Genetics

ENCORE: Sports Nutrition: Nutrients for Performance and Endurance, Part 1
December 8, 2022
Today we explore Nutrigenomics and sports nutrition with Brent Luycks (pronounced “Lucks”) a former Belgian champion cyclist who is founder of 4Gold, a company focused on enhancement of athletic performance. 4Gold works with professional athletes and ordinary optimizers to develop personalized nutrition programs geared to their genetic characteristics. Brent describes what insights can be gained from nutrigenomic profiling using saliva samples of DNA. In my case, for example, it bettered my understanding of my athletic aptitude (mixed), my injury potential, my recovery ability, and my unique requirements for nutrients associated with performance and endurance. Brent, as a survivor of Crohn’s disease, describes an innovative prebiotic, 2’-Fucosyllactose, a constituent of human milk. It has the potential to address GI disorders, and supports optimal absorption, a limiting factor in athletic performance. He also details ingredients in a sports supplement embraced by many top endurance athletes on the European circuit. Click HERE for part 2.

ENCORE: Sports Nutrition: Nutrients for Performance and Endurance, Part 2

Dr. Hoffman continues his conversation with Brent Luycks, a former Belgian champion cyclist who is the founder of 4Gold, a company focused on the enhancement of athletic performance. Click HERE for part 1.

ENCORE: DNA testing: Is it ready for Prime-Time? Part 1
September 16, 2021
Dr. Sharon Hausman-Cohen, Chief Medical Director of IntellxxDNA, shares her perspective on the genetic testing revolution. What’s the difference between a mutation and a SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism)? How does the IntellxxDNA test differ from, say, 23andMe? Isn’t it potentially scary to find out you have a “bad” gene, like the ApoE4 gene that’s associated with Alzheimer’s Disease risk? Can genetic risk factors be overcome with diet, exercise, and targeted supplements? IntellxxDNA pinpoints obesity genes, genes that predispose to diabetes and heart disease, macular degeneration, autoimmune disorders, thyroid problems and osteoporosis. Certain SNPs predict the likelihood of neurodegenerative diseases when exposed to environmental toxins like mercury and glyphosate. Others may dictate higher requirements for antioxidants, B vitamins, magnesium, vitamin D, and choline. Why is the IntellxxDNA test only available through health practitioners? Some critics say genetic testing is only in its infancy and not yet ready for primetime—is this mistaken? What can genomic testing tell us about remedial strategies for autism? Click HERE for part 2.

ENCORE: DNA testing: Is it ready for Prime-Time? Part 2

Dr. Hoffman continues his conversation with Dr. Sharon Hausman-Cohen, Chief Medical Director of IntellxxDNA, who shares her perspective on the genetic testing revolution. Click HERE for part 1.

ENCORE: Intelligent Medicine Radio Show for September 4, Part 1
September 6, 2021
Low-fat, Low-carb—when it comes to heart disease prevention, it doesn’t matter (REALLY??) What genetics tell us about same-sex attraction—“Born this way”? Teenage boy goes blind after subsisting on Pringle’s, white bread and French fries; Are two drugs the answer for this caller’s osteoporosis? Lifestyle, not genetics, explains most heart risk; Warning issued over vaping hazards in wake of 5 death, hundreds of reports of serious lung disease; Are nitrites and nitrates in foods hazardous—or beneficial? If bacon is bad for you, what about nitrate-rich vegetables? How mouthwash can blunt exercise circulatory benefits. Click HERE for part 2. Click HERE for articles and resources relating to this podcast episode.

The Twists and Turns of Humans’ Evolutionary Path, Part 1
August 3, 2021
Alex Bezzerides Ph.D. is a professor of biology and author of "Evolution Gone Wrong: The Curious Reasons Why Our Bodies Work (Or Don't)." He contends our bodies are imperfect, the result of evolutionary compromises between conflicting imperatives. For example, big brains enabled humans to develop technology and language; but our big heads have doomed women to painful and perilous deliveries. Developing an upright posture enabled us to free our remarkable hands; but standing also cursed us with back, knee, and ankle problems. Bezzerides applies this paradigm to other health problems we’re prey to: crooked teeth, failing eyesight, choking deaths, and hernias. Are humans still evolving when we have medical technology to prevent nature from “culling the herd”? Are obesity and blood sugar problems holdovers of traits that once furthered our survival? Dr. Bezzerides is the biology professor I wish I’d had! Click HERE for part 2.

The Twists and Turns of Humans’ Evolutionary Path, Part 2

Dr. Hoffman continues his conversation with Alex Bezzerides Ph.D., a professor of biology and author of "Evolution Gone Wrong: The Curious Reasons Why Our Bodies Work (Or Don't)." Click HERE for part 1.

Q&A with Leyla, Part 2: Is it possible to catch Covid from someone who is newly vaccinated?
December 9, 2020
In your opinion, is organic virgin olive oil better than non-organic olive oil?; My husband has diabetes and high blood pressure despite eating correctly and exercising. What else can he do--is it his genes?; Is it possible to catch covid from someone who is newly vaccinated?; Study reveals connection between gut bacteria and vitamin D levels. Click HERE for part 1.

The Genetics of COVID-19, Part 1
April 30, 2020
There are many factors that determine who’s more prone to hospitalization or death from coronavirus infection. But among them—and now subject to intense research—are individual genetic predispositions. Certain genes can make you more susceptible to an inflammatory cascade—cytokine storm—that presages a bad outcome in COVID-19. Integrative physician Dr. Sharon Hausman-Cohen, MD, is co-founder of IntellxxDNA, a service that helps health professionals interpret their patients’ genetic profiles. She sheds light on how variations in gene expression can influence pathways integral to viral infection. These analyses, based on saliva samples, can yield critical insights about deployment of various nutraceutical treatments—including elderberry, andrographis, astragalus, vitamins A, C, and D, zinc, fish oil and specific pro-resolving mediators (SPMs), quercetin, melatonin, EGCG, and curcumin. Click HERE for part 2.

The Genetics of COVID-19, Part 2

Dr. Hoffman continues his conversation with Dr. Sharon Hausman-Cohen, MD, co-founder of IntellxxDNA, a service that helps health professionals interpret their patients’ genetic profiles. She sheds light on how variations in gene expression can influence pathways integral to viral infection. Click HERE for part 1.