Plan your Diet around your GENES?

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“Plan your Diet around your GENES?”

Without depth knowledge of genetics, people have been known to blame their body shapes and weight issues on their genes.  It’s not unusual to hear the excuse, “I can’t loose weight or I can’t put on weight because of my family, metabolism, etc.”  GenoVive is the first diet designed to tailor to each individual’s genome. This personalized diet system involves customized meal plans, weekly food, and exercise routines. Does GenoVive sound too good to be true? Thinking critically, what are some flaws in this diet’s design? What are your thoughts on how the diet would actually be designed?

Do you think it’s the “real deal” in lowering obesity trends in today’s society? If so, how will it be sustained?

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/genovive-launches-a-revolutionary-genetic-solution-to-weight-management---the-first-dna-diet-to-offer-a-full-meal-program-127966118.html

watch the video here!: http://www.genovive.com/

My Son, Designed to be an Athlete

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“My Son, Designed to be an Athlete”

 

It’s clear that improvements from the HGP will lead to more discussion about “fixing” problems within the genome. There are benefits that come from knowing the genome. For example, tailoring correct medicine to individuals that will see results. However, there are also risks. Should one be able to decide what genes to include in their offspring? Is granting scientists, as well as individuals, power over deciding what genes are “better” than others in babies going too far? What if disease could be prevented, but that means “designing” the sex of your child? How far is too far? And, Where do you think the line should lie? The last link lists what other countries laws on the subject are as of 2002.

Genetic Inequality: Human Genetic Engineering:

http://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/genetic-inequality-human-genetic-engineering-768

Design your own baby here!:

http://www.bionetonline.org/english/content/babygame.htm

More info on what other countries have to say:

(If you’re interested… However, please note that this information is a little outdated)

http://www.bionetonline.org/english/content/db_leg1.htm

Fooling Mother Nature through Epigenetics

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"Fooling Mother Nature through Epigenetics"

This article gives an overview of epigenetics and further explanation of methylation of DNA and histones. By focusing in on how epigenetics functions on the genome, medicine can be directly used to mimic mother nature and silence the genes of your mother or father.   In this case, epigenetics was used to be therapeutic targets for psychiatric disorders. What are your thoughts on using drugs to mimic mother nature? Should certain genes that cause disorders be silenced? What are the implications or further developments that could come from such actions?

http://www.cnsspectrums.com/aspx/articledetail.aspx?articleid=2658

Personalized Genomic Medicine: Who to believe

TAG of the Week:

“Personalized Genomic Medicine: Who to believe”

Similar to one of our latest readings, , translating the knowledge of our genes into actual use in medicine is easier said than done. The article from class was aimed to teach doctors how to speak about genomics to patients. This new article is calling for a new system of personalized medicine. Do you think such a system is possible? Now that you are beginning to understand how environment, epigenetics, and variation create different outcomes from the same genes, how can the intricacies and details of each individuals genome ever be used to form a strict translation and used to inform patients on their health risks?

Is an X equals Y diagnoses ever really possible with so many confounding factors? And are physicians inept enough to be the ones making decisions based on genomes?

http://vectorblog.org/2012/01/seeking-clarity-genomics-sleuths-set-out-for-the-prize/

(Thank you to one of our past HS320 students for sending this blog in!!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5JfOU2efJY