Epigenetics explained

DNA is a string of complex molecules called nucleotides. DNA contains genetic information of life and acts as a set of instructions for how to build and maintain you. It is completely unique to you (unless you have an identical twin). Almost every cell in your body contains all of your DNA (your genome) and all of the genes that make you who you are. We have over 40 trillion cells in our body, what a mind-blowing thought! 

Gene is a short section of DNA

Genome is our complete set of DNA

Genomics is the study of our genome 

Our body is made up of different types of cells, for example, brain cells, heart cells, skin cells, which all do different things and behave differently. All these different cells contain the same genetic information but interestingly, manage to do such different things! This is where epigenetics come in. 

Epigenetics is a layer of instruction that lies on top of your DNA that tells it what to switch on or express,  how to perform and what to switch off. It can be thought of as your DNA being a piano and the epigenetics being the piano player, thus choosing which keys to play and when to do so. 

Epigentics doesn’t change your DNA, however, it’s responsible for deciding what genes will be expressed (switched on) and which are switched off inside your body’s cells.

Lifecode GX is a personal health company, applying the latest in the study of the body’s genetics to enable a preventative, proactive and personalised approach to health.

Being a lifecode Gx practitioner, I am trained to guide you to the most beneficial reports (DNA panels) that are supportive in your personal health and wellness goals. Each report details how inherited health risks can be mitigated through personalised nutrition and lifestyle change. 

Whilst one gene variant can make a difference, most chronic diseases result from the interplay between multiple common variants, called single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and environmental factors.

Variations do not only affect us, they can be passed down to future generations therefore how you treat your body today can affect how your offspring and even their offspring may express their genes. 

Result reports

All result reports are presented in the context of nutrition and other environmental factors such as sleep, stress, physical activity and chemicals that influence them. Reports are colour-coded using pathway diagrams to provide easy to digest visual summaries, alongside in-depth insights into the risks or protective potential of each genotype. This enables a deeper and holistic understanding of results and identification of the lifestyle changes that will be most affective. 

Food is medicine

Foods is medicine. It influences how our genes behave and the fact that our genes respond differently to certain nutrients is the basis of nutritional genomics, the study of our DNA.