Rethinking Diet: Direct to Consumer DNA Testing

By: Lougien Ahmed

As individuals that are responsible for their health, it is one of our necessities to stay updated with medicinal and scientific advances that not only seek human proper being but also maximize their effort to detect diseases before they even exist. We all know the fact that the sooner we detect a disease the higher probability it is cured. Scientists are studying the chances of treating disease before it can even be there. They can do it by analyzing your DNA. First of all, what is DNA? DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid which is composed of two chains that coil around each other carrying strands of genetic information. Each one of us has DNA that holds the structure of their body. This DNA is inherited from both of their parents and also includes what they have inherited from their parents and so on. DNA is constructed of genes. Each gene controls the development of one or more traits. Scientists have denoted alphabets to gene strands and each set of alphabetic patterns is then assigned to a certain trait or function.

Gene analysis studies have started in the 1980s and have been developing ever since. The first complete DNA sequencing, the Human Genome Project, was done in 2003 and it took 15 years. Now, DNA sequencing will only take 4 weeks. It still seems to face some controversies. However, these controversies are the main motive to develop the system in a more suitable direction.

“While genetic testing can be a beneficial tool in decoding your health, the results you get from commercial genetic testing labs such as Helix and 23andMe are not likely to be accurate” says James Evans, MD, Ph.D., director of adult and cancer clinical genetics services at the University of North Carolina Medical Center.

We talked to Mustafa Mansour, CEO of Hassan Healthcare, the first office to offer direct-to-consumer DNA testing in Egypt. They have 6 tests that concern suitable dietary, suitable fitness programs, detecting diseases, tracing ancestry and even breast cancer detection.

The process is facilitated to reach you in the comfort of your home. They send you a DIY kit that includes a cotton swab and a set of questions to answer. First, you start by answering the questions that concern your ancestral history. Then you use the cotton swab to extract saliva from your mouth that will be used later on for DNA profiling. This technique provides the scientist with a sufficient amount of DNA. The only test that would need more DNA segments is the “Breast Cancer gene” test; This is done by blood extraction at a professional clinic.

The main concern with these tests that the results are useless on their own. Your results should be presented to a professional that will walk you through your results in the context of your family history. That is why Hassan healthcare does not only perform DNA analysis but also sets up a genetic consultation session with a professional. He analysis is done by receiving back the kit and then sending it to a professional company in India called “Map my genome”, one of the 10 giants of DNA profiling. They identify your DNA pattern using a DNA sequencing machine Called “Hi-Seq” and then compare it to the big data they already have to perfectly interpret your DNA. You can rest assure thatidentifying your DNA is with 99% accuracy.

The company is proud to have a 0.05> probability value. However, interpretation accuracy is enhanced the more data is pumped into the system. It is important to understand that genetic profiling only reveals to you your tendencies. You should not stress over your results, neither should you neglect them. “There are two factors that affect your health,” Says Doctor Mustafa, “Nature which is what we reveal here in Hassan healthcare and Nurture is your lifestyle and environment that affect your health like smoking, unhealthy eating and so on”. It is also vital that you do not skip your consultation session to fully comprehend what your results indicate.

Having results as such can help you with adjusting your diet according to your bodily needs, picking the correct fitness routine that will give you optimal results and reveal to you the medication that can work for you and others that does not. For now, there is still a lot of development and research being put into DNA profiling. It is still relatively new. Your local analysis center, for example, would not have this kind of test nor would it know details about it. Shaimaa Ahmed, Alpha clinic manager, and the testing doctor said that alpha clinics only do paternity tests when it comes to DNA and the closest test related to food intake is the allergy test which is not related to DNA.

The future of genetics still holds a lot of mystery. A lot of scientists promise a future of genetic editing. Diseases can be improved as early as in an embryo and any editing can affect the entire future ancestral line.

We still have not reached the phase of genetic editing yet but we almost have the technology for it. It can be useful for disease prevention like cancer and aids. However, what if you can change your baby’s height or skin color. Where would we draw the line?