Your Genes – Your Personal Health Blueprint

SmartDNA Genomic Wellness Testing at Mullen Health

We are all genetically different. This is one of the reasons why the same diet, supplement, exercise program or lifestyle approach can work extremely well for one person but may produce very different results for another.

The SmartDNA Genomic Wellness Test allows us to look more deeply at your individual genetic profile and identify areas where your body may have particular strengths, weaknesses or nutritional requirements.

Rather than guessing which diet or health strategy may suit you best, genetic testing can provide another layer of information that helps us develop a more personalised approach to your long-term health.

Peter Mullen, Mullen Health naturopath, in a client consultation – genetic testing and health assessment in Newcastle

What Can We Learn From Your DNA?

The SmartDNA test examines genetic variations involved in many important areas of health.

Could Gene Testing Be Relevant to You?

Gene testing may be particularly useful when you have ongoing symptoms or health concerns and want to understand some of the underlying genetic factors that may influence how your body responds to diet, nutrients, exercise and lifestyle.

Common areas where genomic information may provide useful additional insight include:

  • Difficulty losing weight or repeated weight regain
  • Insulin resistance, elevated blood sugar or metabolic syndrome
  • High cholesterol or triglycerides, or a family history of cardiovascular disease
  • Fatigue or low energy where nutritional requirements are being investigated
  • Elevated homocysteine or concerns around folate, B12 and methylation
  • Stress sensitivity, feeling wired or overwhelmed, or difficulty coping with stress
  • Sleep difficulties or changes in sleep, appetite and mood
  • Nutrient deficiencies or difficulty maintaining optimal nutrient levels
  • Inflammatory health patterns where diet and lifestyle modification are important
  • Questions about detoxification and antioxidant capacity
  • Different or unexpected responses to dietary fats, carbohydrates or caffeine
  • Difficulty finding the right eating pattern for weight and metabolic health
  • Understanding how exercise may influence weight, cholesterol and metabolic health

Importantly, gene testing does not diagnose these conditions or prove that your genes are the cause of your symptoms. Instead, it can provide another piece of the puzzle that we interpret alongside your symptoms, health history and pathology results.

What SmartDNA Genetic Testing Covers

Click each area below to read more.

Your genes can influence the way your body handles:

  • LDL cholesterol
  • HDL cholesterol
  • Triglycerides
  • Dietary saturated fats
  • Polyunsaturated fats
  • Omega-3 fats
  • Fat absorption
  • Cardiovascular risk factors
  • Your cholesterol response to exercise

This can help us better understand why cholesterol levels may differ considerably between people eating similar diets and help us personalise your nutritional approach.

The test examines genes involved in:

  • Insulin secretion
  • Pancreatic beta-cell function
  • Fasting glucose regulation
  • Insulin sensitivity
  • Metabolic syndrome
  • Type 2 diabetes susceptibility
  • Body weight and BMI

This information can be particularly useful when we are working on insulin resistance, elevated blood glucose, abdominal weight gain or metabolic health.

Some people are genetically more prone to producing a stronger inflammatory response than others.

Understanding your inflammatory genetics may help us determine where greater attention should be placed on:

  • Diet
  • Omega-3 intake
  • Antioxidants
  • Exercise
  • Weight management
  • Lifestyle and environmental factors

The aim isn’t to tell you that you will develop a particular condition, but rather to identify areas where preventative strategies may be especially valuable.

Methylation is involved in hundreds of processes throughout the body.

Your genetic results can provide information about pathways involved in:

  • Folate metabolism
  • Vitamin B12
  • Homocysteine metabolism
  • Methyl donor requirements
  • Cellular function

This allows us to consider whether your nutritional requirements may differ from those of another person.

Your genes can influence the way your body processes or utilises certain nutrients.

The SmartDNA report investigates areas including:

  • Vitamin B2
  • Vitamin B12
  • Vitamin C
  • Vitamin D
  • Vitamin E
  • Choline
  • Coenzyme Q10
  • Omega-3 and omega-6 fats

This information can be considered alongside your symptoms, diet and pathology results when developing your nutritional program.

We don’t all process environmental compounds in exactly the same way.

The test examines genes involved in:

  • Phase I detoxification
  • Phase II detoxification
  • Oxidative stress
  • Antioxidant defence

Understanding these pathways can help us identify where additional nutritional and lifestyle support may be appropriate.

One of the most interesting areas of genomic testing is understanding why maintaining a healthy weight can be easier for some people than others.

The report examines genetic factors associated with areas such as:

  • Appetite and satiety
  • Snacking tendencies
  • Food preferences
  • Metabolic rate
  • Response to dietary fats
  • Weight-loss resistance
  • Weight regain
  • Exercise response
  • Maintenance of weight loss

This allows us to move away from a completely one-size-fits-all approach to weight management.

Your genetics can also influence the way your body responds to physical and psychological stress.

The report investigates areas associated with:

  • Stress response
  • HPA-axis activity
  • Cortisol and ACTH responses
  • Neurotransmitter metabolism
  • Mood
  • Working memory
  • Sleep patterns
  • Seasonal changes in sleep, appetite and mood

These results can help us understand why some people may be more sensitive to stress or why sleep, exercise and lifestyle strategies can have different effects between individuals.

Your genes can even influence how your body responds to exercise.

Genetic information may help us better understand:

  • Cardiovascular responses to exercise
  • The effect of exercise on cholesterol
  • Weight-loss response to exercise
  • Exercise and metabolic health
  • Exercise requirements for maintaining weight loss

This can help us make your exercise recommendations more individual rather than simply prescribing the same program to everyone.

Your Genes Are Not Your Destiny

This is probably the most important point.

Finding a genetic variation does not mean you have a disease or that you will develop one.

Your genes represent part of your underlying biological blueprint.

Your diet, exercise, sleep, stress, environment, body composition and lifestyle all interact with that blueprint.

This interaction between genes, nutrition and lifestyle is where genomic testing becomes particularly useful.

How We Use Your Results at Mullen Health

We don’t simply hand you a large genetic report and expect you to interpret it yourself.

Your practitioner reviews your results in conjunction with your:

Symptoms + Health History + Pathology + Diet + Lifestyle + Genetic Profile

We can then identify the genetic findings that are actually relevant to you and use these to help personalise your health strategy.

The goal is not to treat a genetic result.

The goal is to better understand you.

One DNA Test. Information for Life.

Unlike many pathology tests, your underlying DNA sequence does not substantially change throughout your life.

Your genomic information can therefore provide insights that may continue to be useful as your health goals change over the years.

If you would like to know more about your individual genetic profile, speak with your Mullen Health practitioner about the SmartDNA Genomic Wellness Test.

Ready to explore genetic testing? Book an appointment or book a free consultation to talk it through with one of our practitioners.