Our origins

[Orangeblossom]

This is where my dad is from. I didn't grow up there but he did, in a very poor family. Thankfully we moved away (grew up in a Scottish island and went away to university, now living in the South West). but it makes you think about the origins of the genes. I have also read there is an issue with low Vitamin D and the dark cold winters don't help. I do think the diet and lifestyle doesn't help, we grew up on find foods- I even remember a deep fried pizza! It has been quite a change to go low carb and eat more fruit and veg, generally. I wondered if any others had similar or thoughts about their genetic origins. PS Don't know if this is about APOE, I have certain inflammatory genes mentioned in my report (in particular several promoters for IL-6) and tendencies with other genes heart disease etc as well.

https://www.scotsman.com/news/doomed-to ... -1-1412072

[AnnK]

Genetic origins have always interested me...and it is something that I consider in creating my personalized diet, supplement, and exercise protocol. My ancestral background is predominantly Scandinavian -- my Mother is 100% Norwegian and my Father was 50% Swedish. Through a combination of SNP diving and personal observation, I've been able to speculate a bit on the origins of my "genetically engineered" body. For example, I have gene snp's that reduce my ability to convert beta carotene to retinol. Dark, cold winters in Scandinavia are not conducive to having greens in your diet on a daily basis...LOL. Based on these snp's, Viking history (use of cod liver oil as a food dating back to the late 700's to 1100), and many family stories of the use of cod liver oil over the years, I feel it works well for me to consume either cod liver oil or supplement with retinol, Vitamin D3, and omega-3 fish oil.

On lighter side, here's a link about Norwegian children and cod liver oil --

https://thornews.com/2012/04/02/norwegi ... liver-oil/

Another example, per 23andme, I'm most likely lactose tolerant and do very well with dairy, as did my ancestors. To play it safe, I consume only fermented dairy products -- kefir (daily), yogurt, or cheese.

For exercise, I also discovered that I am homozygous for the fast twitch muscle gene snp. This makes sense as I do well in resistance training and was a sprinter/jumper on the track team. My Norwegian Grandfather was a champion ski jumper, speed skater, and cross country skier, so I'm sure he had fast twitch genes too. In reality, I was probably genetically engineered to work hard on a farm and ski or snow shoe around the landscape in Scandinavia, as needed for survival.

Orangeblossom, thanks for the stimulating dialogue! My philosophy is to leverage the science behind my genetic origins -- capitalizing on my genetic strengths and modifying any genetic weaknesses through diet or exercise. Fascinating stuff!

Take care and have a wonderful weekend )

[Orangeblossom]

Genetic origins have always interested me...and it is something that I consider in creating my personalized diet, supplement, and exercise protocol. My ancestral background is predominantly Scandinavian -- my Mother is 100% Norwegian and my Father was 50% Swedish. Through a combination of SNP diving and personal observation, I've been able to speculate a bit on the origins of my "genetically engineered" body. For example, I have gene snp's that reduce my ability to convert beta carotene to retinol. Dark, cold winters in Scandinavia are not conducive to having greens in your diet on a daily basis...LOL. Based on these snp's, Viking history (use of cod liver oil as a food dating back to the late 700's to 1100), and many family stories of the use of cod liver oil over the years, I feel it works well for me to consume either cod liver oil or supplement with retinol, Vitamin D3, and omega-3 fish oil.

On lighter side, here's a link about Norwegian children and cod liver oil --

https://thornews.com/2012/04/02/norwegi ... liver-oil/

Another example, per 23andme, I'm most likely lactose tolerant and do very well with dairy, as did my ancestors. To play it safe, I consume only fermented dairy products -- kefir (daily), yogurt, or cheese.

For exercise, I also discovered that I am homozygous for the fast twitch muscle gene snp. This makes sense as I do well in resistance training and was a sprinter/jumper on the track team. My Norwegian Grandfather was a champion ski jumper, speed skater, and cross country skier, so I'm sure he had fast twitch genes too. In reality, I was probably genetically engineered to work hard on a farm and ski or snow shoe around the landscape in Scandinavia, as needed for survival.

Orangeblossom, thanks for the stimulating dialogue! My philosophy is to leverage the science behind my genetic origins -- capitalizing on my genetic strengths and modifying any genetic weaknesses through diet or exercise. Fascinating stuff!

Take care and have a wonderful weekend )

It is interesting, isn't it. Thank you for the reply! I think that is a good attitude to have. I noticed I have this gene variant CD33 which may be slightly protective against AD and seems to be about inflammation, when I read more the variant seems to have evolved over time they think, a bit like E3 evolved to kind of replace E4 in most people. And I also have the retinol one you describe. My mum is English so perhaps has diluted things a bit for me. And my dad ran marathons and is in his 70s and seems generally OK, but with a heart arrhythmia and on some meds for that. PS Think the Scottish could do with some cod liver oil as well