Using Epigenetics & Nutrigenomics to Support Your Mental Health: An Introduction
Mar 14, 2024Season 1Episode 3
Haley Schroth, RDN, LD, CPT, RYT
Throughout this conversation, I peel back the layers of how a mere 0.1% variance in our DNA not only bestows us with our unique traits but also interweaves with our nutritional intake to impact our mental well-being.
In this episode you'll also...
Discover the science and real-life impact of epigenetics, epigenomics, nutrigenomics, and nutrigenetics
Explore the connection between what we eat and how we feel on a day to day basis
Understand why a personalized approach to eating is not merely beneficial, but essential for mind-body-soul clarity, balance, and fulfillment
Learn about the test that I, Haley, use with clients here at The Fulfilled Fork
Join Calibrate 🧬 Become Your Own Medicine by Harnessing the Power of Your DNA & Daily Choices for Optimal Health & Mental Wellness (50% off on pre-sale now!!)
✨ Book Your Mental Wellness Breakthrough session! This is for courageous folks who are ready to ditch the physical and mental health symptoms, take their life back, and embody their most flavorful, fulfilled life. (New Client Session)
Throughout this conversation, I peel back the layers of how a mere 0.1% variance in our DNA not only bestows us with our unique traits but also interweaves with our nutritional intake to impact our mental well-being.
In this episode you'll also...
Discover the science and real-life impact of epigenetics, epigenomics, nutrigenomics, and nutrigenetics
Explore the connection between what we eat and how we feel on a day to day basis
Understand why a personalized approach to eating is not merely beneficial, but essential for mind-body-soul clarity, balance, and fulfillment
Learn about the test that I, Haley, use with clients here at The Fulfilled Fork
Join Calibrate 🧬 Become Your Own Medicine by Harnessing the Power of Your DNA & Daily Choices for Optimal Health & Mental Wellness (50% off on pre-sale now!!)
✨ Book Your Mental Wellness Breakthrough session! This is for courageous folks who are ready to ditch the physical and mental health symptoms, take their life back, and embody their most flavorful, fulfilled life. (New Client Session)
Howdy friend. Welcome to Unforked, an unfiltered holistic nutrition and mental wellness podcast for evolving folks that crave a delicious life of fulfillment. Haley, here I am, your host, a trauma-informed functional medicine dietician, holistic mental wellness coach and the founder of the fulfilled fork. On this show, we dish up insights and activations while learning about sustainable mind, body, soul lifestyle practices. It's sweet, it's savory and it'll spice up your life. To stay connected, make sure you sign up for our Unforked email list at thefulfilledforkcom. Forward slash links. Let's dig into the episode.
Speaker 1:
Hello, we are going to read a blog post today. I am going to read a blog post today. I said this in the last one too. I am going to read a blog post to you today about an introduction to using epigenetic and nutrigenomics to support your mental health. So if it sounds like I'm reading, it's probably because I'm reading. I am going to do my best to make it fun and also interject as applicable. So let's get into the blog post, all right? So by now you may already understand the connection between nutrition and mental health If you have been around for a little while.
Speaker 1:
If not, welcome, and let's talk about it. We're going to talk about the genetics and epigenetics and all that fun stuff today. This is my absolute favorite topic, I would have to say it is so fascinating to me. If you know me, if you're like my friend or an acquaintance or whatever, if you see me on the streets and a topic comes up, if we are talking anything nutrition, health related, I am probably wondering what your genetic report is like. It connects so many dots for me and it really helps me help you. So we're going to get into the details on this today and I guess why I love it so much. Really, at the heart of this. So we know that nutrition and mental health has a huge effect on psychological well-being. So diet has a huge effect on psychological well-being.
Speaker 1:
What you may not know yet is that the right good mood foods and supplements for one person may not be the best option for you. This I cannot stress enough. What I do in my life is probably not what you should be doing. I just thought of the what I eat in a day posts and videos. Those drive me nuts. It's cool, you know. It's interesting to see what somebody eats in a day. It drives me nuts when people think that that's what they should go do too, just because somebody that they like watching is eating, that that can be really problematic for us because we are not taking our own values into consideration. We are not taking our own DNA and needs into consideration when we are doing that. So this all boils down to your unique DNA code and epigenome, which we will get into that definition in a second, and nutrigenomics can help paint a clearer picture of what your one-of-a-kind nutrition needs may be. So again, what is healthy for somebody else is probably not the same thing that's healthy for you, because you are different people, literally down to your DNA, not just your values, not just your lifestyle. Those are very, very, very, very, very important also, and what health conditions you have can also be very, very, very important if you do have a preexisting health condition. Taking all of those factors into consideration, including the nutrigenomic piece, is so key. It is so key and this is when this is like the biggest part of what I do as far as mental health and improving brain function from a holistic point of view. So here we're going to talk about a few things that you should know about epigenetics, epigenomics, nutrigenomics and nutrigenetics. That is a mouthful, but by learning about these four different genomic topics, you can tap into your unique genes and also choose foods that better support your psychological health and overall well-being.
Speaker 1:
Let's get into the introduction to the genetics epigenetics, epigenomics, nutrigenomics and nutrigenetics. Wow, I did so good and I didn't even flub one time. Okay, the human genome is comprised of trillions of cells, so that's about 99.9% of these cells that are identical to everyone else's. So our human genome is 99.9% identical to the next person. So we're talking about that difference, and that difference is the remaining 0.1% that makes us unique from other people. It doesn't seem like a lot, but there's actually a lot of variation. Clearly, that happens in that 0.1%. So that is impacting our physical appearances. So like my hair color, my eye color versus somebody else's skin, hair, eye color, nose shape, literally everything on our bodies, right, that is what this 0.1% is doing. So we each have these genetic variations, these genetic variants in this 0.1% difference in our DNA, and that also not just impacts our physical health, but it also impacts our cardiovascular health, our metabolic health, literally all of the health. It impacts everything. So, like in my case, it impacts my cardiovascular health a lot, a lot. In the next person they may not have a high risk of cardiovascular disease genetically. That doesn't mean they're not going to get it, though, because environment also like nature versus nurture, it's a thing.
Speaker 1:
So all of these genetic differences are known as polymorphisms. So the most common type of polymorphism is the single nucleotide polymorphism, also called SNPs, so SNPS, snps If you hear me talking about SNPs, that is absolutely what I'm talking about. Is these genetic variations? Side note, some people call them other things than variations Words aren't happening right now. Some people call them genetic mutations. I personally do not prefer that, because I feel that this type of genetic variation is not necessarily a mutation, but rather just a difference in what our genetics are doing, right? Just a difference in spelling of a word, so like C-O-L-O-U-R for color, or C-O-L-O-R. Just a different spelling is all that these SNPs are.
Speaker 1:
So some of our SNPs can be beneficial to our health Our physical, mental, emotional health is what we're talking about here All the health and it can also be protective against diseases, medical conditions and the harmful effects of environmental toxins. So, yes, we can have protective genetic variations, right? Not all of it's bad. It's really interesting to see, and none of it's bad. Also, I should say that none of it's bad. We just perceive some of these things as bad. So the other SNPs that make us more susceptible some people might perceive them as bad.
Speaker 1:
When we talk about epigenetics, we'll get into it Like this is not a causation, this is a. It's a chance, it's a probability, almost it is a likelihood. So the genetic test that I use. It categorizes groups of genes based on the scientific research and categorizes like cardiovascular health, memory and brain health, detoxification, methylation, all of these different areas. It puts them into categories of risk. So how high is the risk for a particular person in this one area? So, like for me, in the cholesterol piece, I have a high risk of high cholesterol, given if I have the environment that promotes high cholesterol and I have these genetics, I'm probably going to end up with high cholesterol, right? So just a really, really, really helpful piece of information. I have found it incredibly helpful. You probably already know that many of my clients have found it super, incredibly helpful and insightful on their journey and really just so that they can get to know their bodies better and how their unique body works. That is so important as we're moving through the world.
Speaker 1:
So other single nucleotide polymorphisms, the SNPs, can make us more susceptible to developing diseases and disorders such as cancer, diabetes or mental health conditions like depression or anxiety, Some of the SNPs that correlate with mood, memory and mental health. Some of the SNPs that correlate with mood, memory and mental health include so we're going to go down this long list here methylation associated SNPs, so these are probably some of the most mainstream in the media. We're talking the MTHFR, the COMT and the MTR. These have been widely studied and have a huge impact on mental health, myself included. We're also looking at the variations in the HPA access genes, like OPRMI and the OXTR genes, the SNPs that are associated with neuroplasticity, so these are the ANK3, the AKT1, apoe, which is highly correlated with Alzheimer's disease and inflammation, and BDNF. Snps that are associated with neurotransmitters are HTR1A, the COMT, drd1, drd2, drd3, drd4, chrna5, the GABRA2, faah, maoa and OPRMI, so these are all associated with neurotransmitters. The SNPs that are associated with neuron functioning are the CACNA1C. Inflammation associated SNPs are APOE, like we talked about with Alzheimer's, and IL6R, so this is the Interleukin6 SNPs associated with oxidative stress. So this is the resting on the car, aka the resting on our cells. This is the MNSOD, enos, nq01 and APOE.
Speaker 1:
You will notice that many of these genes show up in many of these categories. That is because they act on many different parts of the body. A lot of the time, it's not isolated is what I wanted to say. And, lastly but not least, the variations in detoxification genes that can impact our mood, memory and mental health, include the NQ01 and the COMT. While many of these SNPs have no significant impact, it is estimated that each of us has between 5 and 50 genetic variations that predispose us to disease or disability. Again, predisposition a risk, not a causation. So DNA testing and neutrogenomics can help us to identify these SNPs and also help us make those dietary and lifestyle choices that support our unique nutrition needs, and this can reduce our risk of disease, including mental health conditions. You can learn more about the DNA testing on my website, so head to the show notes if you're listening to this, and there will be a link there for you to get more information on the genetic testing if you'd like to read up more on it, and on that page there is a box, a box where you can enter your information and you can get a sample genetic test report. That way you can look it up and down all over and see what the heck I'm talking about. I also have a walkthrough video just to give you a better idea of how I look at the genetic test specifically and how I use it in my practice.
Speaker 1:
So this is where epigenetics and epigenomics come into play. Let's talk about what all these are. So, though our DNA cannot change, epigenetics this is the study of how cells control the activity of our genes tells us that our epigenome can. So our epigenetics is the study of how cells control the activity of our genes, and our epigenome is the chemical compounds responsible for telling the human genome what to do. So our epigenome can change, but our epigenetics are, but our DNA does not change. So the DNA, the actual genetic code, the strands, that double helix strand if you've ever been in a science class that you've seen a DNA photo, or probably all over my website so our DNA strands, our DNA cannot change, but our epigenome can, and our epigenome is influenced by aging and development, as well as those various lifestyle factors like diet, lifestyle, physical activity, environment and stress. This is epigenetics, folks. This is epigenetics.
Speaker 1:
So we've talked about how epigenetics is influenced by aging and development and those other factors diet, lifestyle, physical activity, environment and stress. These environment influences result in epigenetic changes. So there are a couple of different types of epigenetic changes that this results in. So that is DNA methylation and histone modification or non-coding RNA. So these epigenetic changes affect the expression of our genes. So this is like when I talk about the turning on or off of a specific gene. We can alter our DNA based on what we do and don't do in our lives. So this is like the more confusing, perhaps sciencey way to talk about it versus just my light switch analogy. So because of genetic testing, we can learn how to make changes to our diet, our lifestyle and our behaviors. That way we can better support our health and well-being, and this includes our psychological health and brain function. So really, this is where nutrogenomics and nutrogenetics come in, because if we know that the epigenome can change, we know that the stress, the diet, the lifestyle, the physical activity, our environment that can change our epigenome and result in those epigenetic changes, turning the light switch on or off. That's where we know that food, aka nutrogenomics and nutrogenetics, can come into play. So let's dive into that.
Speaker 1:
Now that we've talked about the epigenetics and epigenomics, we are going to look at nutrogenomics and nutrogenetics. So nutrogenomics refers to the study of how genes and diet interact. On the other hand, nutrogenetics is referring to how your unique body responds to certain vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. So the nutra I can't talk right now. Nutrogenetics, that is how our body responds to the specific vitamins, minerals and nutrients, while nutrogenomics is just the general study of how genes and diet interact. So nutrogenetics is much more specific.
Speaker 1:
Some of the nutrients that can affect our epigenome as well as common dietary sources of these nutrients include, besides B6B12, same and folic acid. We've also got methionine. Common sources of methionine include Brazil nuts, sesame seeds and spinach. We've got choline super, super important for our mental health. It is not something that is talked about widely enough, I believe personally, and this one is personally something that affects me. So common sources of choline include liver, egg yolks and chicken. I love my eggs, thank God. So then I can get my choline in Betanine. Betanine is commonly found in shellfish, wheat and sugar beets. Reservatrol is commonly found in, of course, red wine and grapes.
Speaker 1:
Sulforaphane is one of my absolute favorites. You can find sulforaphane in broccoli and other cruciferous veggies. Sulforaphane is a bioactive compound that basically puts inflammation out in the body. So if inflammation was like a dumpster fire, sulforaphane would be the compound that just like comes and puts water on the fire, just like puts that inflammation out. So that is one of my favorite fun things to talk about is sulforaphane. It helps so many, so many things For inflammation. It is just incredible. Butyrate is a short chain fatty acid that is produced when dietary fiber is broken down in the large intestines. And last but not least, we've got dial sulfide. The common sources of this include garlic and garlic oil.
Speaker 1:
So we've got genetic testing in Nutri-Genomics, also known as nutritional genomics, helps you choose foods, supplements and also physical and mental activities yoga and sudoku, for example that support your unique genetic makeup and optimize your mental health. The genetic testing greatly helps with determining the types of foods, supplements and activities that we should either perhaps look into or that maybe we should avoid. It is just it helps get a lot of clarity on next steps and if you are somebody who is unsure of what supplements, perhaps that you that would be beneficial for you. And this is one of the most common questions I get all the time is hey, what supplement should I be taking? Should I be taking any supplements? And the answer is I don't know, unless I'm working one-on-one with you and I know if I have a really comprehensive health history and I prefer to have genetic testing done for somebody before I answer that question for many reasons. But yeah, it is just super, super helpful to have that information.
Speaker 1:
So we have to remember that there is not a one size fits all approach to emotional wellness, mental wellness, physical wellness. There is just not that one special diet, that one thing that everybody should be doing, because, seriously, if that was the case, every fucking person would be doing that by now. Right, like we wouldn't have 60,000 different diets coming out every year, or like people cycling between diets if one of them truly worked for all people. It's not a thing. It's such a myth that one diet can help everybody, right? So figuring out what works for you is the best damn thing we can do, because this chat is just to provide you an overview of using epigenetics and nutrogenomics specifically to support your mental health.
Speaker 1:
We are really just talking about the benefits of tapping into your genes for psychological wellness. So genetic testing can tell you which good mood nutrients and probiotic and also prebiotic rich foods to eat more less of, based on your unique genetic makeup. Also, which types of physical and mental exercises maybe would be beneficial for you to engage in for improved brain function. So some people are at much higher risk of cognitive decline than others, and a lot of times we have an idea that, yeah, alzheimer's runs in my family or some people have had memory loss. Whatever it is, we can do things to prevent that, and that includes, of course, like physical activity, mental activities and also nutrition. So improved brain function is a real thing from food, and then it can also this nutritional.
Speaker 1:
Genetic testing can tell us which substances and environmental toxins we might potentially want to avoid or limit. This one's huge and this one can be a scary one for a lot of people. For myself, with an autoimmune disease, this is something I've looked into and my gosh since, like my early tans I mean late tans I have been going through my health and wellness products and trying to be more mindful of the types of toxins that I'm putting on my body and my body all that fun stuff. The genetic testing can also tell us which vitamins and minerals that we might want to consider supplementing for if we want to improve our mental health and brain function and also just overall wellness and functioning in general. This includes for physical activity, recovery and for like bones and joints and the whole body the whole body. But specifically, of course, we're talking about mental health right now. So not that that stuff doesn't also trickle into improve your mental health, because it absolutely does. If somebody has joint pain and we can help improve that joint pain through nutrition and perhaps some different exercises and stuff, oh my goodness, that can absolutely improve our mental health. So don't discount the connections between improving one area and how that can also trickle into improving your mental health. And also we can learn from our genetic test how to best minimize stress, get better quality sleep and then also balance our hormones for improved brain health.
Speaker 1:
This one's huge. So here at the Fulfilled Fork, I use the 3x4 genetic test and a customized blueprint report that I make you and I do this to help my clients tap into their unique genes so that they can better support their psychological health and also hopefully get to the root cause of mental health conditions like depression and anxiety. We will never find one root cause, because I'm a believer that there are, like there's so many factors and yeah, but we can really look at root causes that might be impacting your mental health and physical health. So the 3x4 genetic tests more than 157 genes. This affects everything from our cognition to hormones and inflammation and detoxification. This is what allows me to make those ultra personalized nutrition and lifestyle recommendations that truly make a difference in your mental health, not just right now, but literally for the rest of your life, literally for the rest of your life.
Speaker 1:
Your DNA does not change. Yes, your environment changes. Yes, you will need to make some tweaks, but in general, you will have a super, super solid plan moving forward. Right, super solid plan All in it, and all it takes is a super easy cheek swab. So so, so easy, just a quick cheek swab and that is what you ship back to the company to test your DNA and we get all the amazing insights into your brain health, your hormones, your mood, your behavior, your memory. That way you can make those long lasting dietary and lifestyle changes that drastically improve your psychological and physical well being.
Speaker 1:
So if you would like to, please download a sample copy of the genetic report also in the show nights show notes and this is what I use in my practice If you are ready right now, book that complimentary support call and then we can have that quick chat to find out if we are a hell yes to working together. If we are hell yeah, let's do it, and I cannot wait to get started with the nutrition and lifestyle coaching and or a genetic test report with you. Thank you for listening to Unfork. You can find all resources and links from this episode in the show notes at thefulfilledforkcom forward slash podcast. If you enjoyed the episode, we'd love if you'd send it to a friend and rate and review the show on either Apple podcasts or Spotify. Then email us a screenshot of your review to howdy at the fulfilled forkcom for a one time credit to use towards our wellness services at the fulfilled fork Chat soon.