Disclaimer: I've not been paid for this review but I have received a free DNA fitness test
One happy day a couple of months ago I got an email from Sophie at DNAfit offering me the chance to test out their premium diet and fitness DNA testing (the Fitness Diet Pro package).
Naturally being the geek I am, I jumped at the chance and said a resounding YES to Sophie's offer. Getting a glimpse of my biological road map was far too interesting to me to pass up! In return, I said I'd write a review for the product. So here we are - lets get to it!
Naturally being the geek I am, I jumped at the chance and said a resounding YES to Sophie's offer. Getting a glimpse of my biological road map was far too interesting to me to pass up! In return, I said I'd write a review for the product. So here we are - lets get to it!
What are genetics about?
Lets pause a second and just take a moment to orient ourselves. As I'm sure you'll remember, genes make up our DNA. DNA is the biological road-map our bodies use to make themselves - the way we look, behave, interact with our environment even the types of diseases we're susceptible to.
DNA is found in chromosomes which are in the nucleus of the cells that make up our bodies. Each chromosome (we get one from each of our parents, making up the pair that forms our DNA) keeps the DNA wrapped up tightly in our cells. Each section of DNA is known as a gene. This is where all of the basic info is kept.
DNA is a bit like a (really complicated) recipe for making a human, with the genes being the ingredients and the chromosome is the book it's in.
There are an estimated 24,000 genes in our genome, made up of 23 base pairs of chromosomes. Gentically we're all pretty much identical, but the ways in which the genes work in individuals, such as having recessive and dominant allelles (the gene bits you get from each parent) these are the phenotypes you see, for example having blue, brown or green eyes. In some cases there is also an interaction with the external environment - such as the way we believe intelligence works.
DNA is found in chromosomes which are in the nucleus of the cells that make up our bodies. Each chromosome (we get one from each of our parents, making up the pair that forms our DNA) keeps the DNA wrapped up tightly in our cells. Each section of DNA is known as a gene. This is where all of the basic info is kept.
DNA is a bit like a (really complicated) recipe for making a human, with the genes being the ingredients and the chromosome is the book it's in.
There are an estimated 24,000 genes in our genome, made up of 23 base pairs of chromosomes. Gentically we're all pretty much identical, but the ways in which the genes work in individuals, such as having recessive and dominant allelles (the gene bits you get from each parent) these are the phenotypes you see, for example having blue, brown or green eyes. In some cases there is also an interaction with the external environment - such as the way we believe intelligence works.
Who are DNAfit and what is their fitness test?
DNAfit's "blurb":
"Making a difference in society and to the people around us is imperative to success in business today. DNAFit is a UK based company, founded to make this difference through the commercialisation of niche medical technologies and developing a consumer understanding by removing the scientific jargon. The founders of the company have been involved in the DNA and Biochemical testing industries for over 15 years decade and have capitalised on this experience, to bring DNAFit to everyone – from absolute beginners to professional athletes."
DNAfit test for certain genes related to how you process nutrients and how well your body responds to exercise (you can read more about it here: http://dnafit.com/)
"Making a difference in society and to the people around us is imperative to success in business today. DNAFit is a UK based company, founded to make this difference through the commercialisation of niche medical technologies and developing a consumer understanding by removing the scientific jargon. The founders of the company have been involved in the DNA and Biochemical testing industries for over 15 years decade and have capitalised on this experience, to bring DNAFit to everyone – from absolute beginners to professional athletes."
DNAfit test for certain genes related to how you process nutrients and how well your body responds to exercise (you can read more about it here: http://dnafit.com/)
How did it work?
I received a very cool looking package in the post which looked a bit like this when I'd opened it up.
How did it work?
It was very simple to use. Take the cheek swab supplied, rub it around in your mouth (alongside your cheeks and gums) and pop it into the container supplied.
The thing to note is WHEN to do it: DNAfit advise that it should be done an hour after tooth brushing and you shouldn't eat or drink in that hour.
You then place it in the pre-paid envelope and pop it in the post!
The thing to note is WHEN to do it: DNAfit advise that it should be done an hour after tooth brushing and you shouldn't eat or drink in that hour.
You then place it in the pre-paid envelope and pop it in the post!
What did the results look like?
My results came through to my email address, linking me to this site - with my own username and password:
On the portal you're able to download your personal reports and in the second tier there is an interactive report function, which is pretty cool.
In the reports they test for fitness and diet markers in your DNA. I've included a couple of screenshots below, the first one shows a section of my fitness testing and the second is a portion of my diet testing.
As you can see below, the results are shown clearly and throughout the diet section there are "action points" which allow you to start planning from their recommendations.
My diet testing came out (as I suspected it would) as a high sensitivity to carbohydrates and recommended a low 8% of my daily intake to come from refined carbohydrates (ouch!). It also confirmed things I'd already known - such as an intolerance to lactose, and identified possible health risks - for example a disposition to Coeliac.
In the reports they test for fitness and diet markers in your DNA. I've included a couple of screenshots below, the first one shows a section of my fitness testing and the second is a portion of my diet testing.
As you can see below, the results are shown clearly and throughout the diet section there are "action points" which allow you to start planning from their recommendations.
My diet testing came out (as I suspected it would) as a high sensitivity to carbohydrates and recommended a low 8% of my daily intake to come from refined carbohydrates (ouch!). It also confirmed things I'd already known - such as an intolerance to lactose, and identified possible health risks - for example a disposition to Coeliac.
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The fitness testing section was interesting - showing I have a better response to endurance type activity (rather than pure power), which wasn't all too surprising given how I felt during the 100km hike and it's related training. It also outlines how likely you are to become injured and how long you take to recover (I'm one of the lucky people who has a high injury risk but only a medium recovery speed. Go me....).
Were they easy to read? Were they easy to use?
Everything you can see in the reports is also shown as a really handy infographic, which sums up the information (which at some points can be a little complicated to read and understand) into an easily understandable format.
The reports themselves are couched in very scientific language and at times can be quite hard to understand unless you have a very good background in genetics, however; they use summaries to help explain what they mean.
In terms of being able to use the results - the results in themselves are easy to use for someone with a knowledge of diet and fitness. So long as you know your macro and micro nutrients, their roles and what a body needs you should be able to interpret this into a format which could be useful for you (or a client).
In terms of being able to use the results - the results in themselves are easy to use for someone with a knowledge of diet and fitness. So long as you know your macro and micro nutrients, their roles and what a body needs you should be able to interpret this into a format which could be useful for you (or a client).
How have I used them?
I've taken the diet results and directly formed a plan around the results given to me. Within 2 weeks of cutting the refined carbs I'd seen a massive change in the way my body looked. I feel better, I have more energy and I have less bloating.
For the past few days I've fallen off plan a little and the changes are outstanding - you can really see the impact diet has on your body, especially when you're eating a diet designed based on your very genetic information!
I've also taken note of the fitness results, taking more care of my injured body and increasing the amounts of micronutrients that can be beneficial to help my body do it's thing!
For the past few days I've fallen off plan a little and the changes are outstanding - you can really see the impact diet has on your body, especially when you're eating a diet designed based on your very genetic information!
I've also taken note of the fitness results, taking more care of my injured body and increasing the amounts of micronutrients that can be beneficial to help my body do it's thing!
So, would I recommend it?
I think these tests are very interesting and so long as you know a bit about fitness and diet they can be very useful for helping you plan.
I think it's important to note here (as DNAfit themselves say) that genetics is only ONE PART of health and fitness, so as a tool this is very useful. It's not a bible or a complete solution, but it's more information about how to do well for your body - can't knock it!
If you have the money to spare and want a detailed look inside your cells I think it's worth it however it's not a simple solution and won't replace any detailed research you have done on health and fitness (rather it will guide you in using it!).
I think it's important to note here (as DNAfit themselves say) that genetics is only ONE PART of health and fitness, so as a tool this is very useful. It's not a bible or a complete solution, but it's more information about how to do well for your body - can't knock it!
If you have the money to spare and want a detailed look inside your cells I think it's worth it however it's not a simple solution and won't replace any detailed research you have done on health and fitness (rather it will guide you in using it!).
References
http://dnafit.com/who-we-are/
https://www.genome.gov/11006943
https://medium.com/the-physics-arxiv-blog/human-genome-shrinks-to-only-19-000-genes-21e2d4d5017e#.mb81faezv
http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/WhoAmI/FindOutMore/Yourgenes/Whatwasthehumangenomeproject/WhatdidtheHumanGenomeProjectfind/Howmanygenesdoyouhave.aspx
https://www.genome.gov/11006943
https://medium.com/the-physics-arxiv-blog/human-genome-shrinks-to-only-19-000-genes-21e2d4d5017e#.mb81faezv
http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/WhoAmI/FindOutMore/Yourgenes/Whatwasthehumangenomeproject/WhatdidtheHumanGenomeProjectfind/Howmanygenesdoyouhave.aspx
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