How To Eat For Your Genes, From An Integrative Gastroenterologist

It feels like every day someone is telling us to eat this or to eat that, but how do you know if this or that is actually good for you? This can be a tough question to answer without the proper understanding of what your individual body needs. That's where precision medicine—what I consider the future of health care—comes into play.

Nutritional genetics tests are available through a variety of companies and can often cost under $300. Ask your primary care physician or gastroenterologist if they offer nutritional genetics testing, and check to see if it's covered by your insurance. While most insurance companies may not reimburse the test, if the cost is manageable for you, the information you will glean is well worth the price. The key is to make sure you get the test from a reliable company, focused on high-quality, evidence-based recommendations.

This is a gene that you may have heard of. It produces an enzyme called methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase1, an important enzyme for folate usage in the body. Variations in this gene can help determine how individuals use dietary folate.

This group of genes make proteins called the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) complex. They are responsible for differentiating the body's own proteins from foreign and possibly harmful proteins, via the immune system.

This is the gene for adenosine A2A receptor. It encodes for one of the main adenosine receptors, which has many functions in the body, including promoting sleep and calmness. Caffeine blocks adenosine receptors, which can cause stimulating effects. Those who have a mutation in this gene may be more likely to experience feelings of anxiety after caffeine intake4.

This is an important gene because it directs the body to produce the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), which plays a role in regulating blood pressure in the face of sodium intake5. Essentially, if you have a mutation in this gene, you are at greater risk of experiencing high blood pressure when you consume higher amounts of sodium.

There are so many amazing genes we can discover in simple nutritional genetics panels. The information you obtain from these tests can not only help you understand what your body needs and wants but also help you understand what your risks are for certain diseases, conditions, and nutritional deficiencies.

One of my regular (albeit, corny) sayings is if you don't know, then you don't know. If you don't know what your risk factors are for certain conditions, you are unaware of what to do in order to prevent or reduce the risk of developing those problems.