Thoughts about my test - part 1

One of the main reasons I got the test done was because I wanted a better understanding of my insulin sensitivity.

Earlier in the year someone suggested that I may have insulin resistance and that I would do better by reducing the amount of carbohydrates in my diet. When I talked to Liz about this, she said I could look into GeneElite testing, as my genetic makeup can suggest whether I have a predisposition to insulin resistance and also look at how I process nutrition and how I recover. Training and intake should be tweaked according to what the genetic profile suggests.

The test shows I possess the 'normal' gene for insulin sensitivity (PPARy). However, possessing the normal variation (as opposed to the positive variation) means I am more likely to develop insulin resistance or Type II diabetes if I become overweight.

At a cardiovascular level, I have a negative variation in the ACE gene (present in 35% of the population), which can lead to narrowing of blood vessels, overgrowth of heart tissue (myocardial hypertrophy) and insulin resistance. The combination of these can result in high blood pressure, heart disease and Type II diabetes.

So it seems I am genetically predisposed to insulin resistance/Type II diabetes if I'm not careful with my diet and activity levels.

Liz gave this example: if I have a predisposition to insulin resistance and excellent recovery genes, I can use a high workload of exercise to control it. If recovery was poor, I would have to look at other modalities such as a lower carbohydrate intake etc.

My recovery genes are average, so that gives us a starting point to work from.

So the test has been worth it for me, just from two genes out of fifteen analysed. I get a clearer sense of direction and that gives me peace of mind.

More to come...