Can a saliva test really IMPROVE your health?
Your DNA is linked to everything and can reveal if you need dietary changes, supplements... or just a cuddle with your cat
IHAVE a confession. Sometimes as a tee-totalling, avid gym goer I feel a little smug. Especially come January, when everyone else seems to be mega depressed because they are off the booze, and are bemoaning the fact that they have to go to the gym in an attempt to shift the post-festive seasonal weight.
Yes, sometimes — and I’m not proud to admit it — I sip my sparkling water with a little smile on my face, safe in the knowledge that thanks to my healthy lifestyle, I don’t need to worry myself with bettering my vitals.
However, this year, my new year started off with a bit of a jolt to my vainglorious attitude. I got the results of a saliva sample that I had confidently sent away to biotech firm Fitness Genes before Christmas, which would examine my DNA and my predisposition to chronic diseases, life longevity and overall health — and let’s just say, my smug smile has changed to an expression of abject shock.
As it happens, it’s a good job I’m doing some things right in my life, as an investigation of my genetic blueprint has highlighted some glaring potential anomalies that, quite frankly, have made me think about my health journey in a completely different way.
The variations in my genetic profile mean that the greatest health challenges for me in my future include diseases caused by inflammation and cell damage, to which I am particularly genetically prone, alongside a highly elevated risk of cardiovascular disease.
Gulp! I swallow a rising panic — no surprise there, my DNA has also indicated that I’m likely to be a worrier, due to low dopamine — but Fitness Genes CEO and co-founder, geneticist Samantha Decombel, is quick to stress that these results are purely indicative of risk, and not a diagnostic measure of health.
‘What we are investigating is common variants of DNA across thousands of profiles,’ says Samantha, who has a passion for preventative healthcare, with the aim of ‘getting more people out of GP surgeries’. She was driven to launch the company following the early death of her father from cancer in 2007.
This analysis of a person’s DNA, in combination with lifestyle data collected simultaneously by a questionnaire, gives you a very detailed and lengthy list of reports — 165 to be exact — on where your greatest genetic risks are, and also reflects how your current lifestyle is affecting your health. These are then organised into categories and your current position is graded (green is optimal, red indicates factors to look out for).
‘The DNA itself is millions of base pairs, we are just looking at around 600,000 different bases along your DNA,’ Samantha says, in an attempt to explain epigenetics (the study of heritable traits) to a confused and slightly concerned me. ‘None of our reports are intended to suggest any diagnosis or certainty that an individual will develop a disease. They are based on common variants, so you will share the same gene variants for a particular report with sometimes 50 or 60 per cent of the population.
‘But a “burden” of these genetic variants within a category gives us the concept of traits — how these genes are commonly expressed — and knowledge of the areas of health where you should focus your effort and can make the largest gains.’
The idea behind DNA prolifing is that knowledge is power, and by understanding your inherent possible genetic susceptibilities, you can make adjustments to your diet, sleep and exercise in order to live healthier, longer lives.
As a woman who is fast approaching her 45th birthday, I’m fascinated about this insight. Truth be told, lately I feel tired and increasingly stressed. My sleep is suffering — a combination of hormonal issues and a bad scrolling habit — and I’ve gotten lazy on the food preparation front, foregoing making meals from scratch, and not eating my five a day as a result.
‘One thing that jumped out at me was your sensitivity to fats,’ says Samantha, when chatting through my results. ‘You carry genetic variants linked to reduced fat taste sensitivity, which means you don’t fill up as quickly when eating a fatty meal or foods, possibly due to fewer fatty acid taste receptors on your tongue, and higher blood fat levels, or triglycerides, which can lead to weight gain.’
My report outlined how cooking with olive oil is less than ideal for me, which I knew, but did it anyway, given my Omega-6 sensitivity and inflammatory tendencies. Instead, I should cook with a nut oil and replace my Omega 3-6-9 supplements with just Omega 3.
‘The problem with ketogenictype diets according to your profile is that you might be more likely to overeat on them, and your processing of the fats will not be as efficient as others who don’t carry the same genetic predispositions,’ says Samantha, who also advises on swapping my beloved butter for avocado on toast instead. Boo.
Somewhat comically, my genetics are associated with poorer memory of when I last ate, therefore increasing the overeating risk. ‘Eating while distracted increases this risk, so a focus on mindful eating — ie, at the table, not on the go or in front of the TV — is important here,’ advises Samantha, who adds that I have a predisposition towards reduced fat burning and slower weight loss when following a lower-calorie diet, so extreme diets are likely to be counterproductive. There’s no fear there, I can never stick to them anyway.
‘As well as not inducing as much fat loss, they can also alter your metabolism, meaning you put on weight quicker when your calorie levels rise and making it even harder for you to lose weight in the future,’ she advises.
The fat factor ties in with my brain health, the indication of lower oxytocin activity — the ‘cuddle’ hormone — and an increased risk of overeating in response to negative emotions. Plus I have a risk of increased weight gain risk with poor sleep due to higher ghrelin levels, the ‘hunger hormone’ when you have reduced sleep.
Connecting with animals is a great way to boost oxytocin, which is good news, as I have cats and dogs, and with people too, of course. As someone who seems to crave sugar at bedtime, this is a revelation. ‘Being mindful to pause when cravings strike, consider what, if anything, might be behind it, and actively looking to boost oxytocin with a cuddle with your kids or pets can really help,’ suggests Samantha.
The report also indicates that I need magnesium more than the average person as I have gene variants liked to lower blood magnesium levels, something which I’ve never even considered.
‘It’s a really important mineral as in it impacts sleep, particularly if you exercise heavily as your requirement goes up, which can impact weight gain too,’ says Samantha. ‘Sub-optimal levels can impact on many areas of health, including exercise performance, heart health and sleep.’
Magnesium citrate goes on my supplement list, as I’m not a fan of seaweed, apparently a good source of the stuff, as are kale and brazil nuts. Alcohol depletes it, so a bonus point for me there.
But where I fall down — genetically at least — is my predisposition to inflammation, which puts me at an increased risk of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and accelerated biological ageing.
‘There’s genetic evidence in your DNA which highlights a rare enzyme which could make you more prone to inflammation,’ says Samantha. ‘To help offset the risk, you can increase spermidine which is found in soy bean.’
I need more soy products, like tofu and edemame, miso and soy sauce, to compensate for flagging hormone levels, as they contain estradiol, which can boost spiralling oestrogen levels.
Antioxidant-rich foods such as red grapes and blueberries, plus adding paprika, chilli and turmeric to my food can all help protect against succumbing to inflammation, alongside some spirulina if I can stomach it. I order it in capsule form.
However, my lifestyle recommendations show me firmly in the green here thanks to exercise — which, says Samantha, is probably more important than food to decrease inflammation.
‘If you only have time to do one type of exercise, make it resistance training,’ says Samantha on the importance of lifting heavy for women, especially of my age. ‘It’s the most beneficial thing you can do. From our 40s, our muscle mass starts to gradually decline, with this drop being more pronounced in older age. In addition to age, our sex, physical activity levels, body composition, blood sugar control, and sleep patterns all affect how quickly we lose muscle tissue.’
My genetic blueprint suggests I’m included in the 8 per cent of the database with a higher vitamin D requirement for optimal bone health and immunity — again, something I have never bothered my barney about.
‘In the northern hemisphere, we don’t get enough vitamin D in winter — it doesn’t matter if you walk around naked from October until March, you’re going to spend the winter depleting your sources if you don’t supplement it,’ she says.
More surprising news came with the genetic suggestion of a mild lactose intolerance, which affects 52 per cent of the database. However, as I eat minimal dairy produce, save for a little milk in tea and coffee, and some yogurt, it’s unlikely to cause major problems apart from a little bloating, though I might give the quatro formaggio pizza a skip in future.
Worryingly, as someone who had cardiac issues in the past, I have a
I have gene variants found in people who live beyond 90
number of red flags on my heart health category. My genetic variants all highlight potential greater risks with high blood pressure, oxidative stress, the aforementioned high blood fat levels and high LDL cholesterol levels. As I’ve had heart issues post-pregnancy in my 30s, to be armed with this knowledge in my 40s is a little terrifying, but also vital for me to be aware of.
‘Again, this is in no way diagnostic, it’s simply showing your genetic dispositions,’ says Samantha, noting my pale expression on Zoom. ‘It gives you a chance to get ahead of a problem before it starts. Everyone is different and as there’s so much choice and supplements on the market, so it’s a more personalised approach based on understanding your biological system to help you be as healthy as you can,’ she says.
As it stands, the amount of information I’ve gleaned from this experience has been substantial, some of it astonishing and other nuggets actually making sense.
My brain health classification as a ‘worrier’, for example, and the genetic variants that suggest I am more prone to impaired serotonin production in the brain and several variants that impair production in the gut — as someone who has had anxiety and depression in the past, this is not surprising. Then, of course, there’s the heart health red flags.
However, there’s a few genetic variants that I possess that are not very me — apparently, my genotype is not linked to greater empathy, trust and other prosocial behaviours. As a huge empath, this does not reflect me at all.
Others, like having night owl tendencies, not being able to get up in the mornings, definitely resonate. As, hopefully, will the gene variants I possess that are more frequently found in people who live beyond the age of 90. Hopefully I’ll look as good as Joan Collins too.
At €229, it’s expensive but what price would you put on learning more about what could possibly keep you healthier for longer? It’s a real incentive this new year to actually keep to a better diet and exercise regime. Indeed, finding out more about ourselves — especially at milestones ages — is a trend that shows no sign of going away, as Samantha has seen.
‘We are finding an increasing number of our customers are coming to us having already taken a DNA test to find out more about their families,’ she says.
‘We’ve also had peaks of customers at 30, 40 and 50 years old. These are critical age bands, where a person starts to consider their health and wellness much more, thinking to the future.’
It’s an investment that you can keep referring to, with plentiful advice and recommendations updated fortnightly. What does change is your lifestyle data, and this alters your risk profile, but at least then you have an incentive to keep on the straight and narrow.
As the saying goes, your health is your wealth. With my lifestyle indicators firmly in the green — plus I’m now taking my heart health more seriously, prioritising sleep and tweaking my diet — dare I say, I’m starting to feel a little smug again. Long may it last.
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