It’s in Your Genes!
Dr. John Young – Ask the Doctor
The other day someone mentioned to me how my sisters and I look alike since we all have certain Scandinavian physical qualities. I agreed but said we sure are different when it comes to our personalities and even our health. The more I have been studying the science of genetics and how genes are the basic building blocks of our cells and how they work, the better I understand how siblings can be very different. The three of us all grew up together in the same environment, same diet, stresses, and lifestyle and I have realized that it is our genes that make us unique individuals with our own unique personalities and our own chemistry. In a family, you can have some members that are severely gluten intolerant while another member of the family can eat all the wheat bread they want without a problem. It is because of our genetic makeup. believe that people tend to forget this as do doctors. What treatment works for someone may not work for you. An example of this is diet. This may be the reason you see so many diets advertised, because no diet works for everyone.
Cancer is another example. I saw a patient recently with a common cancer. He had surgery to remove all the cancer and did both chemo and radiation. He was told he was fine and that there were no cancer cells left in his body. Six months later he found out the cancer was spreading throughout his body. While reading the other day, a found that a certain type of breast cancer is found to have 139 genetic variations. I thought to myself that it is no wonder we are seeing more and more people who are finding that the treatment doesn’t always work because there are so many different genetic factors involved with our bodies and the diseases we have. A person came in to see me recently with a neurological and mental disorder. Anti-depressants were not helping. Everything the doctor tried failed. Alternative healthcare tried, also was withoutsuccess. Finally, someone looked at their genes. They have genetic malformation at MTHFR – A 1298 C, at TCN2 + VDR-TAQ. Even though all the labs said they were fine, the genes said otherwise. MTHFR-A1298C has to do with folate metabolisms in the body and brain. VDR-TAQ has to do with vitamin D metabolism. Once we knew this, we were able to make a huge difference in this person’s health. Knowing the genetic problem, we were able to bypass their mutation and resolve the problem.
Nutrigenomics is what we call the study of nutrition and genes. It can make a big difference in healthcare outcomes. Below are a number of genes that if they are not functioning properly can affect your health. Talk to your doctor as they should be able to explain all of this and get the correct treatment for you.
If you’re not getting better have your Doctor check these genes. Or feel free to call our office and schedule a visit and learn more.
Mthfr - Folate metabolism and homocysteine (If you have this defect it can explain why certain drugs that are commonly used will not work well for you. Such as birth control pills or certain drugs used in autoimmune diseases).
Fads2 - conversion of omega3 ALA into EPA
Fut2 - b12 absorption
Apoe-cholesterol transport, Alzheimer’s risk
Foxo3 - stress resistance and longevity
Nbpf3 - B6 plasma concentration
Bcmo1- conversion of beta carotene into vitamin A
Pemt - Phosphatidylcholine synthesis
Cyp2r1- conversion of Vitamin D2 into D3
Dr. John Young, MD
(727) 545-4600, Largo, FL
