Nutrigenomics – Personalized Vitamin Supplements Based on DNA

Dr. Rhonda Patrick provides a quick overview of some of the more common genotype deficiencies which might be assisted with diet and vitamin supplementation. The combination of $70 home DNA tests combined with public databases such as ClinVar and SNPedia has created a way to help end users navigate the world of nutrigenomics.

Being curious about which supplements would help with concentration and avoid energy stalls I tried uploading my 23andMe DNA data to a few different sites. I used the following services:

• Promethease (with Topics set to “Nutrahacker”) – this was by far the most useful with direct links to clinical studies. Normally there is a $5 processing fee, but Promethease is offering free reports through the end of 2017.
• FoundMyFitness – Offers a brief, but to the point summary of “noteworthy” and “less noteworthy” genes where supplementation might be helpful. They request a $10 donation for processing 23andMe DNA data.
• Athletigen – DNA Wellness report with specific recommendations. Price @ $80.
• NutraHacker – Offers several reports, but the Complete Gene Mutation Report offered the most information related to the supplement suggestions. They offer a free interactive detox visualization tool which is quite helpful. I’m not sure on the price of this report, but believe it was between $45 – $85 range.

What I learned from running my own DNA through these sites was that I could make some changes to my daily supplement stack. This is a good time to mention that some caution is in order. The studies being used vary in size and ethnicity quite a bit. Multiple studies with more than 1,000 people of different ethnicities is currently considered the most significant, but it doesn’t mean that they are correct.

Combining the data from above four DNA post processing sites. It was suggested that I consider taking the following supplements:

• B-Vitamins – Based on these three gene mutations:
  • MTHFR (5-methyl-folate or l-methylfolate)
  • NBPF3 (B6)
  • FUT2 (methyl B12 or hydroxycobalamin)
  • avoid strait folate (found in many processed foods)
• Vitamin D – Based on genes CYP2R1 and GC

Probably the most concerning thing is that each service flagged several different genes and nutrient suggestions. There is plenty of overlap, but several outliers too. It was also disappointing to see recommendations for food such as dairy products after being flagged for as highly likely to be lactose intolerant. Obviously, there needs to be a lot of filtering at the consumer level rather than just following the directions provided.