I have always know that I have many super powers in my life. From being able to crush bugs without fear or being able to clean up after my dogs without gagging, and to have another super power that I didn’t even know is pretty amazing.
Back in May I went to a lecture about Functional Medicine and how nutrition impacts our bodies and genes. A wonderful lecture, and I could feel myself internally screaming “Preach it!!” to the presenters. As a dietitian I know how import food effects each system to each cell in your body, and know that with a few changes someone can feel better mentally and physically. After the lecture we all received an opportunity to test out a 23andMe kit. This kit can provide a personal map of your genome. It is a map of what makes you YOU.
After about a month I get a call from Dr. Kelly Heim from Pure Encapsulations, and he went over my results with their tools to find if my genes have any SNP’s. Needless to say I was a bit nervous that I was going to hear my genes are all backwards. SNP (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism ) are measurement of genetic variations.SNPs are one of the most common types of genetic variation. An SNP is a single base pair mutation at a specific location.
As Dr. Kelly was going over my results (left image) I had no red, phew. 
The red meant that my genes had a lot of SNP’s. The yellow mean that half of my genes are SNP’s, and the Green is all good!
Then Dr. Kelly came to MTHFR and MTR, both green and both part of activating B12. Bottom line, and confirmed by Dr. Kelly, that because I have no SNPs in these two ares I am a SPECIAL SNOWFLAKE! I am able to convert B12 to it’s active form no problem proving me with abundance of concentration and energy. Along with being able to help digest homocysteine with no issues.
What I learned during this process is how our genes continue to effect our nutritional absorption which can lead to further overall health and wellness.
Do you feel having a better understanding of your genetic make up would help your overall health? Feel free to leave a comment about your thoughts on this topic.
Adrien
Adrien Paczosa is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian practicing in Austin, Texas and the surrounding counties.
She is the owner and founder of I Live Well Nutrition her Dietitian practice which started in 2007 and serves clients in the Austin, Texas area in two locations. Fearless Practitioners, the division of her business that offers training to dietitians and wellness professionals.