A couple of months ago I got to do something really cool.. I had my DNA tested with dnaPower. Getting your DNA tested provides you with your unique DNA makeup.
I’ve always said that we must listen to our bodies and not follow others people’s diets or jump onto trends hoping for a magic bullet. The reason being is that we are all so different and that’s thanks to our DNA. The reports reflect your genetic predisposition for different aspects of your health. Your ultimate health will be determined by factors such as diet, exercise, sleep, stress and environment, building on this DNA blueprint.
WHY DNA IS IMPORTANT
“DNA is our personal biological roadmap. It guides the development and func oning of our bodies. DNA sequences, known as genes, contain gene c markers that di er among people. dnaPower’s gene c tes ng zeros in on speci c genes and gene c markers that have been scien cally proven to impact health, nutri on, tness, and disease and that may vary between people.
HOW GENETIC VARIATIONS CAN IMPACT YOUR HEALTH
Hereditary and environmental factors can cause gene c varia ons or muta ons in your DNA. Some muta ons have minimal e ects, while others may alter a gene in such a way that its func on is changed or lost. When this occurs, there is a risk that your gene may not function at an optimum level.
HOW YOUR DNA RESULTS CAN HELP YOU
Your dnaPower results provide a snapshot of selected genetic variations that have been proven through scientific studies to impact your health. By knowing your genetic variations, you can learn where you may be predisposed to good or poor health related traits. By understanding this information, you can take proactive steps to enhance your wellbeing. The good news is that through healthy diet, nutrition and exercise, you can change or improve how your DNA functions.” -DNA POWER
So before I get into my reports and how they affected my lifestyle let me start by saying it can be a bit scary and is a calculated decision to open up this can of worms and learn about your DNA. DNA doesn’t lie. So learning that you have a predisposition to alzheimer’s, heart disease or learning more about your genetics and where you come from can feel like a lot of weight to bear. I would encourage anyone thinking about doing this to really think about their why before diving in.
Taking this test is a great step towards preventative health. dnaPower has available consultants to work with you after your results come back to sit down and go over your results so that you can make the recommended shifts in your fitness, nutrition and lifestyle routines for optimal health…according to your own DNA. HOW COOL IS THAT?!
Ok, back to my experience.
The test itself is so easy. You swap the cotton tip from your test kit on the inside of your cheek and send it back in their prepaid envelope. The whole process of taking the test takes less than 10 minutes.
Then it’s the waiting game. Results are to be expected within 1-3 weeks.
When they are ready, they send them to you by email. The results are quite extensive and the reports are long (which is amazing) but I do suggest waiting until you get home so you can properly read and digest the results instead of checking them in the grocery lineup:)
MY RESULTS
Interestingly, most of my results came back as I suspected. My body burns fat well, utilizes carbs properly and needs a little bit more protein. I need to be careful with caffeine but all my insulin, cholesterol and vitamin levels were great. Nothing really stood out or was cause for great concern.
I also loved learning some things I was already intuitively aware of like the fact that I am more of a endurance athlete over a power lifter or sprinter. My ligament and muscle strength is a bit lax which is mostly likely to explain my back issues and I am prone to inflammation in my body.
There was a couple variations that shocked me… I have a 100% variation on the DNA that governs heart disease and stroke. Yes, I did know that this disease runs in my family and was already anxious of having heart issues. Omg what does this mean? Am I destined to die fro ma stroke?
This is where Natalie from DNA Power came into help!
YOUR CONSULTATION
After you receive your results and have had time to go over and process it all, you can book in with one of the consultants from the dnaPower team to help understand your results and talk about lifestyle changes that could benefits your unique results. I found this so helpful and reassuring!
Natalie was able to ease my worries and reassure me that my results were not a diagnoses. Yes, I am more at risk for heart disease and stroke, but this is actually empowering information! This knowledge guide me in making good lifestyle choices that will support my specific DNA.
dnaPower VS 23andMe
I wanted to share with you how dnaPower’s test compares to 23andMe DNA test.
23andme is a more affordable test, $200 and focuses on the traits you may have like dimples, colour hair and taste aversions. And although it was accurate, I found a lot of the information fairly useless! I mean how does knowing I am more likely to have curly hair guide me on my health journey?
The actual health traits were limited, they test for celiac, parkinsons, alzheimers, and a few others but not nearly as in depths or comprehensive as the dnapPower tests!
23andme also focuses on your ancestry and origins. I did love seeing that I’m 53% Irish and that my DNA line goes back 14000 years. There is also an option to find relatives with 23andme and since they have a large database of users, that might be a draw as well. (I opted to not open that door just yet but will always have that option).
dnaPower really tests so much more and gives you a detailed profile of your health by looking at your DNA and how it pertains to nutrition, fitness, hormones, diseases, inflammation and your detoxifying systems of the body. It covers your genetic composition in all areas of health and wellness!
CONCLUSIONS
So how do I feel after learning so much about my DNA? EMPOWERED!
I want to know that the healthy lifestyle choices I am making are supporting my DNA. My meditation, plant-based diet and active lifestyle all play a roll in optimizing my health. I am so grateful to have this knowledge and data:)
USE MY CODE ‘BENATURALLYFIT’ to take $100 dollars off your DNA test with DNApower