Fast facts about nutrition and your DNA
The gene variants used in GenoPalate’s analyses are also known as SNPs (“snips”), short for single nucleotide polymorphisms. These are naturally occurring gene mutations resulting from environmental cues (including food consumption patterns) over many generations. Science has identified 5 million to 10 million of them.
Gene-based biomarkers related to nutrition and diet cover a wide range of traits and tendencies. To list just a few: lactose intolerance, gluten sensitivity, alcohol risks, vitamin needs, fiber needs, metabolism, interactions with high-fat foods, and satiety (how quickly you feel full when eating).
Some nutrition categories have multiple known biomarkers. For example, there are more than a dozen connected just to dietary fat intake alone.
Our DNA is set at birth and fundamentally doesn’t change. So theoretically, a baby’s DNA could be analyzed for his or her nutrition biomarkers and the parents could start planning a healthy menu for the child’s 10th birthday party.
GenoPalate’s recommendations are based on more than 100 known nutrition gene variants, and that number is growing all the time as more studies are undertaken.
Nutrition properties associated with these variants are based on human correlation studies involving most often thousands to hundreds of thousands of people.
Because they share identical DNA, identical twins most likely will always have 100% identical genetically determined nutrition needs as well.
The total length of DNA in your body is equivalent to 70 trips to the sun and back.
All the digital information in the world could be stored in just 2 grams of DNA because it is capable of holding so much data.
And just in case you wondered if we really “are what we eat,” we share 50% of our DNA with bananas.