Through a genetic DNA fitness test carried out in a specialized laboratory, intolerances to gluten, and lactose, the possibility of developing celiac disease, a certain type of diabetes, or hereditary heart problems can be identified. Also, identify rare diseases to arrive at an early diagnosis.

Genes give us our personal seals, they make each person carry a unique code that will accompany them throughout their lives. For many, the genetic load with which we are born is only responsible for those physical or emotional characteristics inherited from the parents. However, the power of genes is much more encompassing.

Human beings are the result of the interaction that occurs between our genes and environmental factors. That's why, By knowing the genetic load of each individual, it is possible to understand how our body responds to different environmental factors. Through this information, the possibility of reducing the development of the most common diseases is opened.

In dialogue with HealthCodesDNA, the doctor in chemistry, Adrián Turjanski, maintained that among the benefits of knowing the individual genetic load, it stands out to be able to choose which is the most effective diet according to our DNA.“How many times does one see that the diet that works for a friend does not work for us? Each person is unique, like their DNA, and through that information, a food plan can be personalized," says Turjanski, who is also a researcher at Conicet, a professor at the UBA, and a scientific advisor at the Bitgenia company, dedicated to medicine. of precision.

From all this, it can be concluded that genetics is not so conditioning and unmodifiable after all, but rather environmental factors greatly influence our genes”, add.

In the vast majority of diseases, genetic factors together with environmental factors determine whether or not to develop a condition and not genes alone. And among these factors, food has a very strong weight.

“Through studying a person's DNA, among other things, more than 600 so-called rare or infrequent diseases could be diagnosed (when it affects 1 person in 2,000), the vast majority of which have a genetic origin, avoiding diagnostic times that In general, they take between 5 and 10 years, known as the 'diagnosis odyssey'. Early diagnosis in some cases offers therapies to cure the disease, delay its manifestation or reduce some of the symptoms”, adds Turjanski.

And the specialist adds: “We must not underestimate the relief of patients and their families when they know what they are suffering from. When we say preventive in this case, we mean that it is also possible to know for two parents, if they have the possibility of transmitting any of these 600 diseases to their children, which can be prevented. If people read their DNA, in many cases they could avoid having children with these diseases that are so difficult to carry or diagnose very quickly.”

The links between diet and genetics

Each of the cells of the body has 23 pairs of chromosomes in its nucleus, if we zoom in we will see a chain in the form of a helix, and when studying it in depth, gene sequences can be observed. All our information is encoded in these DNA nutrition test genes to produce proteins with fundamental functions such as: determining the color of hair, and eyes, forming enzymes for digestion, hormones, etc.

That unique genetic sequence of each person contains an enormous amount of information: it is estimated that there are around 35,000 genes with different functions and that each cell in its nucleus contains 2 meters of DNA. To put it simply, if we could string together the DNA from every single cell in our body it would be long enough to circle the sun twenty times.

Returning to the link between this genetic information and food, it is first necessary to remember that nutrition is not just a matter of macro and micronutrients or calories. "Today, it is known that the nutrients in food not only provide energy in the form of calories but also that the nutrients interact with the genes of each person," says Turjanski.

And he exemplifies: “If we take chocolate as an example, after eating it, the person will increase blood sugar. This increase will be identified by the pancreas and genes will be activated to manufacture the hormone insulin and thus counteract the sugar. In turn, other genes will be activated to produce hormones that give us a feeling of satiety, such as leptin, to tell us when we should stop eating.

Therefore, food not only provides energy but is also a carrier of information, because once they enter our body, they activate a large number of genes from different organs to digest and metabolize nutrients. Namely, the nutrients we eat are interacting with our DNA.