Pete Carroll and my DNA testing

In his biography, Win Forever Pete Carroll challenges readers to take a journey of self-discovery to know themselves in order to reach their full potential.

While Carrol implores one to examine their own psychology, his plea also extends to one’s physiology. If you are a 5 feet tall chances are you won’t be playing in the NBA. And if you are 300 pounds you can’t expect to be on American Ninja Warrior. Those examples are obvious. But what about things that are harder to see.

This Christmas I received a very exciting gift that allows me to do just that: DNA testing from Nutrition Genome .

Knowing our DNA, helps us know what medical conditions we are predisposed to, what we might have trouble digesting and certain hormone levels that may be imbalanced.

What’s fascinating about the field of genetics is epigenetics, changes caused by modification of gene expression rather than the alteration of the genetic code itself. By the lifestyle choices we make each one of us has the power to affect the actual expression of our genes to build a happier, healthier self from the ground up.

Like my childhood pastor Rick Warren said in this sermon, life is about winning with the hand you are dealt.

With the test complete I now have a 96-page report on my own DNA. Here are some of the most interesting results.

STRENGTHS:

1) I have four genes with improved function for metabolizing fats

Saturated Fat-PPAR-alpha - Your PPAR-alpha genotype may assist saturated fat metabolism and ketone body production during fasting. Assess your other fat metabolism genes for a more complete assessment.

Fat Metabolism-ACSL1 - You may have improved glucose metabolism from saturated fat intake for the ACSL1 gene.

Ghrelin and Appetite-FTO - You may have improved FTO gene function for normal ghrelin levels (hunger hormone), decreasing the risk for overeating and abdominal weight gain.

Saturated Fat-APOA2 - You may have a reduced likelihood of saturated fats causing weight gain for the APOA2 gene.

2) Improved Testosterone Levels

Testosterone-Men - If you are male, you are more likely to have improved total and free testosterone levels for the SHBG rs6258 gene.

3) My COMT genes make me more likely to respond well in a crisis

COMT-Dopamine, Adrenaline and Estrogen - You may have an improved breakdown of dopamine, adrenaline and estrogen in response to pressure for the COMT genes. The benefits to your genotype may be a calmer response to high pressure situations and the ability to be more emotionally resistant in a crisis. Research has also found that your genotype had a higher threshold of pain and scored higher on social facilitation and cooperativeness.

4) Some components of my genotype are optimized for athletic performance

VO2 Max-PPARGC1A - Research has shown that your PPARGC1A genotype may lead to a higher oxygen capacity for endurance exercise.

Muscle Recovery-TNFA - You may have improved TNFA gene function for a lower catabolic (breakdown) effect on muscle, leading to an increased ability to continue physical performance from heavier training.

Muscle Injury-COL1A1 - You have the heterozygous COL1A1 genotype that may decrease the risk of tendon and ligament injuries due to improved collagen production.

WEAKNESSES:

1) Reduced conversion of plant based omega-3

ALA to EPA and DHA Conversion-FADS2 - You may have a reduced conversion of plant-based omega-3 ALA (walnuts, flax seeds and pumpkin seeds) to EPA and DHA. Increased EPA and DHA intake may be needed.

This means I need to eat more salmon and other animal products to get enough omega-3's.

2) Reduced thyroid function in the brain

Thyroid-DI02 - You may have reduced thyroid function in the brain, increasing the sensitivity to thyroid suppressing environmental stressors and medications. If T3 and T4 levels are out of range, this could affect psychological health.

Clinical research has shown that subjects with the functionally impaired CC genotype (my type) of D102 have mild local hypothyroidism in the brain, resulting in impaired psychological well-being and a potential link to bipolar disorder. One study found that the psychological deficits caused by this SNP in subjects on thyroxine replacement were to a certain extent reversible by changing them onto combination T4/T3 therapy.

3) The strengths of my COMT genotype also comes with some drawbacks

COMT-Dopamine, Adrenaline and Estrogen - The wild-type COMT genotype can negatively affect executive function, problem solving abilities and mood due to lower dopamine concentrations, especially when combined with variants in the ANKK1 gene. Increasing dietary catecholamines (coffee, green tea, black tea, cacao, bananas, citrus, berries) and exercise or a job with an element of risk may increase dopamine concentrations. This may be more relevant in men due to estrogen's influence on COMT.

4) My APOE E3/E4 genotype makes me 2-3 times more likely to develop Alzheimers

The good news is that ongoing studies in brain degenerative diseases are finding that lifestyle choices such as sleep, healthy eating are more important than genetic predisposition. For example, in a recent study exercise put those with the APOE E4 variant and those without the E4 variant at almost the exact same level of beta-amyloid accumulation. Meanwhile, those with an E4 variant that didn’t exercise had the highest beta-amyloid levels.

5) Slower recovery from high intensity exercise

Muscle Recovery-IL6 - You may require more recovery days and dietary muscle recovery foods needed for proper muscle repair from intense exercise due to variants in IL6 gene.

Muscle Inflammation-SOD2 - You may have reduced SOD2 function in response to high-intensity exercise, increasing the inflammatory response in muscle tissue and increasing the risk of muscle injury. If you are an athlete, consider ice baths or cryotherapy post-workout, and optimizing manganese, boron, vitamin C, and omega-3 fatty acid intake to target SOD2 and lower excessive inflammation.

CONCLUSION:

As mentioned earlier, these are all dispositions based on my genetic code. To fully benefit, I must match that with how I am feeling and performing. To make this process of improvement evidence based I am getting blood work done next week to find out what areas I may be struggling with. Here is the testing I was recommended to have done:

With the newfound knowledge from my DNA testing and blood work I am excited to take steps to optimize my performance. As a competitive Crossfit athlete I know it often takes me longer to recover from high-intensity training, but I can help mitigate that by being proactive with massage, compression, hot and cold therapy and sleep. Verifying that with genetic testing, doesn't change reality, but it does give me further motivation to make the right choices. If I don't I'm not giving myself the best opportunity to succeed. That's what my DNA testing says. That's what the science says. So as Pete Carroll says, "always compete."