Your DNA literally contains all the information about your body and the processes that take place within it. A DNA test gives you insight into your personal blueprint.
Read moreYou could picture your DNA as the blueprint of your body. It literally contains all the information about your body and the processes that take place within it.
You can compare our DNA to a cookbook. It describes exactly how something is made. When a body cell is damaged or breaks down, the DNA is consulted to carry out the repair or to make a new cell. DNA also plays an important role in all the processes that take place in your body.
Some people will be familiar with a family ailment, a condition passed down from generation to generation. In such cases there is often a genetic predisposition or mutation.
With a genetic predisposition, a mutation in your DNA gives you an increased chance of developing a certain condition or illness. Diet and lifestyle have a big influence on whether these symptoms develop. Two family members may carry the same genetic mutation, while the symptoms develop in one and not in the other. Diet, lifestyle and other factors all play a part in this.
With a genetic mutation, there is a small error in the DNA that is passed down from generation to generation. Examples include constipation, PMS, depression and other familial conditions. Fortunately, there is a chance this 'family curse' is broken naturally, because your DNA comes 50% from your mother and 50% from your father. Depending on which DNA is passed on, this pattern can be broken.
Years ago I had a DNA test done myself. To my surprise, it revealed more than I had expected. The test showed that I have MTHFR. In my case this means I am less able to convert vitamin B11 (folic acid) into its active form, folate.
This affects various processes in my body, such as energy production and the activation of serotonin, the hormone that makes you feel happy. For me, this explained many of the symptoms I had until then, including often feeling low.
Fortunately, in my case this problem, a poor conversion of vitamin B11 (folic acid) into folate, can be addressed with supplementation. Every day I take an active vitamin B complex that includes folate, so my body does not have to activate it itself, which it does less well because of my genes.
If extensive blood and/or stool testing has not given an answer, a DNA test may offer a solution. It gives you insight into your personal blueprint and perhaps, finally, an answer to the symptoms you experience.
