How Genetic Testing Informs Nutrition Choices Ep 84

Genetic testing is revolutionizing how we approach nutrition, offering insights that empower individuals to make personalized dietary choices. This episode dives into critical topics like methylation, inflammation, detoxification, and cardiovascular health, explaining how understanding your genetic makeup can inform more effective and tailored nutrition strategies.

• Exploring the benefits of genetic testing for personalized nutrition
• Understanding methylation and its role in cellular repair
• The impact of inflammation on health and nutrition choices
• Detoxification processes and their significance in health
• Cardiovascular insights through genetic analysis
• Nutrient absorption and metabolism informed by genetics
• Energy regulation and appetite influenced by genetic factors
• Introducing the Longevity Nutrition Coaching program 
• Encouraging proactive health choices through genetic insights

Experience the breakthrough when everything finally clicks! Train with expert coaches, fuel with incredible chef-prepared meals, and connect with athletes who love triathlon as much as you do. Join us April 22–26 at beautiful Lake Jocassee for four unforgettable days of swim, bike, run, learning, and community. Spots are almost full: Reserve yours here.

Transcript

Speaker 1 1:34

Hello and welcome back to the Find your Edge podcast. I am your host, coach Chris Newport, and today we are talking all about how genetic testing impacts nutrition choices. So this has been an absolute game changer for me and our company, as well as how I use this in terms of my own personal training and nutrition and supplement choices, as well as for our athletes and folks who just come into our practice and do this genetic testing so that they can make more impactful and educated choices. So if you're watching this on YouTube, this is new and educated choices. So if you're watching this on YouTube, this is new. So I'm sure that my social media gal, carly, will be so proud of me. Look at me. I actually, like, did my hair y'all. So if you're watching this on YouTube, hi.

Speaker 1 2:29

So anyway, if you are not which I'm assuming most of you are probably listening let's get into the good stuff about how to unlock the secrets of your DNA for better health choices. So, first and foremost, this is all about empowerment. That's part of our mission at the Endurance Edge, but genetic testing has benefits beyond just what you might think of being ancestry and disease identification. This really helps us to make informed diet and lifestyle choices that are optimized for your unique genetic makeup. Why is this important? Because then you don't necessarily have to listen to what's on TikTok, instagram and the latest fad on the news. I'm not saying you have to ignore them necessarily, but we're all guilty of shiny object syndrome. In fact, I just had somebody this morning who sent me a link to something she's getting in her Instagram feed of some sort of gummy creatine or something like that, which you know we get squirreled a lot. I get that because everything looks shiny. It's like, oh well, should I do that for me and this will help you make those informed choices so that you don't have to get squirreled so frequently and then you can be comfortable and confident in the choices you make.

Speaker 1 3:48

If I could tell you the number of people who have brought me gobs of supplements for which they don't even know what they do, so they really have no idea why they're taking them, but they're just like oh yeah, my neighbor takes this, or I saw this on Instagram, so I take this, I. That blows my mind. You guys like I. Really. It's just so hard for me to comprehend that we would take something religiously on a on a regular basis that we don't even know what it's for. So this helps you dial in what are the things that you really should be focused on and what are the things that you can, just you know, go by the wayside. So I'm hoping also that maybe we're saving you some money here, but it also is a great way to have some gene insights into the function of your various genes and how that impacts not only nutrition and supplement choices If you choose to take supplements I'm not saying you have to, I hope that everybody eats real food but also impacting your health and exercise and other types of wellness choices, right? So that's what we're all about is empowering you to make informed choices about your lifestyle, nutrition, exercise and supplements. So some of the things that you'll get in the genetic testing that we use, which we use a company called 3x4 Genetics. I've done a couple of podcasts with the creator, yael Jaffe, and I will link to those because they are fantastic and also she has an absolutely beautiful South African accent, which is neither here nor there, but she's insanely brilliant and just wonderful to talk to. So I hope that you guys will go back and listen to those. But some of the insights and the way that they have.

Speaker 1 5:27

The report organized is into different categories. So this particular category, this particular test, organizes them by cellular. So that's methylation. I'll explain these more, so hang tight with me If you're like I don't even know what word just came out of her mouth Methylation, inflammation, oxidative stress and detoxification. There's also categories of cardiovascular health, a bunch of different nutrients which of course you know, being a dietician, those I love to nerd out on those. I wish I had this like since I became a dietician, because it's so insightful and it helps us to not guess. We can get super specific in terms of recommending various types of foods, functional foods and or supplements that are going to be right for you. Other things that the test does is it categorizes it into systems, which includes memory and brain health, hormone health, glucose and insulin, mood and behavior, bone health, collagen and joints, histamine tolerance, and then another category, or categories are two of my favorites, which they like to call energy and activity, aka metabolism and exercise. So you know two of my specific favorites. So the reason why they do this is sort of chunking them together, because it helps to sort of clear your mind in and make it a little bit more easier, a little bit simpler to digest. Also, food puns are great, so that's why they do it and it also helps us when we're explaining it to make it easier to understand.

Speaker 1 7:14

So, first and foremost, because you were I'm sure you were like what word did? She just say Methylation. That is a term and if you're watching this on YouTube, you can see this relay runner and Yael talks about that quite a bit in terms of methylation. So it refers to the processes involved in repairing cells, synthesizing new DNA and maintaining optimal cellular function. So genetic testing can provide insights into how effectively those methylation processes are operating. So you might just need a little bit of support so that that relay can be much more efficient and operate in the way that it actually should. So you don't necessarily need to know. You know we're not going to quiz you on what is methylation, but just know that your relay runners need to be doing their thing appropriately so that you have really fantastic cellular function. So, for example, you might need some methylated vitamins or choosing certain types of foods that will help you with this methylation process and we help you do all of that right.

Nutrition Genetic Testing Insights and Recommendations

Speaker 1 8:26

So another category that genetic testing looks at so that you can make more informed nutrition choices is inflammation. This one holy cosmolies gets totally tossed around in all different kinds of ways, but it really and truly is a process that is designed to heal you. So it's the body's natural response that plays a role again in healing. So when it's chronic, that's the problem. So when we get to higher levels of chronic inflammation that can lead to autoimmune conditions, that can lead to, um, uh, anything with an itis at the end. So, for example, bursitis, arthritis, and that is aside from something like you know, like I'm swinging a tennis racket over and over and over again. We might have some mechanical inflammation as well, but this is systemic, internal inflammation that we can help address through nutrition, lifestyle and supplement choices. So that's one of the things we look at. Another one, in terms of the cellular processes are, is oxidative stress, and I have a little picture of like a rusty nail here, because that's kind of what it would look like on the inside. In a way. It's kind of like your, your cells kind of rusting, and that's a very simplified version. I know y'all are super smart, so I apologize for that, but for the purposes of this podcast, just trying to keep it kind of simple and this is again something that we want to try to prevent. So how can we prevent that? And it absolutely can be through nutrition, lifestyle and supplement choices.

Speaker 1 10:12

Another one that we do from a cellular perspective detoxification. This is another term that I feel like it's way over used. You know, like, oh, we're going to go detox in my you know juice fast. Like, oh, dear Lord, please don't do that, because we actually need protein to detoxify, and if you're doing a juice fast, then that's not going to help you much and that's not going to help you much. There is a picture of a woman who's sweating in this detoxification slide. If you're watching this. We detox through our sweat. We detoxify through our urine, through our feces, a little bit through our respiration as well. So those are all things so like pooping y'all.

Speaker 1 10:56

I know that you've probably heard me say it again, but if you haven't, I'm going to repeat myself. I hope you are pooping every day. We gotta do it so, and the reason why I say that and, um, you know, I don't mind being like my middle school aged kids and talking about poop is that I have had so many clients who come to me and they were never taught about what their body is supposed to do properly as a kid, and that's. I'm not blaming anybody or faulting anyone, but if we don't understand how our bodies work on a on a regular basis, then how are we supposed to help it? So I've had so many clients who have come to me and they were like oh yeah, you know, I wouldn't poop for like three or four days in a row and I just thought that was normal and absolutely not. That is not normal.

Speaker 1 11:47

So then having to go through the process of okay, what's going on? Um, regular urination you should be urinating every you know three to four hours for sure and getting like, front loading your hydration Anyway, I'm going too far down into the weeds, but just wanting to help you understand that analyzing specific genes can provide insights into your cellular detoxification efficiency and give you some areas for improvement. So this might be exposure to various toxins, it might be a water system, it might even be related to your job. So my husband is a firefighter and we've done his job, we've done his genes and looking at some of his detox genes, it's probably not the greatest job for him. So trying to reduce levels of exposure to toxins as much as possible and supporting him through food and supplements and getting you know, getting a sweat on is going to be really important. So that's detoxification.

Speaker 1 12:54

Another category that 3x4 genetics looks at so that you can make informed nutrition choices is cardiovascular. Heart disease is still the number one killer of Americans. That still exists. The way that they break them down in the 3x4 genetic test is into blood clotting, cholesterol, vascular health and blood pressure cholesterol, vascular health and blood pressure. So highlighting different genetic effects that may relate to any of those categories and hopefully preventing being able to better prevent strokes, heart attacks, just make better dietary choices and reveal some insights, like, for example, with blood pressure. I've seen this with several people and you know, when I was going through my internship to become a dietitian, you know everybody who had hypertension would get put on a you know, two gram sodium diet or one gram sodium diet or whatever, in order to help reduce their blood pressure. Well, some people's genes will not respond to that, so it's not an appropriate pathway for everyone if they have hypertension. That being said, you might say be high impact for blood pressure and your blood pressure might be perfectly fine. So that goes into epigenetics and how. This is just your blueprint and it's a matter of whether certain genes are going to get turned on or turned off in life, right, but why not have this information to better empower yourself so that you know how to make those good, healthy choices?

Speaker 1 14:33

So another one of the categories that they focus on is nutrients, and, as you might imagine, this is one of my favorite categories. So looking at how well does your body absorb and metabolize various nutrients. So some of them are caffeine, iron, fatty acids, choline which has made a massive impact in terms of the supplement choices that I have made, because that's one of my high impact opportunities is choline. Folate, gluten, vitamin D salt, vitamin C and vitamin B12 are the highlighted nutrients. So then we can get a little bit more precision nutrition when it comes to dialing in what supplements, if you're taking any or if you are interested in taking any to optimize your genetics, we can get way more precise in terms of what's going to be a good fit for you.

Speaker 1 15:30

I will also say that we've had several people come through this program and been flagged for. The genetic makeup that is present in 95% of people with celiac disease Does not mean that they have celiac disease, but it's one of those like hey, I probably need to be really careful about some of my lifestyle and nutrition choices so as to make sure that I'm keeping that at bay and then also knowing what to look for and what tests to get if we were to follow up on a sort of medical diagnosis of celiac disease. Similarly, we've had several people come through who had no idea that they had the HFE gene, which is the iron storage gene, and actually have hemochromatosis. So that needs additional medical follow-up, which is pretty fascinating that we were able to sort of flag those things for folks and be able to have additional care as it relates to that. So and you know everybody's talking about vitamin D, for example, and how everybody needs vitamin D there is a popular supplement company out there. I won't say their name, but they give you a free vitamin D for a year or whatever if you buy their special supplement greens pack, et cetera, et cetera, and that is like nails on a chalkboard to me.

Speaker 1 17:01

Not everyone should be taking vitamin D. End of story, full stop. And that goes pretty much, for I cannot say that everyone on the planet should be taking a certain type of supplement. That is incredibly irresponsible of me and I also kind of think it's irresponsible of others, certainly if they're not in the healthcare fields. Now, I know that a lot of you'll get a lot of commercials from various you know influencers or podcast owners or whatever who are just selling a you know they're selling the whatever product, but a health care provider. I cannot under good conscience say that everybody should be taking a certain type of supplement. It is so, and because, honestly, because of this, because there's so much that goes into your lifestyle, your dietary habits and how you absorb and metabolize various nutrients, that we really should have our own personalized formula so that we don't overdose on anything. And when you can overdose on vitamin D, absolutely, it's generally pretty rare and it tends to be much more dangerous in an older population, so like 65 plus.

Personalized Genetic Testing for Health

Speaker 1 18:16

But anyhow, that's also one of the things that we teach you as part of this testing process is what are the labs that you should do in conjunction with your genetics and then what you and your physician have discussed in terms of things that you need to track. So, for example, it can be vitamin D, it can be magnesium, it can be B12. And little side note, pro tip, if you are taking any sort of B vitamins and this is not medical advice, so please discuss with your healthcare provider. But just a little pro tip your B vitamins can throw off your blood levels, so I typically suggest to my clients that they take two to three days without them. So you get a quote, unquote, a clean read or a more honest read in terms of your B12 and your folate. Those you can do through the regular doctor. We also do micronutrient tests through micronutrient testing at our office, but that's a little bit of a different ball game.

Speaker 1 19:22

But at least we're focused here on genetic tests. So another category that this genetic test focuses on is what I had told you before energy, aka metabolism. I love, love, love this category, the energy, as well as the activity category, because again, it's metabolism and exercise which are again two of my favorite things. So genetic testing helps reveal information about yourself that can assist in weight management, in inflammation, so some of your fat cells may be more likely to become inflamed and how well do you store fat? So adipogenesis is the name of that one Appetite. This is a massive one.

Speaker 1 20:13

I feel like so many people will get some level of validation. They're like oh my gosh, I feel like I could eat all the time it's like, well, yeah, your genes are supporting that notion. And then there's some people who are like, forget to eat sometimes and again their genes are supporting that. So, looking at how some of the genetics relate to leptin and ghrelin and that whole process of stimulating or reducing your appetite, then we also look at your energy expenditure at rest, aka your resting metabolic rate and your ability to use fat as an energy source during exercise. So I like to see what's going on from a genetic perspective with this category and I also love to compare it to what's actually happening now by comparing that in our metabolic testing facility to actually look at what is your RMR and what is your exercise caloric use or substrate use during exercise, both at easy, easy peasy, lemon squeezy paces, and then fast or super hard energy intensities, because that will dictate whether you do the metabolic testing or not. I mean, obviously I love doing the testing on folks and giving them that information to give them control of what their exercise choices are. But that's the true magic in this is seeing like, oh, I'm not crazy and I don't have to. You know, skimp on calories all the time or beat myself up, for you know, trying to chew gum more, walk around the block more because you know I'm trying not to eat. This really gives some answers and some validation and some more information to you to make those better health choices. So I love that category.

Speaker 1 22:13

Another category that helps with making informed choices for your health and whether nutrition or otherwise, is activity, and again this is exercise, so it can look at your fitness levels and your potential. So it looks at endurance, so that could be, like you know, running or cycling or whatever, and then strength-focused exercises like, or cycling or whatever, and then strength focused exercises, like you know, power movements, sprinting, weightlifting, and then understanding the genetic factors that will help with your bone and joint health and then also with injury prevention. So we'll oftentimes have this information for our coaches when we're doing our one-on-one running and multi-sport training plans. Like, hey, this person really struggles with their injury prevention or their recovery that's another part of this category and making sure that they're getting their recovery assistance through appropriate programming that our coaches can do for our athletes so that they can reach their goals faster, like, why would you want to bury yourself? You know, we all kind of think we have this like notion in our head that the person who trains the most will be the best and, when we look at this, that could be incredibly unwise for you if your recovery needs are super high and your injury prevention is high. So can we be a little bit more or a lot more specific in terms of how to program your workouts to allow you to rest and recovery, rest and recover so that you get the appropriate amount of overload, and overload leads to breakdown and then you go rest and have your good nutrition and your good supplements and off we go to getting better, to improving right. So I know that you can't see this if you're listening, but this is, and you'll be able to see this on the link in the show notes. But when you do this genetic testing, you get a PDF that is securely delivered to you through our HIPAA compliant portal when you do the actual education on your genetic test.

Speaker 1 24:32

This is a picture of the interactive version. I freaking love this, you guys. So it shows that there are 36 different pathways. We can sort by the impact, and what impact is is, in this particular case of the person that I took this screenshot of. There are three pieces on the screen that have, like little metals, three categories that have or pathways that have this little metal to it. So the way that three by four genetics does this is they take your top three categories that are the most impactful. So in other words, you are in the driver's seat of being able to impact your health outcomes by working on those top three more specifically so you can see the ones that are flagged there.

Speaker 1 25:25

And then the other thing I can do when I'm in a session when we screen share, is that I can click on each one of those and then it drops down to provide specific recommendations. It drops down to also show the specific genes that are associated with that category, and some of them have impact. So they use the language of color in their reports, so purple being the highest impact and green being the lowest impact. And there are 135 different genes that are tested and some of them again are low impact. So they're kind of like no, they're here nor there. Some of them are what they call protective and they have like a little shield next to them and those are some good guys that are helping you out. Some of them they refer to as pop stars. So this is kind of like genes that have a little bit of extra research and oomph behind them to be able to make better informed choices. So it's just really neat when you look at the test in this interactive way so that people can again better understand themselves.

Speaker 1 26:32

So another thing that we have put together after doing so many of these genetic tests is that we put all this information about all the different categories that I just mentioned into basically a module or a course type of format, if you will. So if you're watching, you can kind of see a little bit about what it kind of looks like. And what's neat is that we also have some amazing recipes that associate with different pieces of the puzzle. So what I have on the screen right now is like systems category collagen and joints. So if you open that, you're going to learn all about collagen and joints and be able to, and it also tells you where to look for it on your report. And then looking at the each different SNP or single nucleotide that you can look at as well as that you can look at as well as okay, if you need some additional support in this category, here are recipes that are going to help you out. So same kind of thing with histamine overload. That's probably a little bit more of a complicated one Blood sugar and insulin same kind of thing there. You'll open it up and find different meal plans and associated recipes that you can download and use and keep for those various categories. And then, in addition, we also have a whole section just dedicated to good quality supplements.

Speaker 1 28:04

As some of you probably know, I'm a stickler on supplements. I already had my little soapbox moment a little while ago, so I won't subject you to that again. But getting more into what are the high priority, high quality things that you can do oh, I'm sorry, soapbox moment please, for the love of all things, holy, do not order your supplements on Amazon. Okay, I'm done with that. I will give you a link for our Fullscript account if you want to look at that. But as part of being part of this program which I'm about to introduce you to, you do actually get 15% off of Fullscript supplements, which is kind of nice that you at least know that you're getting good quality healthcare provider brands that are going to serve you in the best way possible.

Longevity Nutrition Coaching Program Introduction

Speaker 1 28:52

So genetic testing I do want to test on like well, how does that actually work? So when you give us your shipping information, we order your blueprint what they like to call their three by four genetic blueprint and then three by four genetics ships it directly to you. When it gets to your door, which is usually in a couple of days, you register the kit online, you collect the DMNA sample that is with just a I like to call it like a really aggressive cheek swab and then you put it back in the container and shipment is covered and it ships back to the lab. It's processed at the lab and your blueprint or your PDF is created and then that is sent to us through our HIPAA-compliant portals, so it's not shared with everybody like some other DNA companies. That I cannot say the same about, which is one of the reasons why we chose this company, is because they really are sticklers for health and privacy health information, that is, and privacy.

Speaker 1 29:56

So then we get your blueprint and then we give you a link to go over the results with your client and, like I had just told you about, we do that interactive version and I also collect some information on you as a person what's your current lifestyle look like, what are the current things that you take in terms of supplements, and when you walk away from this session, you're going to get what we call a protocol, any links to specific supplements, if we discuss them and if there's something that you're going to be compliant about. It's not like I just look at somebody's results and then I just create them a supplement protocol. Um, I have some people who just don't do well with swallowing pills. I have some people who won't will absolutely not do liquid forms. Um, they don't want to take a certain number of pills or, um, they might be a little bit more sensitive to certain types of things. So all of that we take into account. We create you that specific protocol.

Speaker 1 30:54

So it's got supplements. It's got if are necessary and indicated. It's got specific foods that are going to be important for you. It might have some recipe plans or meal plans or suggestions in terms of different categories that you might need to focus on in terms of food. There's going to be lifestyle suggestions in there as well, and then, as part of our program, you also get access to what are the certain types of labs that you're going to need to follow up on with your healthcare provider so that you've got your trends, so that you can stay on top of your health.

Speaker 1 31:29

So I absolutely love doing this genetic testing. It really is such an eye-opener in terms of helping people to make more educated choices. So, for example, we've got one gal who says that she now eats more fish and nuts and healthy oils and avoids pesticides and toxins in plastic containers. She also eats more cruciferous vegetables, legumes and grass-fed meats. She takes her B vitamins on the regular Her omega supplements and zinc supplement are really crucial for her and broccoli sprouts, which I swear if you go into this program you'll hear me say broccoli about 65 million times most likely. So understanding the unique program protocol is really the cool part about making sure that you get genetic testing. So, on all of that and hopefully I didn't speak too quickly you guys are going to have to send me some feedback If you ever think that I'm going too quickly or too slowly or need to enunciate my words a little bit better. I would love to be better for you so that I can better serve you.

Speaker 1 32:35

So, anyhow, all of this ties into our genetic testing for making healthy nutrition choices as part of our longevity nutrition coaching program that we've been doing for a while, but now we're sort of quote unquote officially launching it, if you will. So it is a program that helps people sustain a healthy diet that supports their active lifestyle and unique needs, using practical tools, accountability, genetic testing, community and expert coaching. So, for example, we just had a coaching call this morning. That was a 15-minute accountability call. It's a great opportunity. I feel like those are so amazing that we just integrated since beginning of January, because it just gives people just enough time to just kind of pop in just for a second and just get a little bit of extra support on mindset, on maybe a specific goal that they may be shooting for for the week, or making sure they've got a meal plan together, and if nobody has any questions, then we're going to dive into a more specific topic. Perhaps that we can finish in 15 minutes. So that's a really great one.

Speaker 1 33:44

The community is awesome, a great place to share recipes, to cheer each other on, to high-five each other, to guide us, guide each other through you know, having some tough times or maybe needing some support. That's what we're here for. And then, as you saw, you get access to tons of different modules. That, basically, is my life's work as an exercise and a nutrition professional that I found myself repeating to clients over and over and over again and I was like why don't I put this into sort of like a book format? So it's kind of like in a module format of our unique nutrition approach. That is all about mastering the basics. This is not about like I don't expect you to be like making your own kimchi, necessarily. If you do, fantastic. But we all got to start somewhere in terms of our health and wellness journey.

Speaker 1 34:38

So, like I said, this includes our genetic testing, this amazing community. You'll get expert coaching from me on a weekly basis, as well as a more in-depth monthly call that we'll do relating to some sort of genetic topic. That's when you can get out your PDF. That's when we can even use you as an example, as somebody who is okay with sharing their genetic information. And then we all get to dive into a certain category of the genetic test and learn more about it and how it more specifically impacts you. So it's really fun to see how you and others are dealing with or what's going on with their genetics. It's just so fun.

Speaker 1 35:20

So, in addition to this and this is part of genetic testing, right so like one that I can sit there and say that you need to eat Brussels sprouts or broccoli sprouts every single day and, trust me, I've had plenty of people who are like, please do not make me eat another broccoli sprout because it just ain't going to happen. That's okay, I can tell you to do those things or I can suggest them to you, but if you're not actually following through on that or able to execute on it, what are some other ways around? And that's really what this longevity coaching program is about, because it's a year-long commitment. It includes a genetic test and a private session with me directly, as well as these accountability calls, the community. You get access to thousands of recipes, literally.

Speaker 1 36:05

But this is also about long-term behavior change, psychology, so developing a positive relationship with food and, trust me, I will call you out on your language in a hot second so that we can really have this sustainable weight management and overall health. This is something that I hear from my folks all the time. I really want a sustainable eating plan. I can't go on another diet and that's a little bit of a dirty word in our community and I actually did a podcast on that, like diet culture, so I encourage you to listen to that. So, anyway, I wanted to introduce you to that Longevity Nutrition Coaching Program.

Speaker 1 36:45

You can save your spot and we've got some availability right now. So it's at the enduranceedgecom forward slash longevity and if you use the code genetics all capital 2025, by February 25th so by the end of this month, if you're listening to this in 2025, in February you get to save $200 when you pay in full. All the information is on the website. There's a little QR code if you're watching and want to scan that. So, again, it's at the enduranceedgecom forward slash longevity, where you will get that genetic testing and a private session with me so that you can make sure, and this ongoing sort of format so that you can really be informed, make better health choices and longevity, start your journey towards more longevity and more educated and empowered longevity. So I am excited to see you in there.

Speaker 1 37:42

Like I said, the endurance edgecom forward slash longevity and we look forward to seeing you in then. And hey, I hope this helped in terms of giving you some insights into how genetic testing can help you make better choices, more informed choices, kind of dial things in a little bit more. I appreciate you listening or watching, depending on how you were doing that and again, check us out theenduranceedgecom forward slash longevity. I hope to see you over there. It's so fun, it's amazing. You guys are awesome. Thanks again for listening and I will catch you next time. Thanks, guys.