Recent Articles:

Are you exhausted by shift work? It could be genetic. - Shift work and ‘social jetlag’ are linked to an increased risk for several chronic diseases. Shift work is usually defined in studies as working a late or early shift more than two times per week, Read more…
How your genes influence testosterone levels. - While bodybuilding and athletes may come to mind with the word testosterone, it is actually an important hormone for both men and women. In men, low serum testosterone levels are linked to an increased risk Read more…
BPA: How Your Genes Influence BPA Detoxification - BPA, a chemical found in some plastics, has been linked to a variety of effects on people including obesity, insulin resistance, and epigenetic effects on the fetus. It is everywhere in our food supply. In Read more…
Early to bed, early to rise – helps with weight loss and diabetes - This one simple change can help you lose weight and prevents diabetes! Ok, enough with the smarmy copywriting hooks… I’m going to depart from my usual format of talking about a specific genetic variant and Read more…
Thyroid Hormone Levels and Your Genes - The thyroid is a master regulator of many of your body’s systems. It is integrally involved in metabolism and helps maintain body temperature, heart rate, breathing, and body weight. The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland Read more…
Insomnia: A combo of genetics and environment? - Everyone at some point knows the pain of a sleepless night. For some, though, this is an all too frequent occurrence. A few quick facts: 10% of adults (and 22% of the elderly) have insomnia Read more…
Should I Take Aspirin to Prevent Heart Disease? - Everyone knows that aspirin protects against heart disease, right? Well, it turns out that aspirin may only protect some people from heart disease, and for others, it can actually slightly increase the risk of heart disease. Read more…
Decrease Your Risk of Diabetes – Using Genetics - What comes to mind as far as the risk of type 2 diabetes? Usually first up is the mental picture of someone eating donuts and slurping down soft drinks. While diet definitely contributes to diabetes Read more…
Changing Your Circadian Gene Expression with Polyphenols - This is a bit of a departure from my usual article. It is a paper that I recently wrote for a class that I’m taking for my Master’s in biology. Thought I would share it Read more…
Autophagy Genes - Autophagy is a general term for cellular pathways that move something from the cytoplasm of the cell into the lysosome for degradation. The term comes from the Greek ‘auto’ (self) and ‘-phagy’ (to eat). So Read more…
CYP3A4 and CYP3A5: Genes that Impact Drug Metabolism - Our bodies break down (metabolize) drugs and other toxins through a group of enzymes known as the CYP450 family. Different CYP enzymes break down different substances, and we all carry genetic variants that can impact Read more…
CYP2C19 – Metabolizing medications - The CYP2C19 enzyme is responsible for the breakdown of several popular drugs including proton pump inhibitors (Prilosec, Nexium, Prevacid), certain anti-epileptics, and an antiplatelet drug (Plavix). CYP2C19 is also involved in activating and breaking down Read more…