How DNA Can Shape Your Health

The understanding of DNA and how it shapes our lives is constantly evolving thanks to tireless research. DNA tests can reveal how DNA shapes our health. The extensive analysis of the workings of the human genome has revealed a new depth of knowledge. It’s been shown that DNA functions in a far more complex way then first assumed. Tests can offer insights into genetic or inherited diseases such as cancer.

DNA Tests – Encode

Scientists have been working in a collective known as the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (Encode) to try and uncover the genetic differences between humans and other species. Tests on DNA can show whether or not you have the dysfunctional genes that make you more susceptible to genetic illnesses, such as diabetes. Previously, scientists thought that a substantial amount of our DNA was ‘junk DNA’ that performed no real tasks. But new DNA tests and research shows this junk DNA is in fact significant.

DNA Tests Inform Science

This junk DNA is in fact active and can influence how genes are turned on and off. It’s now thought that mutations in these genes can explain predisposition to genetic diseases such as colon cancer and prostate cancer. Tests have also informed scientists that this junk DNA could provide the answers to the differences between chimps and humans – it could be where intelligence and language are formed.

Wellness DNA testing for weight loss

Wellness DNA testing is a reality – a test can really determine what life style you should be following, the foods and supplements you need – and this is not a one size fits all life style solution. Every single one of us is truly unique, with a unique genetic blueprint which plays a significant role in how healthy we are. So what food should you be eating and what food should you avoid? Are you more genetically prone to obesity? Something as simple as a genetic test will spell out your obesity index on a scale of 1 to 10 – once you have established whether you are prone to weight gain, you can begin tackling the problem with a health and wellness advisor. Wellness DNA testing has recently hit the direct to consumer market and people are scurrying to take control of their health in a way that was never available to them before.

DNA Tests Shape The Future

DNA tests help inform scientists how DNA works and what it might be doing – which helps them tackle working towards solutions. The exhaustive work and research of Encode is helping to blaze the way forward for the future of medical science. Evolution has shaped our DNA and genetic make-up, and the idea that humans can one day meddle with the very stuff that makes us human is a remarkable thought. It’s now thought the junk DNA could in fact be a ‘warehouse for natural selection’, according to one of the scientists, Dr Birney, where potentially useful mutations arise to drive evolution. “Evolution seems to have kept this around for a reason, to somehow set itself up for the future. It is a bit like Pop Idol— if you throw the net widely, you can pick up talent when it appears,” Dr Birney told the Times newspaper.