Revolutionise your health and athletics performances by gaining a greater insight into your own body

A British biotechnology firm is aiming to turn the tide with an at-home DNA test that makes personalised food, sleep and exercise recommendations based on an individual’s unique genetic make-up to help people to live healthier, longer lives.

FitnessGenes can even help prevent possible illness, say its co-founders, a geneticist couple from the Midlands, who claim that by pinpointing where your greatest genetic risks lie, you can take immediate action to reduce the likelihood of succumbing to those diseases you’re most at risk from.

Dr Samantha Decombel, co-founder who has a PhD in Genetics and a passion for preventative healthcare and fitness, was driven to launch the company by the early death of her father from a lifestyle-related disease in 2007.

By simply providing a one-off sample of your saliva, taken easily at home and returned via post to the firm’s labs, FitnessGenes users can discover how the variations in their unique genetic blueprint and physiology, together with lifestyle factors such as food choices and activity levels impacts their health, performance and even susceptibility to certain lifestyle diseases.

“At FitnessGenes, we see you as unique, there is only one you,” said Dr Decombel. “We have developed a patent-pending model that analyses customer DNA in combination with their lifestyle data to provide health and fitness recommendations that are scientifically validated and based on your preferred goals whether this be weight loss, building muscle, getting fit, or just trying to improve the quality of your sleep.

"Our aim is to empower people with evidence-based, practical and personalised advice to drive the movement towards a healthier society.”

DNA samples are analysed by the company’s ISO-accredited laboratory partner using the latest DNA sequencing technology that allows for the analysis of more than 70,000 genetic variants.

FitnessGenes DNA analysis examines:

• Biological ageing – how biological ageing is likely to affect you, and how you can slow down cell damage and promote longevity.
• Heart health – keep your heart healthy by better understanding your cardiovascular risk and identifying target areas to focus on
• Sleep – good quality sleep is vital for your well-being and recovery, which techniques are likely to work best for you.
• Building muscle – how to maximise your muscle size, strength and performance using your DNA to tailor your workout.
• Fat loss – how prone are you to gaining fat and what you can do to maintain a healthy level.
• Hormone health – how to keep your hormone profile in good balance by gaining insight into where to focus your efforts.
• Energy production – how efficient are you at converting the energy stored in food into fuel for your body.
• Appetite control – what’s driving your cravings and desire to eat, and which strategies are likely to be most effective for you.
• Inflammation – discovering if you are prone to inflammation which can reduce your performance and damage your health.
• Vitamin requirements – which vitamins may be deficient in your diet and what you can do to combat this.

Results are returned within a couple of weeks and give an in-depth look at over 130 different DNA-based traits and where, as an individual you sit with the study group of each of these.

There are then links to further studies in each of these areas as well as citations and research.

For more, see Fitnessgenes.com

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