Understanding My Health Better With TrueYou DNA

Discovering My True Self Thru My Genes With 

TrueYou DNA Testing By ELKEN MALAYSIA 

"Treat your body like a temple, not a woodshed. The mind and bodywork together. Your body needs to be a good support system for the mind and spirit." -- Jim Rohn

Understanding My Health Better With TrueYou DNA

Hi, Everyone! Auntie Lilly is taking a break from my usual food posts to share about my recent experience taking the TRUEYOU DNA Testing by Elken Malaysia. You may wonder, why I have decided to do DNA testing? 

For starters, TrueYou provides state-of-the-art genetic services that enable you to access, understand and benefit from your genetic information. With TrueYou genetic test, you will receive a comprehensive insight into your health risks to allow you to take actionable steps towards leading a healthier lifestyle. 

Your DNA report explores your personality and finds out how the body responds to different types of food or medicine, covering a wide array of insights ranging from body immunity, organ health to your lifestyles such as stress and sleep. 

There's a saying that goes like this, "Treat your body like a temple, not a woodshed. The mind and bodywork together. Your body needs to be a good support system for the mind and spirit." by Jim Rohn. Hence, my hope in taking this DNA test was to help me understand the make-up of my DNA genetics. Then with that knowledge, I can implement appropriate change to improve my health and well-being in future. 

I just turned 57 years old this year. And for me, age is just a number. I have two lovely daughters in their twenties and a young teenage son. I am a full-time mother, retired housewife and part-time blogger too. At this age, I am blessed that I lead a healthy and active life in the blogging community.

My age never quite bothered me until recently when I felt like it is catching up with me. I am thankful that I do not have any issues with health. That was up until about 2 years ago when I was diagnosed with high LDL cholesterol in my blood test. That diagnosis puts me at risk of heart disease and stroke.

Like many others, there would be a point in time when we reach a certain age that our health and well-being would be our main concern. Good health can be achieved if we maintain a healthy lifestyle by eating right, staying psychically active, keeping our mind stress free and body free of harmful drugs and alcohol.

Hence, two years ago I decided to embark on a daily exercise program by doing daily workouts at home for at least 20 to 30 minutes a day. To feel good and look good at this age, I placed close attention to my health and my food intake. This is so I can still enjoy my life to the fullest. This is also why I have chosen to take this DNA test because I am hopeful that the insights derived from the results would allow me to have clear actionable steps for my well-being.

 

Sealed Kit 

HOW TO USE THE HOME DNA PROFILING KIT

The Home DNA Profiling Kit comes with the following items:

• One collection tube and one funnel
• One user manual
• One sample bag
• One shipping bag
• One reminder card

Unboxing Of The TrueYou Home DNA Profiling Kit By Elken Malaysia

TrueYou Home DNA Profiling Kit

Collection Tube & Funnel

User Manual

Taking the test was easy, you just need to spit 2ml of your saliva into the collection tube. Then, follow the user manual enclosed with your kit. Avoid eating, drinking, chewing gum, smoking, and brushing your teeth 30 minutes prior to starting the saliva collection process. 

Unscrew the fennel and secure the collection tube cap on tightly before shaking the collection tube several times to mix the saliva with the solution. Place the tube into the casing and place inside the sample bag. 

To mail your sample, just use the Online Booking Form and select the date for their free pick-up service or drop off the kit with your saliva sample at Elken HQ or any Elken branch, drop-off points or Elken distributor. 

READING OF MY GENETIC REPORT RESULTS

My report took 4-6 weeks to be out after the submission of my sample. Once it is completed, I received a text message and as well as an email notifying me that my TrueYou report is ready. Alternatively, I could also download the report through TrueYou App from Google Play or the App Store to view my report.

Through the easy-to-read TrueYou App right at my fingertips, I received a detailed and comprehensive DNA report covering 11 categories with 84 science-based genetic reports about my genes and DNA. The best part of it is that it comes with an interactive mobile app that enables you to access tailored information for individual needs at your fingertips.

11 CATEGORIES WITH 84 GENETIC REPORTS

• Personalised DNA Reports
• Personalised Genetic Action Plans
• Personalised Nutrition
• Personalised Product Recommendations

The categories are broken down to the following such as Diet, Physical, Vitamin, Health Risks, Sleep, Mental Health, Gut Health, Immunity, Stress, Heart Health and finally, Eye Health. 

 

YOUR DNA IS YOUR ROADMAP TO A HEALTHY LIFE

To be frank, I was anxious prior to receiving my DNA reports. I do always believe that prevention is always better than cure. Hence, regardless of whether the results are good or bad, the TrueYou DNA Profiling can help me personalise my path to a healthier and happier life. 

Discovering my own unique genetic data and having a better understanding of my genes, I learnt about how it may affect the different categories in my life to unlocking a smarter, an easier and more effective solution to health and fitness. 

DNA RESULTS ANALYSIS

DIET OVERVIEW

SUGAR RESPONSE - Very Poor Response

One of my DNA results shows that I have a very poor response to sugar. This meant that my genetics link me to a much higher level of fat gain from consuming too much sugar. The recommendation is therefore for me to consider cutting out sugar from all sources, and especially processed foods which contain simple sugars that offer no nutritional value nor benefits.

Luckily for me, I'm never a sweet tooth and don't enjoy any sweet desserts such as cakes, ice creams, pastries, cookies and biscuits as such. But I might have to consider cutting out sugar and condensed milk from my daily cup of coffee!

YO/YO DIET RESPONSE - Negative To Health

My results show that my genetic profile is associated with an increased risk of weight regain, which means that I will gain excess weight and fat quicker after reintroducing calories from a deficit.  

This may seem to be a negative outcome and it meant that I'll have to slowly decrease calories when wanting to lose weight or slowly increase calories when wanting to gain weight healthily. However, since I'm on IF Intermittent Fasting where I practically fast for 16 hours and only have an eating window of only 8 hours, I'm already cutting down my calories intake every day. 

 

HEALTH OVERVIEW

GENETIC BONE MINERAL DENSITY - Lower Density

Genetically, my DNA result shows that I have a Lower Bone Mineral Density. This means that I’m prone to a higher risk of bone mineral density disorders in later life. This is not a favourable for me, of course. As I have been doing regular exercises daily, I shall look into incorporating new form workout such as light weightlifting, weight-bearing and resistance training exercises into my daily workout session as well. This should help to improve bone mineral density, so as not to suffer from old age diseases such as osteoporosis.  

In addition, I might need to eat a diet rich in calcium-containing dairy products such as milk, yoghurt, cheese, sardines, salmon, kale and broccoli or starts taking a Vit D to supplement my diet in future. 

 

PHYSICAL OVERVIEW

MUSCLE POWER -Gifted

In this report, I was extremely happy to know that my genetic data show that I have a gifted outcome for muscle power. This result puts me in the top 15/8% of the tested population. This means that I can recruit fast-twitch muscle fibres efficiently and effectively to a level like that of current power athletes.  

Hence, with smart resistance training, I should be able to get to a very good level in sports that requires power. Well, with this information of my highly gifted genes, I will be utilising some form of resistance training in my daily exercise sessions instead of just focusing on cardio workouts. 

  

VITAMINS OVERVIEW

VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY - Increased Risk

Oh no! This worries me now that I found that my genetic variants show an increased risk for Vitamin D deficiency. For overall good health, it's important to reach the level of 30-40 ng/ml and I guess I might probably require supplementation to maintain high levels by consuming high-quality D3 and supplement of 50-100mcg per day. 

I also understand the fact that I hate going under the sun during the day for fear of getting sun damage to my ageing pigmented skin with sunspots and all, so this must have contributed to the lack of Vitamin D or the Sunshine Vitamin in me. 

Well, the report has suggested that it would be ideal to get out in the day time, of course  avoiding the hottest time of the day maybe during the morning sun to get the optimum Vitamin D absorption and supplement with a good D3 supplement brand.

HEALTH INSIGHTS

TRUEYOU results for Health Insights are categorized into Eye Health, Gut Health, Heart Health, Immunity, Mental Health, Sleep and Stress. 

EYE HEALTH OVERVIEW

SIGHT DEGENERATION WITH AGE - Faster Decline

OPEN-ANGLE GLAUCOMA - Increased Risk

Our eyes health will be affected as we age due to natural biological processes but for me, my genes indicate that I have a genetic link of age-related sight degeneration and Open-Angle Glaucoma. With these unique insights from TRUEYOU, I have to start taking proactive steps and recommendations to hopefully mitigate its effect by doing regular eye checks with my ophthalmologist (eye specialist) and keeps my blood pressure and circulation healthy to improve blood, oxygen and nutrients uptake within my eyes.

 

There are several additional insights provided from the report which I have not yet highlighted in this post. If I took the opportunity to mention every aspect of the report, this post would drag on for pages long. Hence, I have decided to share more about the areas which resonated with me and what I would have found useful to share with my dear readers.

Besides that, I also hope this write-up and sharing can bring insight for those who are looking to leverage on the modern-day technology to help yourself lead a healthier lifestyle. As with all the posts I have written before, this is similar written with the intention to share my honest experience with you. Personally, I felt blessed and happy that we live in a time where technology can help to ease my ageing problem and allow me to grow old gracefully and being able to lead an active and healthy lifestyle. 

I’d like to emphasize that being old doesn't mean you have to stop doing things that you loved. Do the right thing as now we have access to better healthcare and that means we can be healthier longer and thus remain active. At the end of the day, it is all about you, what makes you feel good, making the best choices for yourself, and do what makes you happy! 😍😍😍

    

It is time to stop the guessing and start living life to the fullest potential. Discover the true you once in a lifetime and start personalizing the way you eat and live at your fingertips. TRUEYOU has helped me to discover my genomes, now let them empowers you to make smarter choices, live healthier and take proactive steps to reduce your risk towards diseases. To know more what TRUEYOU can do for you, check them out at WEBSITE trueyoudna.com

Stay Busy. Stay Active & Enjoy The Ride!

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