Tag Archive for: SNP

Quick Updates

/in /by

I’ve been doing background research for several projects that will be introduced in early 2025 including the annual Super Bowl webinar. It’s a long process because one thing often leads to another in a different direction. Here are some of the things I’ve discovered.

Nutrigenomics

Nutrigenomics is the study of how foods interact with genes in positive and negative ways; that’s one of the benefits of the detoxification system in our body. While it seems media and marketing focus on the exotic, based on several papers I read, I don’t let the day end without eating a cruciferous vegetable. Broccoli? Yes, and many more. The nutrients in cruciferous vegetables such as sulforaphanes help with our detox systems and help with single-nucleotide polymorphisms or SNPs for short. This should definitely be included in what you eat every day. This will be included with the Real-Life Detox revision.

The Folate Controversy

I’ve addressed the folate vs. folic acid issue several times. What may be better for people with specific types of SNPs is another form of folate called folinic acid. I’m going to update the ADHD and autism webinar and offer it in January. Using the results of the genetic test for the 5-methyl-tetrahydrofolate SNP may provide a more precise positive outcome with all forms of childhood and adult mental and cognitive challenges.

Aging with a Vengeance

There have been more publications on the benefits of vitamin K2. K1 is the vitamin that helps with blood clotting. K2 is beneficial for bone production, but recent research shows benefits for both brain and heart benefits. As you might expect, this year’s Super Bowl webinar on February 9 will continue the focus on living well as long as we can in Aging with a Vengeance.

That’s a recap of what I’ve researched so far, but the list of studies grows longer and longer. By the time the products are available, who knows what else I’ll find to help you attain the best health you can! Stay tuned.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

References:
1. Clin Ter 2023; 174 Suppl. 2 (6):209-213
2. Int J Vitam Nutr Res (2022), 92 (3–4), 248–266

COVID-19 and Blood Type

/in /by

This week we’ll examine reports about comorbidities and other factors associated with the severity of the COVID-19 virus. We’ll begin with a question from a long-time reader and family member who shares DNA with Paula: her brother, Steve. Both have blood type A, which has been in the news as a factor in the severity of COVID-19.

The study that got the most attention was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. It was an observational study, which is important. They didn’t select a group of people with specific genetic mutations for the ACE2 gene and the ABO gene, which determines blood type, and then give them the virus; no ethics committee in the world would approve that study. Instead they collected patient data from the hardest-hit areas in Spain and Italy, including tissue or blood samples. They had limited historical data on the patients, especially known comorbidities such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes. They also knew the severity of the disease for each patient, including who was on oxygen and ventilators. It should be noted that about 80% of the most severe cases were people with comorbidities.

The researchers analyzed the entire genome of each patient and the control subjects, people from the same geographical area who didn’t get the virus. That worked out to 1,600 with the virus and 2,200 controls. To analyze every gene with potential mutations requires an average of 8.5 million combinations per person. They found two mutations or SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) that seemed to increase the risk of a severe case of the virus: one area was responsible for blood-type proteins and the other for specific proteins use by the ACE2 receptor. They found that people with blood type A were 45% more likely to get a severe case of the virus requiring oxygen or a ventilator; people with type O blood had a 35% lower risk of the same response. They don’t know yet what the ACE2 protein area SNPs mean.

What does that mean in the real world? As this research continues, they may be able to determine a profile for a person most at risk so that they can get preventive treatment (if one is developed) and early treatment upon diagnosis. What I don’t think it means is that those with blood type A are at greater risk of catching the virus or type Os are at less risk of catching the virus, but I’d recommend that blood type A people should be even more diligent in reducing their exposure, and if they suspect they are infected, seek treatment earlier, rather than later.

Insider Conference Call

The Insider Conference Call is tomorrow night at 9 p.m. Eastern Time. Besides answering questions, I’ll report what I’ve learned about a Texas physician who claims to have found the “silver bullet” to cure COVID-19. You can become an Insider up through 8 p.m. and still participate live.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

References:
1. https://bit.ly/3gX1Bmh
2. NEJM. 2020. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2020283.