Posts Tagged "Genetic Information"

Gaining Weight and Genetics – How Knowing Your Genetics Can Help You with Weight Management

Human obesity is a very common disease influenced by the interaction of multiple factors such as environment, genetics and dietary factors. Every obese person aims to reduce weight by using various approaches such as managing dietary habits, physical exercises and diet pills. However, knowledge about the link between genetics and obesity eases the process of weight management. Here is a discussion on various genes that play role in causing obesity.

Genetic approach for understanding obesity

Genetic information coded by DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) determines the physiological functions within living organisms. A small piece of DNA coding for a particular protein is termed as gene. A change of single nucleotide within the gene sequence increases the susceptibility or resistance to a particular disease. However, obesity is not caused by variations in one single gene but rather by a polygenic effect due to interaction of multiple genes. Altered genes responsible for increasing the susceptibility to disease (obesity in this case) are termed as susceptibility genes. These genes work in association with environmental factors such as diet, smoking and physical activity. Children of obese parents with susceptibility genes are at very high risk of developing obesity. This is due to inheritance of susceptibility genes by children from the parents.

Susceptibility genes responsible for obesity

Obesity is either directly or indirectly linked to about 425 genes. These genes exert effects on energy metabolism control, the extent of food intake, metabolic and signalling pathways and synthesis of fats. These effects in turn regulate the extent of fat deposition and hence, body weight.

Genes regulating the energy metabolism: ADRβ2, ADRβ3, PPARs, FABP etc.

Genes regulating the extent of food intake: NPY, CCK, POMC, MCH, etc.

Genes regulating the metabolic and signalling pathways: PPAR, FABP, PKA, c/EBP, etc.

Of all the above genes, variations in the genes encoding for β-adrenergic receptors and LEPR are mainly responsible for obesity.

How to use genetic information for weight management

Efficient weight management is possible by knowing the genetic composition of the DNA. For example, some of the common means for losing weight are consuming low carbohydrate diet, low fat diet and increased physical activity. You might be confused which one to choose.

Just undergo a Genetic Testing. If the results indicate modification of genes regulating the synthesis of beta-adrenergic receptors, then you must make efforts to burn more energy. Wondering why? Here is a simple explanation.

Beta adrenergic receptors are present on cell membranes of many cells. Upon binding of appropriate substrate, they mobilize the stored energy. This energy expenditure is achieved in the form of fat degradation and heat generation in brown adipose tissues. Hence, any modification of the genes coding for these receptors hinders the process of energy mobilization. This increases the risk of weight gain. Thus, individuals with defective ADRβ2, ADRβ3 genes should follow a routine physical activity to avoid weight gain.

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Genetic Counseling India- Cost Genetic Counseling- Genetic Counseling

 

Genetic Counseling India

If you and your partner are newly pregnant, you may be amazed at the number and variety of prenatal tests available to you. Blood tests, urine tests, monthly medical exams, diet questionnaires, and family history tracking — each helps to assess the health of you and your baby, and to predict any potential health risks. 

Unlike your parents, you may also have the option of genetic testing. These tests identify the likelihood of passing certain genetic diseases or disorders (those caused by a defect in the genes — the tiny, DNA-containing units of heredity that determine the characteristics and functioning of the entire body) to your children.

 

Some of the more familiar genetic disorders are : -

Down syndrome Cystic fibrosis Sickle cell disease Tay-Sachs disease (a fatal disease affecting the central nervous system)
spina bifida…

 

What Is Genetic Counseling ?

Genetic counseling is the process of : -

Evaluating family history and medical records Ordering genetic tests Evaluating the results of this investigation Helping parents understand and reach decisions about what to do next

Genetic tests are done by analyzing small samples of blood or body tissues. They determine whether you, your partner, or your baby carry genes for certain inherited disorders….

 

What are Genes ?

Humans have 46 chromosomes, arranged in pairs in every living cell of our bodies. When the egg and sperm join at conception, half of each chromosomal pair is inherited from each parent. This newly formed combination of chromosomes then copies itself again and again during fetal growth and development, passing identical genetic information to each new cell in the growing fetus.

Current science suggests that human chromosomes carry from 25,000 to 35,000 genes. An error in just one gene (and in some instances, even the alteration of a single piece of DNA) can sometimes be the cause for a serious medical condition….

 

About Genetic Counselors

Genetic counselors are professionals who have completed a master’s program in medical genetics and counseling skills. They then pass a certification exam administered by the American Board of Genetic Counseling….

 

Please log on to : www.indiahospitaltour.com

Send your query : Get a Quote

 

We Care Core Values

We have a very simple business model that keeps you as the centre.

Having the industry’s most elaborate and exclusive Patient Care and Clinical Coordination teams stationed at each partner hospital, we provide you the smoothest and seamless care ever imagined. With a ratio of one Patient Care Manager to five patients our patient care standards are unmatched across the sub continent.

 

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Genetic Counseling Abroad At Affordable Cost – Genetic Counseling Cost

 

Genetic Counseling India

 

 

Genetic Counseling

 

 

If you and your partner are newly pregnant, you may be amazed at the number and variety of prenatal tests available to you. Blood tests, urine tests, monthly medical exams, diet questionnaires, and family history tracking — each helps to assess the health of you and your baby, and to predict any potential health risks.

Unlike your parents, you may also have the option of genetic testing. These tests identify the likelihood of passing certain genetic diseases or disorders (those caused by a defect in the genes — the tiny, DNA-containing units of heredity that determine the characteristics and functioning of the entire body) to your children.

 

Some of the more familiar genetic disorders are : -

Down syndrome Cystic fibrosis Sickle cell disease Tay-Sachs disease (a fatal disease affecting the central nervous system)
spina bifida…

 

What Is Genetic Counseling ?

Genetic counseling is the process of : -

Evaluating family history and medical records Ordering genetic tests Evaluating the results of this investigation Helping parents understand and reach decisions about what to do next

Genetic tests are done by analyzing small samples of blood or body tissues. They determine whether you, your partner, or your baby carry genes for certain inherited disorders….

 

What are Genes ?

Humans have 46 chromosomes, arranged in pairs in every living cell of our bodies. When the egg and sperm join at conception, half of each chromosomal pair is inherited from each parent. This newly formed combination of chromosomes then copies itself again and again during fetal growth and development, passing identical genetic information to each new cell in the growing fetus.

Current science suggests that human chromosomes carry from 25,000 to 35,000 genes. An error in just one gene (and in some instances, even the alteration of a single piece of DNA) can sometimes be the cause for a serious medical condition….

 

About Genetic Counselors

Genetic counselors are professionals who have completed a master’s program in medical genetics and counseling skills. They then pass a certification exam administered by the American Board of Genetic Counseling….

 

 

 

Please log on to : www.indiahospitaltour.com

Send your query : Get a Quote

 

We Care Core Values

We have a very simple business model that keeps you as the centre.

Having the industry’s most elaborate and exclusive Patient Care and Clinical Coordination teams stationed at each partner hospital, we provide you the smoothest and seamless care ever imagined. With a ratio of one Patient Care Manager to five patients our patient care standards are unmatched across the sub continent.

 

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The Promise Of DNA Testing For The Masses

In October 2005, I.B.M announced that genetic information would not be used in hiring or to make decisions for health care benefits. The statement was made as DNA testing appeared likely to become an important business, with numerous start-up firms seeking to establish themselves in the consumer market. Indeed, I.B.M. itself is heavily involved in genetics information research, but when it comes to the potential of DNA testing, one word might describe the future: Google.

The founders of the search engine giant have met with Craig Venter, whose company and the competing U.S. National Institutes of Health discovered the 30,000 genes in the human genome in 2000, in essence, opening a new era of science that will impact a broad swath of enterprise. In Venter’s vision, “Genetic information is going to be the leading edge of information that is going to change the world.” The home might very well be at the center of such change.

What if you could go to your computer and search for information that relates to your individual genetic make-up. Combined with the results of home-based DNA testing, the information would allow you to determine the questions you should ask your doctor about nutritional and pharmacological interventions.

That day might not be far off. Companies with deep market penetration, such as Nestle and Kraft, are watching the start-up companies, and their entry would make DNA testing technology a widely accessible consumer item. Join readily available tests with Google’s always-on presence and what do you get? As Venter states in The Google Story, a book by Washington Post science writer David Vise and Mark Malseed: “People will be able to log onto a Google site using search capabilities and have the ability to understand things about themselves as they change in real time. What does it mean to have this variation in a gene?”

Ultimate system

This could be the ultimate health care system. The potential savings in health care costs from individual changes in lifestyle and diet are touted daily. Such changes applied across a population would have dramatic consequences. Currently, DNA testing is still in its technological infancy and much too expensive to be a practical tool for the masses, and ethical questions present a host of obstacles. However, the demand created by an educated populace is certain to solve these problems.

First of all, the evidence of gene-nutrient interactions in many diseases and disorders is well-documented and continues to mount. A 2004 study at the Karl-Franzes University Hospital in Graz, Austria, finds that a polymorphism, or genetic variation, is associated with milk intolerance, reduced milk calcium intake and reduced bone mass density at the hip and spine. DNA testing, the study concludes, may be used to detect individuals at risk for bone fractures and osteoporosis.

A study at the University of Michigan, entitled “Strategies for Prevention of Colorectal Cancer: Pharmaceutical and nutritional Interventions,” says that a change in diet or supplementation may be ideal for individuals at risk for colorectal cancer. In both studies, the key word is individual. Personal changes in diet and supplementation without knowledge of genetic make-up are a shotgun approach – mega dosing in the hope of hitting any target. Replace this hit-and-miss approach with a rational regime and the possibilities for health care are striking. One company that offers DNA testing says it reviews the customer’s variation in 19 genes that are involved in the body’s heart and bone health, detoxification and antioxidant capacity, insulin sensitivity and tissue repair. It combines the results with lifestyle information to recommend steps to improve health.

Obesity

Many people see DNA testing as a way to improve the well-being of large segments of the world inexpensively, compared with the social and economic costs of disease. Considering the world’s overburdened health care delivery system, DNA testing does look appealing as a way to intervene early in many diseases, cutting treatment costs. For example, an estimated 300 million people are obese. The costs in early death and related ailments are enormous. A study by the Robert Wood Johnson Health and Society Scholars Program, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, finds that test subjects modified their behavior positively when they were categorized as having increased genetic susceptibility for obesity.

While nutrigenomics is still an infant science, with much to be learned about diseases caused by multiple genes, what has been learned points toward a revolution in health maintenance. The results of a study published in the November 17, 2005, issue of New Scientist offers evidence that, as the article’s headline says, “the food you eat may change your genes for life.” In the study, conducted at McGill University in Montreal, researchers injected L-methionine, a common amino acid, into the brains of rats. The result was a negative change in the rats’ behavior. Observing that a chemical called TSA can have the opposite effect, improving the behavior of rats, Moshe Szyf, one of the McGill researchers said, “Food has a dramatic effect, but it can go both ways.”

DNA testing has raised controversy in the U.K., where the preimplantation genetic diagnosis of embryos has been the focus of a government public opinion survey. In a report last autumn in BMJ, Suzi Leather, chairwoman of the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority, says the survey is an attempt to start to build a consensus on the issue. As is increasingly the case in medicine, the U.K. faces a situation in which technology has raced ahead of social values.

Scientific developments make it possible to test embryos for so-called low penetrance genes, or those in which not everyone who inherits the gene will develop the associated disease. These conditions include inherited breast cancer, inherited ovarian cancer and hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer. The question is whether it is appropriate to test for these conditions – which may or may not develop – so that the condition can no longer be passed on. Another facet of the U.K. survey seeks opinion on whether it is right to test for a gene if the associated disease does not occur until later in life or if the disease can be treated.

Accuracy

On the one hand it can be envisioned that with the continued advances in technology and an implementation of blanket embryo screening over the course of many generations, a society free of hereditary afflictions might be attained. But the ethical dilemma of destroying millions of embryos is an incorrigible obstacle, at least for now. And questions remain: about the accuracy of such tests, whether the tests are more reliable than other available predictive measures and the incomplete knowledge of the causal roles of genes versus the environment. As stated in a January 8, 2004, online article “Genetic Testing for Cardiovascular Disease Susceptibility” in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, “for a DNA test to be useful in clinical management of CVD, it is obviously critical that the tests must have additional predictive power over and above those accepted risk factors that can be easily measured, usually inexpensively, and with high reproducibility and replicability.”

As is always the case acceptance of an idea that challenges the entrenched way of doing things is slow in coming. The DNA tests now being offered may help perfect the technology and advance dialogue that helps answer the ethical questions.

When it comes to the use of DNA testing to improve health, such as tailoring diets to the predisposition for a disease, much that is unknown. The promise is that one day you may be able to eat your way to health, depending on your genetic code. But getting there means traveling a complex road with unknown twist and turns – and we definitely are not there yet. But are we moving in the right direction?

Copyright © Arnold Stockard

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