Dear parents, in this article we will show you how your daily decisions about your children are influenced by their genetics and how you can best help children improve their health, avoid eating mistakes, help them achieve better performance in school, in sports or in life in general. Children require more of our attention also based on their genetic predispositions, which make them unique.
What benefits our children and what harms them? Are we making a mistake somewhere? Where?
The answers to many questions are in the results of genetic analysis. Nowadays, in developed countries, genetic analyzes are an integral part of a child's overall development from an early age. A healthy lifestyle, diet, education, choosing a suitable sport, upbringing, health prevention, but also personal health care can be positively influenced by caring for a child based on facts about his genetic strengths and weaknesses.
I will also share with you my personal experiences with the use of knowledge from the results of DNA analyzes of our two children (daughter 5 and son 18). My name is Pavol Pavlovič, I am the founder of the brand DNA4FIT, father, manager of scientific research projects and former long-time coach of top U16 soccer players.
For us as parents, the results of the analysis revealed a whole spectrum of useful facts in our children, such as ineffective lactose metabolism, lower levels of some vitamins and minerals, greater exposure to oxidative stress, greater tendency to gain weight again and more intense perception of sweet and bitter tastes, greater risk of injuries and less effective removal of lactate during sports, greater risk of addiction, e.g. from alcohol, higher sensitivity to inflammation, but also what their sleep cycle is like, even the entire cardiovascular panel and a lot of other useful information. Fortunately, most of the results have been positive with an emphasis on maintaining condition. For each genetic fact, we also received a number of useful recommendations and advice. We are glad that we know all this because we could make changes that help our children.
What is an optimal diet?
Despite the fact that 99 percent of our genetic makeup is exactly the same, there are approximately ten million genetic variations among individuals. For this reason, the nutritional needs of each child are also specific and are the subject of the new field of nutrigenetics - personalized nutrition. An individual approach to nutrition is fundamentally important and absolutely necessary to ensure an optimal diet. Diet is also one of the factors that you can use to influence the child's health probably the most, and at the same time the factor that can be influenced the easiest.
In the DNA analysis, you will learn what is good for your child and what is harmful from the point of view of diet. Useful facts and recommendations range from the effect of diet on body weight, nutrient requirements, eating habits, metabolism to detoxifying your child's body. You will become familiar with the influence of the main components of the diet - carbohydrates, proteins, fats and the importance of analyzed vitamins and minerals. These areas are influenced by many factors, but one of them is the genetic make-up of your child. It determines which vitamins and minerals he needs to supplement more, or vice versa, which of them he has in sufficient quantity and it is enough just to maintain their levels. By eating right, he can get almost all vitamins and minerals. However, this can be a little more difficult if the child is prone to their deficiency. The diet that we will recommend to your child as part of the DNA analysis is not chosen randomly, but is based precisely on his genetic make-up.
Package of nutritional supplements JUNIOR =>
Mirka Luberdová and her experience with a DNA test
Detoxification and reduction of oxidative stress
In the DNA analysis, you will learn how effective the detoxification mechanisms of your child's body are, about the level of selenium and vitamins C and E, which is influenced by his genetic make-up. Harmful substances enter the body of children and our bodies every day with food, water, air, but also, for example, through the skin, and therefore we inevitably need mechanisms that will be responsible for detoxification and removal of these substances from our system. These mechanisms include specific enzymes that detoxify our body and antioxidants that neutralize free radicals. The formation of free radicals is caused by radiation, cigarette smoke, various pollutants and many other components that our body can successfully detoxify with the help of the appropriate enzymes. However, a mutation in the genetic equipment of enzymes can occur, which then manifests itself as an ineffective detoxification of the above-mentioned potentially dangerous and poisonous substances. In the case of ineffective functioning of enzymes or a lack of certain enzymes, we are largely exposed to toxins from the environment, and thus we must adapt accordingly, also based on the recommendations in DNA analysis, either preventively or as part of necessary changes in personal health care.
SEE SAMPLE ANALYSIS
What changes have we made in children's diet
Before analysis While we didn't have the results yet and we didn't know, for example, about lactose intolerance in our younger daughter, we had several difficult nights and we didn't know why. "Are we making a mistake somewhere? Where? Isn't it something serious?" What benefits her and what, on the contrary, harms her? we asked
After analysis Our daughter has now had the analysis for the second year. First of all, after receiving the results, we removed harmful foods from the diet, such as products containing lactose. We have included more recommended foods for individual nutrient requirements such as vitamins B6, B9, B12, zinc, iron, potassium, etc. Due to the more intense perception of the sweet taste, which could cause addiction in the future, we have limited the use of sugar. We have replaced the sweets with seasonal fruit from our garden or hot chocolate with a very high cocoa content, which will avoid problems with excess weight in the future, and also help increase iron levels. We know how to "convince" children to eat food that they don't like, but is good for them, such as broccoli, spinach and other foods with a bitter taste. The food program for children, which is part of the DNA analysis, helps us the most with recipes.
The changes in diet that we made were extensive because we care about the children's health and the reward is their excellent health condition as well as the fact that we do not make unnecessary mistakes when eating due to ignorance.
Sport for fun or elite sport?
At a certain age of the child, we parents make decisions about which sport to choose or, conversely, not to choose. Many factors affect us when choosing, and one of them was not considered at all until recently, and that is the genetic predisposition to specific sports. It is also necessary to know what level of physical activity is beneficial for the child's body and what is already beyond the limits of his capabilities. Proper physical activity generally affects health positively. Based on genetics, however, we know which sports activities are more suitable for some children and others not. For example, genetics has a large influence on various athletic characteristics such as strength, power, endurance, muscle fiber size and composition, flexibility, neuromuscular coordination, temperament, and more. From DNA analysis, we can also find out facts about metabolism, nutrient requirements, cardiovascular health and other unique analyzes and thus help with decisions about what sport is suitable, what performance level is beneficial for the body and what needs to be done to achieve the best level if the child has a sporting predisposition all right.
Genetically brilliant with Matej Tóth
The warrior gene
Despite years of preparation and training, some kids just can't handle it under pressure, while other kids seem to thrive on pressure and adrenaline. The answer is hidden in the COMT gene. The product of this gene is responsible for breaking down adrenaline. The consequence of a variant in this gene is that some children are "fighters", while others are more "worried" in nature. Fighters have a very active COMT enzyme; therefore, their adrenaline breaks down quickly, resulting in a low baseline adrenaline level. The anxious have very little active production of the COMT enzyme, which leads to a higher basal level of adrenaline. Everyone has an optimal adrenaline level. Worry is probably already at its optimal level, so the automatic increase in adrenaline in a difficult situation will make them lose control. Their hands start to sweat, their muscles shake, their motor movements don't work, their brain is overloaded resulting in unfocused thinking, and they suffer from tunnel vision. Looking at a fighter whose adrenaline levels are normally low, an equally challenging situation will cause adrenaline to rise to an optimal level. However, worriers have one big advantage and that is that they can be more "explorers" and in most situations be more efficient at processing information and therefore "thinkers".
What do I know about the children's sports future from the results of the DNA analysis
As a parent, I played sports practically from a very young age until college. Like almost every parent, I had the ambition that my daughter could one day be successful in sports as well. The results of my genetic analysis accurately answered the questions of why I did not reach a top level in sports as an athlete in the past and why, according to the results, I was a good coach. I see the same in my daughter's results - she lacks the warrior gene, endurance sports such as running, cycling, aerobics, swimming and others are definitely more suitable for her. Since I know what he has, among other things, lactate removal, the risk of soft tissue injury and even the entire panel of cardiovascular health, I know to what extent he should prepare for sports performance as part of the warm-up when he plays sports, what intervals of exercise intensity he needs to increase performance of the heart and how to regenerate after training. Now, however, she is still small, so I apply sports by playing under adequate parental supervision.
Sleep cycle - morning bird or night owl?
We all know that our children perform better and are more focused when they are rested and well. Therefore, one of my favorite genetic analyzes is the Sleep Cycle. The first step to better sleep and prosperity is to understand your children's internal clock and therefore to know whether they are an early bird, an average type or a night owl. Already in childhood, we can predict, based on DNA, at what time of the day they will be more active, they can study or play sports better, and when, on the contrary, it is appropriate to plan a rest. You will find out when it is appropriate to study with your child and thus you will significantly help yourself and the child, or whether mornings or, for example, are suitable for the child. evening trainings and thus essentially eliminate unsuitable sports. Imagine 20 children at morning training, e.g. hockey before school. Half of these children are literally still asleep during training and their body is going through stressful changes. In the short term it is only a problem, but in the long term it is literally a disaster. The combination of stress and other genetic predispositions such as heart capacity, risk of soft tissue injury, propensity for inflammation, regeneration and many others are unwanted "side effects" of wrongly chosen sport. And after training, they still have to go to school and perform another performance. Let your children develop with properly chosen activities at the appropriate time.
In conclusion
The results of the DNA analyzes helped our family to move the entire health care and healthy lifestyle to the highest possible level. We fundamentally changed our lifestyle, from diet to activities to sleep. Today I can say that we don't talk about diseases at home and on the contrary we only talk about what we are going to do for health exactly according to the instructions in our DNA analysis. I recommend to every parent that they can do their best for the proper development of their child, just like us.DNA analysis and personal meal plan every member of the family will certainly help you with this.
Listen to an interview with our CEO, Pavlo Pavlovič for the Zdravé reči podcast