Personalised medicine is making one-size-fits-all treatment feel decidedly outdated. Now that genetic testing is becoming more and more accessible in SA, telling you how your genes react to everything from medication to exercise, some companies are cashing in on your need to know what your future holds.

Businesses are diving in, flooding the market with “personalised” gene tests, health supplements, even beauty products and diet plans. In theory, these companies match your genes to their perfect-for-you wares. In reality, most are based on very shaky science. Before you buy, double check with a pro – a doctor or dietician – and ask yourself:

Where’s the science?

“We live in the part of history of the genetic ‘panel’ – sections of the genome that have lots of research supporting them,” says Dr Heidi van Loggerenberg, co-founder of JOINCIRCLES and a qualified homoeopath, who’ll be at Women’s Health LIVE as part of a panel discussion on DNA. “But as research widens and deepens, more genes will have solid research behind them.” 

Certain companies do use the same technology as lab scientists, but few at-home genetic testing services have been reviewed by regulatory bodies and most don’t take lifestyle factors into account, says leading genomics specialist Dr Lawrence Brody. So even if your results are accurate, they’re likely incomplete.

Read more: Eternally single? This research suggests it might be in your DNA

How safe is it?

“There’s a bit of a grey area with these tests. They’re not diagnostic tests; they’re not regulated at all,” says Danny Meyersfeld, founder of DNAlysis and molecular biologist who’ll also be talking DNA testing at Women’s Health LIVE. But the personnel running the tests have to be qualified and there are two key bodies to look out for: The South African National Accreditation System (SANAS), which accredits medical laboratories and service providers, and the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), which registers medical technologists and scientists and anyone with a medical degree. Also, make sure a company’s website is secure and don’t buy anything without assurance that your results won’t be posted online.

Read more: 5 serious health conditions that can be passed down through your genes

Who’s keeping tabs?

As with any health practitioner, make sure the professionals are accredited by the Health Professions Council. If possible, find a doctor with an additional university degree in functional medicine. For the interpretation of genetic results, the Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium – phew! – weighs up the evidence and sets out clinical guidelines.

If you’re heading to a compounding pharmacy, ask if they’re Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) compliant. It’s a legal term that denotes whether practices are sticking to good quality standards. Naturopaths, acupuncturists, reflexologists and other alternative practitioners should be registered with the Allied Health Professions Council of SA.

Read more: Can your genes be the reason why you can’t lose weight? 

Can I handle the results?

Most personalised-product sellers won’t offer to interpret results for you; instead, they may want to sell you “solutions”. Probably not a big deal if you just found out you’re rash-prone or lacking a B vitamin. But if a test reveals something serious, you could end up confused or devastated.

“Think about what you’d do with the results before you take the test,” says Dr Brody. Better yet, get tested through your functional practitioner, who’d give you a proper consultation, sans the marketing spiel.

In November 2018, we are launching the first ever Women’s Health Live Festival – a weekend of wellness. It will be held over 10 and 11 November at The Wanderers Sports Club in Johannesburg. Think of it as a Coachella of Wellness: amazing speakers, panel conversations – with more on genetic testing – and interviews led by our editors chatting to our cover stars, fit family, social influencers and experts who will be sharing stories, experiences, expertise and knowledge. Get your tickets here, now! 

^{This article was originally published on www.womenshealthsa.co.za}

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If a pregnant woman eats a lot of high-gluten foods, the odds that her child will have type 1 diabetes rise significantly, new research suggests.

In the study, published online in the BMJ, pregnant women who had the highest consumption of gluten had double the risk of having a child with type 1 diabetes compared to those who ate the least gluten. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley.

However, the study authors noted that it’s too soon to recommend that pregnant women change their diets based on the results of this one study.

“The study brings new ideas to how type 1 diabetes develops. We did not know that the pregnancy period is important for the development of the disease or that the development of the disease is starting that early in life,” said study co-author Dr Knud Josefsen.

Changing one’s diet during pregnancy 

“And it also holds the potential to reduce the frequency of the disease by simply changing the diet during pregnancy,” added Dr Josefsen, a senior researcher at the Bartholin Institute in Copenhagen, Denmark.

However, “the study is observational and the link that we describe is an association,” and not a cause-and-effect relationship, Dr Josefsen said. The research also needs to be repeated in other populations.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that causes the body’s immune system to mistakenly attack the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, according to JDRF (formerly Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation). Insulin is a hormone that helps usher the sugar from foods into the body’s cells to be used as fuel.

The attack on the immune system cells leaves someone with type 1 diabetes with little to no insulin. Without insulin injections, via multiple shots a day or an insulin pump, someone with type 1 diabetes doesn’t have enough insulin to survive.

Gluten is found in many foods, including bread, pasta, cereal, crackers and cookies, according to the Celiac Disease Foundation. Gluten triggers the immune system disorder called coeliac disease that causes damage to the small intestine when gluten is consumed.

There’s already a known link between coeliac disease and type 1 diabetes, approximately 10% of people with type 1 diabetes also have coeliac disease, Dr Josefsen said.

Findings of the study

The latest study included data from almost 64 000 pregnant women enrolled from 1996 through 2002. Nearly 250 of these women’s children developed type 1 diabetes.

The women answered questions about the foods they ate when they were 25 weeks’ pregnant.

The average gluten intake was 13 grams per day. The range was less than seven grams per day to more than 20 grams per day. Dr Josefsen said a slice of bread has about three grams of gluten. A large serving of pasta, about two-thirds of a cup, has five to 10 grams of gluten, he said.

The researchers found that a child’s risk of type 1 diabetes increased proportionally with every 10 grams of the mother’s daily gluten intake.

Maija Miettinen, co-author of an editorial that accompanied the study, said most of the theories as to how these two conditions might be related come from animal models. Like Dr Josefsen, she said more research is needed.

“This is the first study to suggest an association between high gluten intake during pregnancy and the risk of type 1 diabetes in the offspring. Therefore, it is too early to change dietary recommendations concerning gluten intake,” she said. Miettinen is a researcher with the National Institute for Health and Welfare in Helsinki, Finland.

Miettinen also pointed out that women who have high-gluten diets in pregnancy may also continue to serve their children high-gluten fare. “We do not know whether the possible risk associated with high gluten intake comes through prenatal exposure, childhood diet or both,” she said.

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The Mediterranean diet has been linked to lower cancer risk and a healthier heart. And now, it’s been linked to a better sex life, according to new research.

Read more: This study on older adults’ sex lives proves your sex life isn’t doomed

Scientists from the University of Athens studied 660 guys who followed a Mediterranean diet, which is high in in fruit and vegetables, legumes, fish, nuts and olive oil. It found that only one-fifth of the men, who were 67 years old on average, reported erectile dysfunction, according to Newsweek. In comparison, estimates show that 52% of men between 40 and 70 years old deal with erectile dysfunction, according to John Hopkins Medicine.

This research was presented at the European Society of Cardiology conference in Munich and has not yet been published.

The study recommends eating nine tablespoons of olive oil, 13 servings of vegetables, six pieces of fruit, three servings of fish and two portions of beans a week to decrease risk, reported Newsweek. However, study authors believe olive oil is especially beneficial because it keeps blood vessels healthy. This is important because the penis relies on a steady supply of blood to maintain erections.

Read more: This new gel could help you get an erection in just 5 minutes

“Men who follow a Med diet – particularly consuming lots of olive oil – see their risk of impotence reduced by up to 40% in older age,” lead researcher Dr Christina Chrysohoou told the paper. “It offers men a long-term solution without taking any medication, such as Viagra.”

But could this cooking staple really be the secret to stronger erections?

Does it actually work?

“People should not take away from the article that olive oil itself is some magical cure or preventative for erectile dysfunction,” Dr Nathan Starke, urologist at Houston Methodist, told Men’s Health in an email.

Read more: How to maintain your erection

Dr Miguel Pineda, Director of Male Sexual Dysfunction and Urologic Prosthetics at Staten Island University Hospital, agrees that dousing your food in olive oil isn’t the solution.

“It is important to realise that there is no quick-fix to prevent or cure erectile dysfunction,” he tells Men’s Health in an email. “My concern is that people will see a headline about olive oil preventing erectile dysfunction, and they will continue with their usual unhealthy diet and lack of exercise and simply consume spoonfuls of olive oil to their day!”

Adapting healthier habits overall, like exercising and following the Mediterranean diet, could help with impotence.

The diet notably benefits your heart because it includes good fat and plenty of fruits and vegetables. This may help with erections because “what is good for the heart and blood vessels is good for erectile function, which relies on small arteries to provide the blood it needed for penile engorgement,” Dr Starke explains. “So in that regard, I agree with the article.”

Read more: We decode 3 popular diets and discuss the pro’s, con’s and what you should take from each

Plus, you could follow the Mediterranean diet to drop a few kilograms, and studies have shown that extra weight is linked to erectile dysfunction, as Men’s Health has previously reported. If you’re dealing with impotence and are at least 20% heavier than your ideal weight, then adopting a healthier diet may be a good strategy.

^{This article was originally published on www.mh.co.za}

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Scientists report they have uncovered the first evidence that erectile dysfunction may have genetic underpinnings.

In the study, the researchers analyzed data from hundreds of thousands of men. The investigators found gene variations in a specific spot in the human genome near the SIM1 gene that are significantly associated with an increased risk of impotence.

Common among older men

“Identifying this SIM1 locus as a risk factor for erectile dysfunction is a big deal because it provides the long sought-after proof that there is a genetic component to the disease,” said study author Eric Jorgenson. He’s a research scientist at Kaiser Permanente Northern California’s division of research.

“Identifying the first genetic risk factor for erectile dysfunction is an exciting discovery because it opens the door for investigations into new, genetic-based therapies,” he added in a Kaiser news release.

Erectile dysfunction is a common condition among older men and is linked to many causes, such as neurological, hormonal and vascular factors. There are treatments that target these factors, but many men don’t respond to them.

Partners suffer silently

Genetics are believed to play a role in about one-third of erectile dysfunction cases, but this is the first time that researchers have connected a specific genomic location with the disorder.

The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

According to study co-author Dr Hunter Wessells, “This study points to a new research direction for erectile dysfunction that could help us identify other key genetic variants that trigger the disease and lead to investigations to better understand the precise mechanisms by which they operate.” Wessells is chair of urology at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

“Hopefully, this will translate into better treatments and, importantly, prevention approaches for the men and their partners who often suffer silently with this condition,” he added.

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