The Optimal Diet
The best diet for health and wellness is often the first question people have for us. There are general basics that fit for everyone. Beyond that, there is no one right diet that fits all. What is recommended for one person may actually be detrimental to another person. We offer individualized testing to determine what is the best diet for you based on genetic testing and blood typing.
Basics for Everyone
Vegetables and fruits seem to be the common ground for most of us. Aside from a few differences with blood typing, most people will benefit from lots of fresh vegetables and fruits. These provide lots of naturally occurring, superiorly absorbed vitamins and minerals, flavonoids and nutrients. Vegetables and fruits provide prevention from cancer, heart disease, organ and tissue degeneration. These are best consumed organic and fresh harvested, a combination of raw and steamed, boiled, or baked.
The Genotype Diet
When it comes to meat or vegetarianism, moderate fat or low fat, or low carb – we need to do some testing. Blood typing can provide a first step with some good guidelines. As illustrated in the popular “Eat Right For Your Type”,and the “Genotype Diet” Dr. D’Adamo provides guidance based on blood type and other genetic markers. In general, we find the diets help most people optimize their health. The genetic tests are non-invasive and easy to figure out during an office visit.
Genetic Testing for Your Health
An easy blood test that gives a lot of clinical data is Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (MTHFR) DNA Analysis. Basically, this test evaluates how well your body uses folate based on your genetics. Those testing deficient often have hyperhomocysteinemia (high blood levels of homocysteine) which is a risk factor for cerebrovascular disease, cerebral vein thrombosis, coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, and venous thrombosis. The levels of homocysteine in the serum are influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. One of the genetic factors involves point mutations in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene (OMIM 607093). Thermolabile variants of the MTHFR enzyme are mildly deficient at reducing 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate to 5-methylenetetrahydrofolate, a cofactor in the remethylation of homocysteine to methionine. The result is an elevation of serum homocysteine levels, especially in individuals with insufficient folate. One mutation, C677T, results in the MTHFR enzyme being 20% less efficient in metabolizing homocysteine, thus increasing serum levels, especially when plasma folate levels are at the lower end of normal. Five percent of Caucasians and 1.4% of African-Americans are C677T homozygotes, and are likely to have elevated serum homocysteine levels. A second mutation, A1298C, is also relatively common. Data suggests that combined heterozygosity for the two mutations may result in features similar to those of C677T homozygotes. Neither heterozygosity nor homozygosity for A1298C has been shown to be a risk factor for hyperhomocysteinemia. In patients with hyperhomocysteinemia, follow-up testing for the MTHFR mutation might be warranted to rule it out as a causative.
Hyperhomocysteinemia has been found in women who have experienced two or more early pregnancy losses, placental infarction, and fetal growth retardation, but MTHFR mutation as a cause for early pregnancy loss is still controversial. Homozygosity for C677T has been shown to have a two- to threefold increased risk for neural tube defects (NTDs), such as anencephaly and spina bifida, and compound heterozygosity for C677T and A1298C may also be a risk factor for NTDs. Dietary folic acid supplementation before the fourth week of gestation is well documented in reducing the recurrence risk for open neural tube defects by approximately 75%. It may act by normalizing homocysteine levels.
Schedule Your Test
Schedule an appointment so we can determine the best diet for your lifelong wellness strategy. Remember these are tests done once in a lifetime to determine what your health risks are and the best diet you can implement for lifelong wellness.