Are You a Mutant? Probably...

We are mutant life forms, continually morphing into new versions of ourselves as we strive to find biochemical balance and a genetic advantage. I’m not talking about genetically modified organisms or GMOs which are tampered with in the laboratory to have foreign DNA from completely different species implanted in their own DNA. I’m talking about naturally occurring mismatches, duplication or omission of nucleic acids that make up the rungs of our DNA ladder in each cell. Every single one of us is a mutant. Some of these mutations happened as mistakes along the way but some are thought to have been in direct response to the environment or exposures that gave that human group a survival advantage.

One mutation with regards to food that many of us are familiar with is lactose tolerance. Yes, tolerance. The “normal” non-mutated gene that codes for the enzyme lactase which breaks down lactose (the sugar in milk) is supposed to shut off by the time we’re about 6 years old. We are actually supposed to be lactose intolerant after that because we should have stopped breast feeding by then. But in the northern tribes of Europe about 10,000 years ago a mutation developed that left the gene turned on and therefore allowed these people to continue to consume dairy products into adulthood. This is why the vast majority of people with genetic roots in Europe are not lactose intolerant, but a large portion of the populations of Asia and Africa are unable to consume lactose as adults. This genetic mutation gave the northern tribes a big survival advantage. So, if you can enjoy cheese and ice cream, you are definitely a mutant.

As the technology develops faster and faster enabling us to look deeper into our genetic structure, we are able to trace mutations and track how they effect our ability to utilize foods and nutrients. The twisted ladder shape of the double helix that contains the precise recipe for you is carefully protected inside each of your cells. Each of the rungs of the DNA ladder are made up of base pairs from 4 possible nucleotides: T, A, C or G. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) is when a single base nucleotide differs between paired chromosomes in a human, or between members of the same biological species. This SNP (or allele) can be passed along to children from their parents because each child receives half their DNA from each parent. If a child inherits a single allele they are said to be heterozygous for that gene. If a child inherits a copy from each parent they are then homozygous for that allele. In some cases these swaps completely inactivate that portion of the gene. In other cases the activity of the gene can be altered so that the enzymes it encodes are sped up or slowed down.

One of the most well-known discoveries in the last few decades has been the MTHFR gene mutations, most notably the “C677T” SNP. This notation refers to the location on the map of the MTHFR gene. So the C677T mutation is located at the 677th “rung” of the ladder where a nucleotide that should have been coded a C was replaced with a T. If you inherit a single MTHFR C677T, it is possible that the activity of a key enzyme for protecting your long-term health is compromised by about 40%. If you are homozygous for this SNP, this key system can be 70% impaired in it’s ability to maintain and protect your health. The MTHFR gene is one of a team that helps the body create, utilize and distribute methyl groups which are essential for the proper functioning of your immune system, neurotransmitters, gut health, cardiovascular health, and so much more. The really exciting thing is that now that we know what to look for, we also know how to bypass this potential long term health issue with simple nutrients. If you are working with a medical team that utilizes some key genetic testing, you can even discover your sensitivity to certain medications and can get a better sense of which ones will work best for your genome.

Nutrigenomics is the study of how our genes interact with nutrients, foods, medications and other substances. We are unraveling the mystery of our personal recipes and we are finding that we really have a lot of control over our health every day by exposing our genes to foods, nutrients, toxins, medications and other substances we ingest. Everyday we communicate with our environment by eating and drinking and breathing. Everyday we can choose health. As we learn more about inherited SNPs, we can become even more specific in how to create and maintain health as it is spelled out in our personal recipes.

For a really good discussion of genetic testing as it stands today, take some time to watch this NOVA segment. There are a number of companies that offer decoding of segments of your genome, but it's still too costly and cumbersome to decode all 30,000+ genes that make up the complete recipe for you. If you decide to use one of these services, I highly recommend working with someone who can help you understand the results. It is crucial to keep in mind that genes are like playing cards in a big card game. Just because you got dealt certain cards doesn't mean they will ever get played, they're just part of the hand you got dealt. How you choose to live your life will effect the tendencies for some of those cards to be played, but we don't know all the variables that cause a particular gene to be expressed or not. It is a vast web of interactions that in a way I hope we never really figure out completely.




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One-Track-Mind vs The Juggler

OK, I know I’m going to get flack for this one, but I’m going out on a limb to see if I can talk some sense into some of my clients and friends who are getting frustrated with what feels like one of their partners’ most intractable behavioral flaws. Let’s look at genes for a moment. If you think about the mechanisms involved in the way genes get passed on to future generations, it makes sense that there is a division in a species into one half that generally is the most involved in child rearing and one half that is the most involved in food gathering and protective behaviors. Stating the obvious, in humans, women are the ones capable of carrying and birthing a child and then feeding it directly through breast milk through the first few years of life. Men are needed to create the child and have been charged with providing for and protecting the mother and child during their vulnerable years. Without both of these roles the future genetic potential of the species is in jeopardy. This is not to say that men can’t be nurturers and women can’t be providers and protectors, it’s just an observation of the majority of the species. That said, the roles that have generally developed in most tribes of humans over the millennia take advantage of the strengths of each gender. I hear extraordinarily often how frustrated men are with women, and women are with men, for not being more like each other. Frankly I’m thrilled that we have different strengths!

One of the things that comes up repeatedly in sessions is that men have a one-track-mind and can’t do more than one thing at a time, and women are multi-tasking mavens who expect everyone to do six things at once. This makes perfect sense to me from the standpoint of genes making sure they get passed along. In the not too distant past, those in charge of food acquisition were perpetually in harm’s way. Think about it, the game hunter with a spear or the berry gatherer in grizzly territory had to risk death daily to be sure their families had a regular supply of food. More often than not, this person was male. It was vital that they remained singularly focused on their life threatening task or their genes would be removed from the gene pool when they became saber-toothed tiger lunch. The nurturer of the family was most often back at camp or in the village preparing food, preserving food, making and repairing clothing, and watching the children. The only way all of these things could be accomplished in order to secure their genes for future generations was if this person could split their concentration among many tasks in order to adequately care for the family. The nurturer, most often, was female.

Both roles were and are essential. Genetically, those that followed these models survived more often than those who didn’t and the pattern got set at a biochemical level. In our modern, Western, world we have shown that these roles can be reversed and even shared with success. Yes, there are always genetic variations. Yes, there is a certain amount of training that can overcome genetic tendencies. But, it is my belief that these tendencies developed in humans for very good biological reasons.

I encourage my juggler/nurturer clients to find the good qualities of of their more singularly-focused partners. These people can take a task from start to finish without getting distracted. When their attention is completely focused on their partners, there is no doubt about their loyalties. I encourage my hunter/warrior clients to find the joy in being enveloped in an environment that nurtures so many aspects of their lives. The support of a multi-tasker is invaluable for the hunter/warrior’s ability to step into single-minded focus. It is the balance between the two that creates the safest and most secure environment for our genes to move forward to future generations. Again, this is NOT saying that women can’t be warriors or huntresses and men can’t be nurturers, or that we can't each be a mish-mash of both, I’m just saying that a balance of single-focus and multi-tasking is beneficial for us all as a species. Can you find a way to love that side of your partner rather than being disappointed that they aren’t more like you? Viv la difference!

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