Gentiqo review: sports DNA test

Gentiqo review: sports DNA test : Today, I am writing on a subject of future : the sports DNA test. Yes, I am not kidding, and it’s possible to make an analysis or sports genetic test, allowing you to better know your genetic predispositions! What’s the best diet for you, which type of training would best fit you or the risks for your skin or your health? The sports DNA test analyses all these questions.

So follow me in my genetic analysis!

You know me very well, if I got some descent results, it’s above all because I have a good nutrition and I train a lot. Personally, I am convinced that by giving itself the ways, we can all exceed our own limits, genetics or not.

But I’m very interested about all the subjects related to the fitness and nutrition and it is one of the key to succeed: learning. That allows me to understand perfectly what I’m doing and why I’m doing it.

Once again, I cannot say it enough: it’s important to personalize your way of making. The diet which suits to your best friend or the training which allowed your favorite influencer to succeed is not the most adapted for you. And to be able to personalize, it’s important to have tested what works for you. By trying, and by adapting.

Gentiqo, the test of the future

Then when I heard about the genetic sports analysis, I was immediately interested. The idea about getting a better understanding about my genetic predispositions to have better results seemed to me very useful. It’s moreover a sector in full development, and in a few years, we all shall be concerned by this possibility.

I thus made the test proposed by Gentiqo, a company recently created, whose mission is to help people to understand and to benefit from its genome. The company indicates having created a team of 50 scientific researchers to offer this service in full development. Their DNA test promises to analyze your genes to discover what they tell you about your:

Health: genetic diseases risks and sensitivity to various medications,
Beauty of the skin: identify ingredients and effective products for your skin,
Fitness: identify the training that best fits you,
Nutrition: the most effective diet according to your goals (building muscle, losing weight, etc.),
Well-being: identify the effective ingredients for an effective brain functioning (stress reduction, sharper mind, better concentration and productivity, etc..)

The test is thus about all topics that interest us ! We’re going to see together how it works and which are the results and the personalized recommendations according to my DNA.

How it works?

Don’t worry, it might seem very complicated, but the DNA test is actually really simple !

Once your order placed on Gentiqo’s website, you’ll receive by post a kit to take your DNA. For that, no sting, no hair, but just a little spit in a small plastic tube! It’s the less glamorous part LOL. I’ll spare you the details, but you have to fill the tube with your saliva. Cross fingers to be well hydrated at this moment! Then, you close the tube, that activates a solution and that’s it. It took me more time to read the note that to make the test itself, hardly 10 min all inclusive! Once ended, you send back the kit by post to the laboratory and you don’t have to wait more than 6 weeks approximately to receive the results of your DNA test.

My DNA test results

I’m not going to give you all the results of what is analyzed because it’s very very complete (and technical sometimes) ! But I am going to give you the main results which interest us!

Concerning nutrition:

Strong appetite and a trend to obesity. That begins badly LOL. I’m apparently a carrier of the A allele of the FTO gene, AT to be precise (yes, I had warned you it’s a GENETIC analysis). The carriers of this allele were identified as having a strong appetite. This allele also increases the risk of obesity. What’s interesting with the analysis is that you have the recommendations that go with it. The report thus recommends me to increase my sports activities (27% less risk of obesity that is not negligible).

The carriers of this type of allele would have a facility holding a diet with a good proportion of carbohydrates. The nutrition side is certainly the part I’m very self-aware and it’s true that my long experience of trying different diets (and also bad diets ) totally confirms the results of this test. One of my problems was to always hold a too extreme diet for a long time to get results. It’s only when I really began to have a balanced one by stopping depriving me totally of carbohydrates that I finally managed to persevere.

Moreover, if you’re wondering yourself if it’s necessary to eat carbohydrates the evening, I’d always answer that if you lose weight slower, you could hold your diet for a longer period of time: thus that’s worth it. Especially, if you’re having difficulties to hold your diet. And I can confirm that I’ve always been a big food lover with a good appetite.

The analysis goes farther and indicates me for example the recommendations for certain types of food. It turns out that I have a lower risk than the average to develop an insulin resistance, I can thus consume until 50 % of carbohydrates in my diet. I should consume carbohydrates with high glycemic index just after my training, especially because I apparently have a good capacity to use the glycogen as energy during my training. To develop my muscles, it’s thus crucial for me to eat carbohydrates just after my training for a better recovery.

About fats, once again, I am not spoiled. A combination of 2 genes (APOA5 and LEPR) makes me very sensitive to saturated fats (very bad lipids as butter, cream, cakes, cheese etc.). Then I have a much higher risk that the average of obesity if I consume it too much. This explains why I had arrived at this overweight, because it has always been my weakness. I have to absolutely avoid diets rich in saturated fats. It’s recommended to me to consume 10 % of polyunsaturated fatty acids and 2 capsules of omega 3 everyday.

Thus in summary, it was necessary for me to change my way to eat, not only because the repeated junk food is bad for the health, but also because my genes predisposed me even more than the others to obesity with such foods! I should have done this DNA test years ago LOL.

Beyond these central subjects for every person who follows a diet, the analysis teaches me many other information on my nutritional needs : I’m not intolerant to gluten nor to lactose but I shouldn’t consume theses ones more than reasonable quantities. I also have to increase my consumption of vitamin B6, B12, C, D, E, than the average, but I shouldn’t be lacking vitamin A.

Regarding training:

low recovery ability. Even if I get more fast twitch muscle fibers and I’m rather made for high intensity sports than endurance one ( and it’s so much better because it’s what I prefer ! ), I have a very bad recovery ability. It’s recommended to me to train with short sets to develop my muscles (8-10 reps), but my low recovery ability is going to limit my muscular growth.

Thus, the report recommends me to create intense periods of training (1 month for example) followed by a period of training with lower intensity in order to recover from it. It’s interesting because I’m not used to work like that.

Even if I already cycle my training, it always aims a strong intensity allowing me to surpass myself. I would certainly have to think about adapting a little bit my way to train. To improve my recovery ability, it is also advised to me to add a supplementation in BCAA for women and amino acids – that are well known in the fitness industry.

Other very interesting information: my muscles adapt very quickly, thus I should regularly change the order of my exercises or regularly add variations. I’m also very sensitive to inflammation caused by training. Then I have to increase my contribution in anti-inflammatory nutrients (green tea, red berries, vegetables or even whey protein).

Last information, very interesting: classic cardio versus HIIT cardio, my genes spoke ! If I want to lose weight, I should rather choose the HIIT one which will activate fat loss faster in my case.

And I was going to forget! There is an analysis of the various risks of injuries: tendons, ligaments, but on that side I have no particular risk!

Concerning beauty:

the analysis is very interesting ! This part is really full of good tricks, I have to admit that I didn’t expect that! It taught that I’m not too sensitive to UV and that I shouldn’t be too much afraid of the sun. And I also learnt that I didn’t specially need products with collagen.

Beyond that, about ageing, my genes do not help me much either and it’s strongly advised to me to include antioxidants in my food. It seems that for me, the coenzyme Q10 would be very useful! Just like an anti-inflammatory cream to apply every day.

There is also information on our sensitivity to certain medication that can be very interesting for those who follow regular treatments for example.

Here is the main information of my sports DNA test; I tried to summarize you all this but there is still many points to be accentuated.

Watch out, once again, it’s about genetic predispositions. If you are not carrier of genes favoring the obesity, but if you eat unhealthy and make no sport for years, you will end certainly in situation of obesity. The genes can be an asset in certain domains but they do not protect you to make the good choices. It’s the same thing for health. It is not because my skin is not too sun-sensitive, that I can sunbathe for hours without cream and without risk.

My conclusion on Gentiqo

So what I think about this DNA test? Sincerely I am extremely satisfied, there is nothing to add, and the test is scientifically very complete and interesting.

Certain points came to confirm my own experience (and of my numerous failures let be honest). I am convinced for example of the interest of a diet which includes a good part of carbohydrates (whole wheat and/or low glycemic index rather) or still of the interest of HIIT training to help me loose fat. I also already integrated into my food plan some of the supplements which are advised to me (OMEGA 3, BCAA, etc.).

Another interesting point of this analysis is that the test does not just tell you that your genes predispose you to take some fat or risk for some injuries. For every points analyzed, recommendations are also given. Increase such nutrient in your diet, train in such way, use this cream, etc. And it’s what is really interesting because if the analysis was only about: you have the AA allele for such gene or GG for another one, I would have been annoyed and wouldn’t have known what to do. Even I would have been able to worry pointlessly…

Thus this sports DNA test was very interesting! The only “negative” point of this test is that some analyses and their answers are sometimes a bit pushed and scientific as it would be necessary to show them to a specialist of these domains. It would be the best way to be really able to exploit them completely and make sure to put the odds in your favor.