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Genes and caffeine metabolism
Perhaps it’s not news to you that genes affect caffeine metabolism. It makes intuitive sense as we all know that person who can have coffee right before going to bed and still sleep like a baby. A little while ago I got an email announcing a new report derived from my myDNA genetic testing. Which caffeine metabolism genes are tested? myDNA analyses three genes (ADORA2A, CYP1A1-CYP1A2, CYP1A2 and AHR) to derive information about caffeine effect on the brain, caffeine metabolism and whether inducers (foods that boost caffeine metabolism) help or not. My reaction to caffeine I know from experience that whenever I drink coffee in the afternoon, my sleep suffers.…
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uBiome Explorer: Meet your gut bacteria
Several months ago a good friend let me know uBiome was offering kits for (almost) free. What is uBiome? Hint: it’s not a personal care brand. uBiome is a company that sequences your stool sample to analyse the composition of your microbiome (ie, gut bacteria). They offer the following producs: SmartGut (doctor-ordered gut health test), SmartJane (doctor-ordered women’s health test) and Explorer (discover your microbiome without the help of a doctor). uBiome Explorer retails for US$89 as a one-off purchase but I only paid US$19.99 to cover shipping. uBiome’s headquarters are located in the US, so it took a while for my kit to arrive (101 days after purchase). Sampling…
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myDNA genetic testing
One of the industry sponsors at this year’s SDA Conference was myDNA, an Australian company offering genetic testing focused on nutrition. I was curious to get my DNA sampled and compare myDNA’s report with the one I got from DNAFit. I met a couple of representatives from the company and they were kind enough to give me a complimentary kit. The kit is fairly simple to use. In essence, you just need to rub a cotton bud against the inside of your cheek, put it in a tube and send it off. It doesn’t say in the package, but in uni we were told not to drink or eat anything…
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DNAFit – Genetic information for Fitness & Nutrition
If you know me or have read my blog before you may know I’m very passionate about self-experimentation. As a scientist, I find published research extremely valuable generally speaking, but when it comes to individual circumstances there’s nothing like testing things on yourself and finding out what works. I had been thinking about getting a DNAFit analysis ever since I heard about this company in podcast land. It wasn’t until recently, when I grabbed a discount code from another podcast, that I finally bought 2 kits: one for me and one for my husband using his birthday as an excuse. The process is simple: order your kit on the DNAFit…
