08/04/2024
World Health Day, 7th April, is taken every year to raise awareness for the biggest issues surrounding health. The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Council on the Economics of Health for all, have reported that a minimum of 140 countries name health as a fundamental human right in their constitution. Nonetheless, many countries are not implementing the necessary laws to guarantee their citizens are entitled to suitable health services – WHO claims that at least half of the world population were not fully covered by essential health services in 20211.
Your risk for some disease and conditions is largely affected by your genetics. Alterations in your genetic code can increase your risk of obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, familial hypercholesterolaemia and even type 2 diabetes.
We investigate genes related to these conditions as well as those related to your caffeine metabolism, sleep, and mental health to provide you with a comprehensive overview of your health in these areas, meaning you have the data you need to make the changes to improve your wellbeing.
WHO have set 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aiming to achieve health equality for all by 2030 and progress was being made. However, the COVID-19 pandemic threw a spanner in the works. For example, during the pandemic, deaths associated with malaria climbed by 12%2, while global spending on tuberculosis dropped by 10%3.
For these reasons, the theme for World Health Day 2024 is:
This is an opportunity to shine a light on the factors that contribute to global health inequalities, review the progress made towards achieving WHO’s 2030 goal of ensuring healthy lives and promote well-being for all. In the UK, we are fortunate to have the NHS, a service which works tirelessly to ensure everyone who needs healthcare has access to the services they need. However, these services are stretched, putting immense pressure on our dedicated healthcare professionals.
Randox Health’s mission is to provide access to real-time insights and unrivalled health data that helps you to better understand your health. Rather than simply telling you what’s wrong, we aim to grant you access to relevant and personalised information, allowing you to make the best decisions for your wellbeing. We believe that this approach can help achieve a healthier population, which will in turn reduce the strain on our vital healthcare services and provide access for those who need it most. To help achieve our goals, we are continually developing new, innovative tests to analyse both general and niche elements of your health.
Earlier this year, we released our Nutrition and Lifestyle DNA test. This package tests for variations in your genetic code that influence your response to nutrition, exercise, and other lifestyle factors as well as your predisposition to certain nutritional diseases. This World Health Day, we’d like to shine a spotlight on this cutting-edge package and how it can help you take steps towards a healthier future.
YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT.
Whether it was chocolate or pizza, hamburgers, or hotdogs, at one point we’ve all heard the old, “if you eat too many chicken nuggets, you’ll become one”. Like so many myths, even this one is somewhat based in fact. Increasing evidence is showing that what we eat and the environment around us effect our wellbeing and propensity for disease. By analysing our genetic code, we can obtain insights into factors that affect how we absorb, metabolise and transport nutrients.
While nearly 99.9% of our DNA is the same from one person to the next, the diversity in our physical appearance is evident with just a quick look around. Our individuality extends beyond our external features, deeply influencing how our bodies process nutrients, thanks to minor variations in our DNA. Our lifestyle choices have the power to turn on or off certain genes, impacting our susceptibility to various diseases. Embracing healthy lifestyle practices can, therefore, play a pivotal role in mitigating the risk of diseases, even those we’re genetically inclined towards.
NUTRITION & LIFESTYLE DNA
In our Nutrition and Lifestyle DNA package, we meticulously screen 40 genes to uncover variations in your genetic code that impact your reaction to diet, exercise, and other lifestyle factors, while also evaluating your genetic predisposition to specific nutrition-related diseases.
The components of our Nutrition and Lifestyle DNA test can be split into 3 categories:
DIET & NUTRITION
The ability of our bodies to absorb, breakdown and effectively utilise the nutrients in our food is heavily influenced by our genetics. The most obvious examples of this are the wide range of deficiencies that people may experience.
Estimates suggest that 20% of the UK population suffers from vitamin D deficiency4, while 6% face a deficiency in vitamin B125. These, along with other deficiencies can be influenced by your genetics. For example, the gene CYP2R1 is involved in the activation of Vitamin D, allowing it to carry out its functions like regulating calcium and phosphorus, supporting the immune system, and helping cell growth and division6. While harbouring a mutation in the CYP2R1 gene may increase your risk of developing a vitamin D deficiency, however, it does not guarantee it.
By identifying variations in genes related to dietary deficiencies, you can get an insight into which deficiencies you may be prone to, allowing you to take the necessary steps to offset your predisposition.
The Nutrition and Lifestyle DNA test also looks at your propensity for:
Gluten Intolerence / Coeliac Disease
Lactose Intolerence
Vitamin A & C Deficiency
Folate, Magnesium & Calcium Deficiency.
Omega 3 & 6 Benefits
Response To Fasting.
Health & Wellbeing
Athletic Performance
It’s no secret that what you eat affects your athletic performance. However, like in the other areas we’ve mentioned, your performance is also affected by your genetics. The Nutrition and Lifestyle DNA test includes analysis of genes related to muscle mass, composition and recovery giving you the information you need to optimise your training plan to help you yield the best results.
We also investigate genetic variants related to injury risk, allowing us to give you an insight into your risk of musculoskeletal injuries such as ACL injuries, Achilles tendinopathy and tennis elbow. For example, if you’re found to be at high risk, you can take injury prevention precautions such as resistance or flexibility training and ensure your intake of essential nutrients like iron, vitamin C and protein is optimal to assist with collagen synthesis to maintain healthy ligaments.
Isn’t Genetic Information difficult to understand?
Testing and analysing all this genetic information can be complex. After all, we test for quite a lot. But this doesn’t mean it has to be difficult for you to comprehend.
We’ve spent a lot of time designing our reports to make them as straightforward as possible.
In your personalised DNA analysis, you’ll get the name of the gene analysed, the variant name or unique ‘rs’ number associated with the variant you have, and the 2 letter base pair of your variant (e.g. A/A).
To make understanding your report even easier, we include a result scale to illustrate where your genetic information places your risk compared to other variants. Finally, we provide a detailed description of your result including what your result is, what it means, and what the implications for your health may be.
Sign Me Up!
Booking is easy. All you have to do is visit the Nutrition and Lifestyle DNA page and book an appointment at one of our 22 convenient clinics nationwide. During your appointment we’ll take a simple blood sample and explain everything to you. You’ll get your results and detailed report 4-6 weeks later. You can then use this information to determine what habits you need to kick, and which lifestyle changes you should implement to help you be the very best version of you.
To truly celebrate World Health Day, we’re slashing £75 off our Everyman | Everywoman, Discovery & Everyathlete Plus services that include DNA Nutrition & Lifestyle from 7th-30th April when using code WHD24.
Soon, we’ll also be offering this test from the comfort of your house, so watch this space.
For more information on this, or any of our other tests, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our through our socials, or by filling in our contact form here. Happy World Health Day!