Der Bauplan unseres Körpers

Gene und Gendefekte …

warum sind DNA-Analysen wertvoll?

Jeder Mensch besteht aus mehreren Billionen kleiner Zellen, die zusammengesetzt das Gewebe unseres Körpers formen. Darin verstecken sich wiederum etwa 30.000 verschiedene Gene, die ganz spezifische Eigenschaften und Mechanismen unseres Körpers steuern.

So gibt es zum Beispiel Gene, welche die Farbe unserer Augen bestimmen; Gene, die steuern, welche Körpergröße wir erreichen; Gene, die für die Verdauung bestimmter Nahrungsmittel zuständig sind und Gene, die für die Funktion der Nervenzellen in unserem Gehirn verantwortlich sind. Alle Gene zusammen bilden so den Bauplan unseres ganz individuellen Körpers.

Genes as instructions manual

to the best possible version of yourself

Unfortunately, our genes are not flawless and each of us carries certain genetic defects or gene variations that we either inherited from our parents or that were formed by chance and now have a negative impact on our health. These gene variations are very common and are mostly just simple letter changes in the genetic code. The different variations weaken our immune system, increase our risk of heart attacks or give us poor eyesight. Of course, each of us wears different variations, which means that some people are at higher risk of having a heart attack and others are, for example, lactose intolerant. Diseases that are common in particular families are a good example of how individual disease risk can vary from family to family and from individual to individual.

Recognising risks from your genetic code

and proactively taking mitigating action

While genetic defects can affect our health, in many cases they are not the only risk factors causing the onset of a specific illness. This may also depend on external factors such as environmental stress or lifestyle habits. For example, if a person is lactose intolerant due to a genetic defect, that person is perfectly healthy as long as they don’t consume any milk. Symptoms only arise when certain environmental influences occur – in this case, when lactose is consumed in food or drinks.
 
It’s the same with other diseases. For example, a defective iron uptake regulation gene increases the risk of iron storage disease and a precautionary lifestyle is necessary to prevent the disease from taking its full course.

To extend your healthy lifespan

through early detection, preventive action and optimal treatment

With the latest technology it is now possible to have certain genes tested for defects that are linked to specific diseases. Based on the results of these tests, a prevention program can be put together that significantly reduces your personal risk of specifically those illnesses and helps in keeping you healthy. Diet also has an important influence on the occurrence of these diseases and can thus play an important role in prevention, when optimised accordingly.
 
While one should always strive for a healthy, balanced lifestyle, DNA tests will provide additional information to be used in optimising lifestyle choices for maximising long term health. You will also learn more about specific preventive measures that are not covered by the general guidelines of a healthy life.