UK Company Launches Online Platform to Match Workout and Diet With Genetic Profile

London-based genomics company DNAFit has launched Elevate, an online training platform that incorporates users’ genetic information to create personalized workout plans.

Elevate, which DNAFit developed with the input of Olympic track and field athlete Greg Rutherford, is based on the company’s saliva-based genetic test kit. It screens for 45 specific gene variants, which may be linked to each individual body’s ability to respond to training and nutrition, such as those identified as being linked to obesity.

The $126 (99 British pounds) test then algorithmically calculates a score for each user to determine their endurance response, and this figure is then plugged into the Elevate online platform people can access on their smartphone, tablet or laptop. Users add their weight and other vital statistics and the days they are able to train, and the app guides them through the workout with a training schedule and videos of how to perform exercises.

“The ‘best way to train’ has long been a topic of hot debate, but it is now clear that the answer to this is an individual journey that requires the consideration of a person’s lifestyle demands and biological profile,” DNAFit founder Avi Lasarow said in a statement. “Whether you’re looking to shape up, build muscle or just want to eat a little healthier, your genetics hold valuable information about the best way to do this.”

While there still isn’t a lot of firm data to support claims that specific dietary and workout plans can be optimized for each individual based on their genetics, (geneticist Dr. Eric Topol recently told MobiHealthNews that the consumer genomics landscape is still in its early days) researchers are working to figure that out.

A recent study at the University of Central Lancashire, published in the journal Biology of Sport, suggest that those who train to their possible genetic “strengths” improved their athletic performance up to three times more than those who were using a regular training program.
Geneticist Dr Keith Grimaldi, one of the authors of the study and an advisor to DNAFit, said Elevate could be a valuable tool that takes the guesswork out of trying out different training and nutritional plans.

“We know quite a lot about some genes that do affect your biochemistry and physiology. So, we add this factor into the picture,” Grimaldi said in a statement. “If you don’t know your genes, you’ll just have to guess the right training and diet regimes by trial and error, and we want to reduce this with an extra layer of personal information from the genetic point of view.”

iPhone App to Aid in Genetic Research on PPD

Depression affects over 350 million people in the world and studies have found that it can be caused by both environmental and genetic factors. Due to observed patterns in depression among family members, research is being done to try to determine if there is a gene or set of genes that cause a predisposition to developing depression. Within this research, a lab from University of North Carolina has developed an iPhone app to aid in the collection of data to perform a genetic study on women with postpartum depression (PPD). The app will be utilized to allow women to fill out questionnaires about their postpartum recovery and severity of their possible PPD. If a woman has a severe case if PPD, the app will ask the woman if she is interested in providing a genetic sample to further participate in the study. With the goal of collecting over 100,000 samples from women experiencing PPD, this study will need a large number of participants in order to find this many women to complete their study.

Personally, I am skeptical about the reliability of utilizing this method of data collection. Instead of speaking with a medical professional, women are simply asked to fill out a questionnaire. I would think that typically, postpartum depression is something that should involve a doctors' consultation for diagnosis. Additionally, there is a lot that could go wrong in the analysis of genetic samples due to the method of collection. UNC plans to mail kits to women who are participating in the genetic study so that they can provide a saliva sample. Due to the fact that the sample is collected at home, the possibility of tainted samples arises. If participants wanted to, they could submit the saliva of someone else or provide a sample that was not stored correctly, which could lead to contamination. Overall, I think that this study has great intentions but there are some methodological kinks that may need to be worked out in order to collect reliable information for analysis.