When type 2 diabetes hits a dad or mom in their 30s or 40s, the last thing on their mind would be whether they would transmit the same to their kids. But once the harsh reality of living with diabetes sinks in, any parent would think hard about whether there are any means to spare at least their kids from its severe diet restrictions and constant fatigue. And almost always the 'expert' answer they get would be about limiting sweets for their kids. Unfortunately, it is an ineffective solution.
I will explain why this is so. While limiting sugar is always healthy for anyone, it is a very simplistic solution for a complex condition. Such a sole focus on lifestyle factors stems from diabetes' fame as a lifestyle disease. But a faulty lifestyle - including high intake of sweets or carbohydrates - is only a potential trigger for type 2 diabetes. The underlying loaded gun which this trigger pulls is more important - and it is nothing but a person's genetic susceptibility for diabetes.
This sole focus on faulty lifestyles came about due to two reasons. Firstly, the link with faulty lifestyles were readily visible unlike the hidden genetic roots. Secondly, the early genomic studies could discover only a handful of genetic variants behind diabetes with a heritability of only 30% for this dreaded killer disease. However, more recent Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS) have discovered 150+ genetic variants causing type 2 diabetes with a heritability of 70-90%.
Some may disbelieve this too, for another peculiar reason - many individuals are seen to develop such diseases without any parent or sibling having it. But mind you, whether your grandparents or granduncles or grandaunts had it also matters. Again, they might have silently passed it on without developing the disease themselves. Hence, a person can inherit diabetes risk without it obviously being visible in the family.
The only way to know whether your kids have inherited any of the serious diabetic gene variants, is by adopting an easily administered genetic testing and biohacking solution like Eplimo. It is a saliva based test that children of any age would readily agree to, but very powerful in the insights it generates. Unlike other genetic tests available in the market, Eplimo also suggests personalized lifestyle modifications or biohacks to outsmart diabetes even before it begins. These research-validated biohacks are of 360 degrees in nature, which means it is not just about diet restrictions that kids hate and find difficult to comply with. Rather, it encompasses sports, cycling, fun activities, sufficient sleep, supplements, yoga, meditation, breathwork, gym, tasty yet nutritious foods etc that kids readily adopt. Your kids won't wait for a diabetes-free future to thank you, but do it know itself.
Of course, genetic biohacking tools will make more sense in their future, as it prevents a future ridden with all challenges of diabetes like fatigue, performance issues, irritability, mental health issues like depression, and dependence on lifelong medicines & insulin, not to mention the condition's precursor role in several diseases including cardiovascular events and kidney failure. Eplimo also makes immense sense as it tests not just for diabetes risk, but for hundreds of lifestyle diseases in one go.
Before I conclude, two more aspects need to be mentioned. The less common type 1 diabetes, which develops mostly in childhood or early teenage, and sometimes in adulthood, also has a heritability of 50%+, and can be detected before it develops via genetic biohacking tools. And lastly, if you are yet to have kids, you can positively rewrite their future even more by adopting Eplimo yourself early on, as the epigenetic changes from the biohacks you adopt are heritable. This means you can pass on the epigenetic protection you won to your kids.
(By Dr Sajeev Nair, Chief Curator - World Biohack Summit Dubai, Founder & Chairman - Vieroots, Bengaluru)
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