to the best of its ability to counteract this, by making it’s own antioxidants and has good supplies of the necessary vitamins. The fat soluble vitamins and Omega 3 are also important to help keep the skin moisturised. Good bile flow is needed to absorb Vit A, K & D, so knowing if you have cholesterol predispositions is important. If you are vegetarian, you might not be able to convert plant based Vit A into the form needed to be used in the body.

Genetic testing can make sure that you have all of these functions working well, any weaknesses can then be supported through diet and lifestyle. Working alongside your predispositions in these areas can make a huge difference not only to your psoriasis but to your general health - Knowledge in powerful.

There is not one known singular cause of eczema, but the biggest association is family history and hence the obvious consideration is that genes are playing a part in your tendency to suffer with eczema. The skin offers a protective barrier so any breaks in that barrier with dryness and cracking will then make you more vulnerable to environmental toxins or products that you may have previously tolerated. Disturbances in the gut microbiome often flares skin conditions and Vitamins A, B’s, C & D are all necessary for healthy skin, aiding repair, and the synthesis of new skin cells. Histamine overload can aggravate skin and there are various reasons that this could be happening, including issues with a process called Methylation or an enzyme called DAO found in the gut wall. Stress can play a huge part in eczema, as can hormonal imbalances, hence why individuals often struggle at such times as puberty, pregnancy or the menopause. Often it is a combination of factors but by knowing your DNA tendencies you can optimise your nutrition and lifestyle to your situation. As well as improving your eczema, addressing these fundamental issues will also optimise your general wellbeing.

Acne can hugely affect people’s self-esteem and cause long term scarring. It can be triggered by hormone imbalances, stress, diet and certain medications. It often presents for the first time in puberty but can also occur at other times in life when there are hormonal fluctuations including the peri/menopausal years in women.

The body works hard to try to keep all our hormones working in harmony but an imbalance in any one of them, sex hormones, cortisol, insulin or adrenaline can affect the others. Specific gene tendencies that directly cause higher circulating cortisol levels or more potent testosterone levels have been linked to acne, but we must remember that cortisol levels can also be affected by stress, blood sugar and anxiety. Consequently, an accumulation of these factors in some people can make their acne more severe and difficult to treat. Knowing which elements of your biochemistry you need to focus on, will allow you to make nutritional and lifestyle changes and could prevent years of unnecessary anguish.

There are several reasons why this could be the case. A process called Methylation is needed to produce neurotransmitters as well as lots of other physiological processes. Methylation slows with age and if on top of this you have specific genetic tendencies then this process can slow down even more.

Digestion also decreases as we get older. This can mean that we struggle to extract the nutrients from foods, particularly if there are also genetic weaknesses in absorbing and transporting nutrients. By knowing where the weaknesses lie, we can focus on increasing those nutrients in foods, or supplements if required. We can also work on increasing digestive capability.

Mental health issues can also be linked to how well our bodies produce certain transmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, adrenaline, and GABA. If you are female, the approach to menopause and depleting hormone levels can further contribute to increased anxiety, low mood, and depression via several different routes. Oestrogen is needed to produce serotonin and dopamine and depleted oestrogen levels can also affect the sensitivities of our serotonin receptors.

Once we know our genetic predispositions, we can support these pathways and optimise methylation which can reduce the decline in our mental health issues. For some people it can be the first time that they have found an answer to their mental health struggles: a process which can be empowering and life changing.

Anxiety affects almost 30% of adults at some point in their life, and this figure only reflects the ones who report it! Looking into our genetics can really help to validate what we are feeling, to stop blaming ourselves for it and most importantly, to work out how we can help ourselves when we are not feeling great. Our own sensitivity to adrenaline and cortisol is genetically unique, some people simply feel these hormones more strongly than others but there are many ways which we can support our receptors to counteract the effects of stress, through both diet and lifestyle.

We can also genetically test for your sensitivity to caffeine, alcohol and even glucose and lactose which can all increase anxiety if there are intolerances by putting the body under stress.

GABA is our anti-anxiety hormone. For women, it is released as part of a monthly cycle but, again, production can be downregulated genetically, making anxiety worse in relation to some women’s periods. If this is the case, we will want to support its production to calm down the nervous system.

High Histamine levels can also be linked to anxiety. We can check how well you are breaking down histamine through genetics and learn to support this where needed. Knowledge is powerful and once we know what we are dealing with most people can find the strength and ability to optimise change and improve their general wellbeing.

Being neurodiverse, means your brain is wired differently to a neurotypical person and although predominately genetic therefore not preventable, your own unique brain print can still be supported. Our environment (stress, nutrient deficiencies, lifestyle, exposure to toxins which can cause inflammation) can often greatly affect and trigger concomitant debilitating symptoms of anxiety, mood or conduct disorders and knowing how you can support your nervous system to reduce the impact on daily life can be life changing. Often ADHD is deemed to be due to low dopamine levels but this isn’t always the case and for some it is too high levels or indeed low noradrenaline levels driving symptoms. Knowing this can allow you to support the correct areas of your dopamine and noradrenaline pathways and can help with appropriate prescriptions for medications. Knowing how you process, metabolise and detoxify your neurotransmitters, dopamine, serotonin, GABA and glutamate, any increased risk you have of inflammation which can aggravate the nervous system, can allow you to take control of your wellbeing once again giving you the benefits of your neurodiversity without any of the negative impacts it could be having on your general wellbeing.

Unfortunately, one of the downsides of this is that it could cause you issues with gambling, alcohol, or thrill-seeking behaviours and can often lead to stress for you and the people around you. People often feel frustrated that they can’t stop their behaviour despite their best efforts. Seeing your genetic tendencies which could be affecting your dopamine or noradrenaline levels and causing this to happen can take away the guilt. Knowing what lifestyle and nutritional changes can help to modify the affected genes and ease the situation can be life-changing.

Sleep is fundamental for optimal health; the body needs a fasted, relaxed state to recover at a cellular level. Without regular, high-quality, deep sleep we can quickly slip into a cycle of craving sugary foods for energy, feeling too tired to exercise and then finding it harder to make healthy lifestyle choices – a vicious cycle. Melatonin is our sleep hormone, and genetically there are reasons why we may not be producing enough, which we can adapt with diet, lifestyle and support with supplements if required.

There are a number of other genetic factors which may also be contributing to poor sleep quality, and although the tendency will have always been there, circumstances may have triggered them, such as stress, depleted nutrients, hormonal imbalances and often a combination of these factors. If you are going through a stressful time and have increased sensitivity to adrenaline and caffeine, your previously tolerated amounts of caffeine or sugar may not have affected your sleep, but cumulatively they now are. Having this knowledge will help you to manage your situation. If you can’t reduce your stress but could improve other factors you will be able to help your sleep, which will ultimately help you to manage your stress.

Hormone imbalances, in particular low Progesterone and GABA can be linked to poor sleep, which is why sleep is often worse around menopause or even at certain points in a woman’s monthly cycle. Knowing these tendencies gives us insight into why sleep is being affected at this time and how else you can help yourself through personalised management plans.

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin which is best known for its role in bone health, it is however also involved in muscle metabolism, neurological function, cardiovascular health and immunity. It is called the `sunshine vitamin` because the body can make its own vitamin D when skin is exposed to sunlight. Whilst sunlight is the best source, vitamin D is also present in a few foods and can be obtained from supplements. Vitamin D deficiency can result in lower bone density, rickets, osteomalacia and osteoporosis. Other symptoms of vitamin D deficiency include muscle weakness, difficulty thinking clearly and unexplained fatigue.

Vitamin D isn’t just about the levels in your blood stream it is about how sensitive your Vit D receptors are and how efficient your body is at transporting the Vit D to where it needs to be. Variants on your Vit D transport and receptor genes can have a huge impact on the levels of Vit D that you need in your body. This in turn will affect how your body responds to infection, how your thyroid will work and how efficient you will be at making neurotransmitters including dopamine.

The nutrient core report gives a really good over view of your genetic tendencies with regard to lots of vitamins not just Vitamin D. The knowledge this report will give you will allow you to make dietary and lifestyle changes that will optimise your health.

Both nutrients are imperative for good methylation to occur. This is a biochemical process that occurs in every cell of our bodies a billion times a day. Methylation is needed for so many aspects of healthy life, it produces products that support our mitochondria which makes energy, it helps us sleep, is responsible for making serotonin, if allows detoxification and aids metabolism, it is no wonder that people suffering with low levels of these can feel generally unwell or suffer with mental health issues. Deficiencies can occur through lack of dietary intake but for some people despite eating a diet rich in these nutrients their body isn’t able to absorb or process them efficiently. For some people taking synthetic folic acid as is prescribed on the NHS can make the situation worse. Knowing your genetic variants that can affect your ability to methylate is integral to healthy life and ageing.

Contrary to popular belief, weight gain/loss is not a simple case of calories in versus calories out. There are many other factors at play and genetic testing can give us some useful insight into genetic predispositions and which dietary and lifestyle modifications can help our bodies get back into balance to regain our body’s natural weight.

Stress can play a part, and if you are genetically prone to be more sensitive to adrenaline and cortisol you will feel more stress and your body will store more fat for fuel. Chronic stress and persistently elevated cortisol levels can ultimately slow metabolism, which causes less energy to be used.

Hormonal imbalances can lead to weight gain as a protective measure. For example, around the time of menopause, our bodies increase adipose (fatty) tissue to help the body create more oestrogen to compensate for the reduced levels being produced by the ovaries. Other hormonal imbalances can be affected by insulin resistance, which will then cause weight gain. Imbalances in Thyroid hormones can also lead to weight gain. Genetic testing can show our predisposition to thyroid issues and can also show our body’s capacity to use the vitamins we need to support thyroid hormone production. The way our bodies produce, utilise, and detoxify hormones can be measured genetically so that we can best support any weaknesses.

Appetite/hunger is also genetically pre-determined. By knowing our genetics, we can support these pathways with appropriate eating plans for you to help regulate appetite and hunger and advise if specific diets including fasting or keto would be beneficial. Certain food intolerances, such as lactose and gluten, can lead to water retention and weight gain – we can test whether you are genetically predisposed to these intolerances.

Sleep disturbance can also affect weight gain, melatonin (our sleep hormone) production is genetically determined and if we know there are weaknesses here, we can use nutrients and lifestyle to support sleep.

If you have tried every fad diet and feel frustrated that you are up against it, then knowing your DNA and how you can get to the root cause of your problem will be life-changing.

Fasting diets can take many forms – fasting for whole days out of the week, to time restricted windows within a 24 hour period, often fasting for 16 hours.

Fasting gives our bodies a rest from processing foods allowing it to renew and rebuild itself through a process called autophagy. At the same time, we are eating less calories, which can in itself lead to weight loss.

Not every fad diet works well for everyone. A person who is highly stressed, or who is highly sensitive to stress, could do more harm than good by putting their body under the extra pressure of not eating over extended periods of time. However, fasting may work well for you if you are genetically slower at breaking down fats, as it increases this process – meaning more fat burning and greater weight loss. It can also help to improve insulin sensitivity and increase metabolism in some people.

By testing your genetics, we can work out whether a fasting diet may be a good fit for you and which foods your body requires to work at it’s optimum

The wonder of nutrigenomics is that we can tailor make specific diets based on your own individual genetics.

Most people will benefit from a ketogenic diet some of the time, as it puts the body into repair mode. The ketogenic (keto) diet, otherwise known as a ‘fasting mimicking diet’, involves eating a very low carbohydrate ( <5%) and high fat ( >70%) diet the remainder being protein and fibre. The idea of the diet is to induce a process called ketogenesis in the body. Ketogenesis is when the body starts to burn fat stores to produce energy which can also mean quick weight loss for some people. Aside from weight loss, a keto diet can offer brain clarity, energy, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits. It works by supporting the power packs of our cells, the mitochondria and also by signalling longevity pathways. It’s health benefits are known to help neurological conditions, prevention and support during treatment of cancer and healthy ageing. Ketogenic diets maybe a good idea if you are more genetically prone to be insulin resistant as it improves insulin sensitivity. However, it’s not suitable for everybody all of the time.

Knowing your genetic tendencies and therefore finding out how easy it would be for you to achieve ketosis, or indeed what you would need to do to achieve it, could allow you to repair your body. Ultimately giving you more energy and improving longevity.

If you feel well then it is likely to be a suitable diet for you. The body is pretty good at telling us if things aren’t right. However, we see lots of people who don’t feel themselves for one reason or the other and look at making lifestyle changes including changes to their diet. They often decide to follow the latest advice that plant-based diets are best, and often it can worsen their symptoms, albeit they don’t realise that this is the reason.

Most people following a vegan/vegetarian diet know they should supplement with B12 and iron, as these nutrients are more difficult to get in the required amounts from this diet. However, they are less aware that genetic variants could mean that they may also struggle to get enough Vitamin A which is vital for immunity, appropriate anti-inflammatory responses, eye health and for the thyroid to function efficiently.

A process called Methylation is needed for so many aspects of healthy life, it produces products that support our mitochondria which makes energy, it helps us sleep, is responsible for making serotonin, it supports detoxification and aids metabolism. If this process isn’t working efficiently, it can mean we may struggle to produce optimal energy levels, can be more sensitive to pain and more vulnerable to stress. For people who have genetic variants affecting methylation, the lack of choline in their bodies from a vegetarian/vegan diet can have profound effects, causing amongst other things brain fog, poor mucus membranes, reduced energy levels and anxiety. Methylation naturally slows with age, but more so in men and some menopausal women, so knowing how efficient you are at methylating, will also allow you to choose the correct diet or most appropriate supplements to optimise your health.

The nutrient core report gives a really good overview of your genetic tendencies with regard to lots of vitamins, which will allow you to make a more informed choice about the diet you choose to follow or how you can appropriately supplement.

This is the ultimate health MOT. Your DNA is your bodies instruction booklet, your lifestyle, diet and the environment around you, can all influence these instructions. Being able to choose a diet and lifestyle to suit your DNA can help prevent problems before they appear.

Don’t worry, we know this is a financial investment and we are more than happy to give advice. You can complete a Discovery Questionnaire, and should you proceed with any of our suggested reports within 3 months, we will deduct half of this cost (£100) from your order.