How blood test can help with dieting
Why do some people lose weight without much effort, while others can hardly lose even a few extra pounds and can’t give up calorie-dense foods? And some people eat whatever they want and don’t get fat?
The sciences provide the answers to these questions, which study the dependence of food digestion on hereditary factors and, conversely, the influence of dietary patterns and food composition on human genetics. The names of these sciences are nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics. What have they discovered?
How food affects genes
The genome does not change during life, but certain factors strongly influence the activity of individual genes. Editing genes is dangerous because it involves disrupting the sequence of DNA. Epigeneticists are conducting research in this area – they are figuring out how to influence genes in a way that does not interfere with their arrangement relative to each other and still correct their activity.
It turns out you can do this through food. Let’s say genetic tests show that a person is prone to diabetes. When a person is exposed to certain lifestyle factors, this disease will develop first, not gastritis or ulcers. However, this doesn’t guarantee that poor diet and bad habits won’t also provoke other conditions. It’s just that, in this case, there is a predisposition to diabetes.
Either a nutritionist, an endocrinologist, or a geneticist can develop a special menu for this person. It is only necessary for any specialists to have the required knowledge in genetics and use an individual approach to the patient’s treatment. If you are predisposed to iron deficiency, this is not a reason to eat meat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The main task is choosing a diet and determining how much it should contain foods with high iron content.
A blood test will help
First, about the blood type diet. It is based on the assumption that we feel best when we eat the same way as our ancestors with the corresponding blood type:
- Group 1 (0) – the diet followed by the first hunter-gatherers. They ate mostly by-products and seafood, fatty fish, and meat;
- Group 2 (A) – recommended food of our agricultural ancestors. These are legumes and lentils, cheeses, different kinds of fish, berries (cranberries, blueberries), herbal concoctions, tea and coffee;
- Group 3 (B) – eat like nomadic peoples. Root vegetables, broccoli and parsley are suitable, as well as rabbit meat, venison, lamb, black caviar and dairy products;
- Group 4 (AB) – followers of the “youngest” of our ancestors, so they are advised to include beans, olive oil, grapes, cherries, grapefruit, celery, milk, cottage cheese, sturgeon, mackerel, salmon, turkey and rabbit meat in their menu more often.
However, you must take one nuance into account: this kind of diet limits a person’s choice of products, so specific categories of people may lack, for example, vitamin B or fibre. So, an individual approach is required, and the menu selection is according to specific needs.
A blood test for biochemical indicators is equally informative. It will reveal available levels of cholesterol, glucose, and other substances, which, in turn, will help determine how much salt, iron, fibre, fat, and other nutrients to consume.
A food intolerance test lets you know what type of food a person produces more than the usual amount of antibodies, indicating excluding these products from the menu or reducing their share in the diet.
The saliva DNA test helps identify the body’s tendency to lack certain nutrients, which allows the doctor to design a diet in advance to prevent deficiencies.
Nutrients affecting genes
Folic acid
Optimal levels of folic acid are a good prevention of anaemia and neurological disorders. This potent B-complex vitamin (B9) enhances the body’s performance but is especially beneficial for the brain and memory. Look for this nutrient in beets, lentils, parsley, cauliflower, broccoli, turnips, asparagus, spinach, and beans.
Holin
It’s another representative of the B vitamins (B4). It contributes to the normal functioning of the musculoskeletal system, activates fat metabolism, participates in DNA synthesis, and supports the nervous system. It is most abundant in pulses and poultry, soy, cod, by-products (pork and beef liver, kidneys), and egg yolks.
Omega-3
It reduces “harmful” cholesterol, reduces the likelihood of heart attack and stroke, strengthens blood vessels, increases insulin sensitivity, fights inflammation, which is a good prevention of allergic reactions. Walnuts, sesame and flax seeds, broccoli, cauliflower, beans, and oily fish (tuna, salmon, mackerel) can help include omega-3 in the diet.
Fiber
Fibre serves as food for the intestinal microbiome, which means that the health of the microflora depends on its amount in the diet. When a person consumes little fibre, it impairs gastrointestinal function, weakens the immune system, causes weight gain, and increases the chance of vascular and heart disease. Still, over time it can also lead to the development of diabetes. Eat barley and wheat products, eggplant, beets, potatoes, carrots, bell peppers, Brussels sprouts, olives, and peas to avoid such risks.
Glucose
It would help if you were especially careful because excess glucose can be a consequence of diabetes and be an independent disease. And yet the body cannot do without glucose because it is the primary energy supplier of the body. It helps cope with stress and depressive symptoms, is necessary for the proper functioning of blood vessels and the heart, and takes an active part in metabolism.
If there is not enough glucose, the body begins to malfunction – the heart rate increases, and a person can not get rid of weakness and fatigue, complaining of constant headaches. Suitable suppliers of this nutrient are grapes, mangoes, chocolate (dairy or white chocolate is preferable as a source of glucose), corn, potatoes, white flour bread, bananas.
