What Your DNA Says About You

In recent years, DNA testing has advanced way beyond paternity testing and ancestry profiles. DNA can tell you whether you are prone to certain diseases and even how well your body can break down different proteins. The introductory definition of DNA has long been that it makes you you, but we didn’t realize how true that was until quite recently. As a provider of DNA testing in TX, our team at Endeavor DNA is fascinated by all things DNA and what we can learn from it.

Here are just a few things you can learn about yourself from DNA testing.

How You Metabolize Caffeine

Are you the kind of person who can knock back an espresso at 10 pm and still go straight to sleep? Or will you be up all night if you drink coffee after 2 in the afternoon? If you’ve ever wondered why, the answer is in your DNA. Everyone’s body breaks down caffeine differently. After you consume caffeine, it circulates through your bloodstream and passes through your liver. There is an enzyme in your liver that transforms the caffeine molecules so that your kidneys can remove them from your body. Genetic testing can identify the markers in your DNA that determine how quickly your body works through that process.

How You Absorb Vitamin D

Vitamin D is important for many cellular functions in your body. One of those functions is maintaining bone health. The primary component of bone is calcium, but your body can’t absorb it without vitamin D. If you have a problem with vitamin D deficiency, lack of sunlight and diet may not be the only culprits. It could be genetic. As an advance in medical science, these discoveries are still new, but they can give doctors important information about which patients will have problems caused by vitamin D deficiency and can treat them preventatively.

Whether You Are at Risk for Heart Disease

The more we study DNA, the more we learn how much it determines our health, both current and future. In a study of about 10,000 French Canadians, researchers looked at genetic variations and their relationships to serious heart disease. From those genetic variations, they performed a genetic assessment known as a polygenic risk score (PRS). Using that PRS, doctors can start preventative care, even before patients begin to exhibit symptoms of heart disease.

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DNA Testing TX from Endeavor DNA

While the DNA testing in TX that we do at Endeavor Laboratories is largely to determine familial relationships, we still like to stay on top of what’s going on in the world of DNA. Even without specific genetic testing, we know that many traits and conditions are hereditary. Knowing who your biological family is can give you peace of mind about many things about yourself, both immediately and in the long term.