Triska Hamid
Dr Nasim Ashraf is the founder, chief executive and chief medical officer at the DNA Health Centre for Integrative Medicine, Wellness and Bio-Aesthetics.
The centre, which has a branch in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, analyses a patient’s saliva and blood to provide a comprehensive understanding of their risk to various diseases based on their genetics as well as their food intolerances and allergies. here Dr Ashraf talks to The National about what DNA Healthcare does and the future of health care.
How much can we determine about a person’s health and risks of diseases from DNA alone?
Determining a person’s risk of disease through the DNA depends on the individual diseases itself. These diseases are more complex as they have several genetic and behavioural components, ie there are many pathways that lead to the disease. It is through the ‘genetic card’ that we make a life plan for individuals to modify and manage the irregularities.
How long has this sort of technology been around? How is it likely to develop?
Epigenetics, which is the study of molecular mechanisms by which the environment controls gene activity … is a new scientific field and it shows that DNA blueprints passed down through genes are not set in stone at birth. Each of us inherits our own unique variation of the genetic code. We can’t change the hardwiring of our genetic code, but epigenetic factors such as lifestyle and diet can radically change what our genes do. Therefore, your genes are not necessarily your destiny.
The impact of knowing your risk of various diseases can induce a lot of stress in many people – won’t that cause more issues?
We don’t think that knowing the risk of various diseases through genetic disposition can induce stress on individuals if they are actively trying to change their lifestyle. In fact, knowing ahead can allow individuals to be more vigilant to other symptoms of that disease. This way the individual can also be aware of the problem and undergo further tests for the diseases accordingly.
How has demand for DNA tests increased recently?
We were the first clinic is UAE to offer DNA testing and we have seen a significant increase in demand for genetic testing as well as holistic wellness, healthy agwing, beauty and inner peace. This coupled with the UAE establishing itself as a leading destination for wellness and health tourism, we are seeing great potential for further interest and growth in this service.
What is driving such demand?
In recent years we have seen a shift in people looking for ways to achieve balance in their lives both physically and spiritually. As more and more people take control of their health, they are also actively pursuing preventive medicine, which is always the best and least expensive route.
Most sceptics will maintain that sticking to a healthy diet free from fats and sugars and exercising is all that is needed – what do you say?
It is true that the single most important factor that guides our health is nutrition. More than 70 per cent of an individual’s immune system resides in their gastrointestinal tract and an increasing array of medical research is confirming that most diseases – including heart attacks – start as inflammation in the gut. Which is why our team analyses and prioritises nutrition and we have special tests to detect early signs of damage or disease in the gut, which allows us to treat our patients holistically and prevent future illnesses.
What sort of health problems are typical of the DNA found in the region? How does it compare to other parts of the world?
The problems an individual can have are not solely based on a person’s DNA but can be influenced by environmental and developmental irregularities that then lead to the onset of the disease. This region is burdened with the sedentary lifestyle-related diseases such as obesity, heart attacks and diabetes. Another epidemic prevalent in the region is ‘diabesity’, which is diabetes caused because an individual is either overweight or obese. This is because, medically, we have seen that obesity typically comes first and type 2 diabetes comes later and often obesity causes diabetes.
On the surface, this seems reasonable, since the two often coexist. According to the World Health Organisation, obesity in the UAE is double the world average. Furthermore, 19 per cent of the UAE’s population suffers from diabetes, as per the recent figures published by International Diabetes Federation. Residents in the Arabian Gulf are on average 12 years younger when they have a heart attack compared to their counterparts in the US and Europe and this is causing growing pressure on the region’s health care providers.
What about food intolerances? What are the people of the region most intolerant to?
We have seen that because of eating genetically modified foods [GMO] over the last few decades, food intolerances and allergies are rapidly increasing. Addition of hormones, antibiotics and chemicals to the food is also causing severe problems.
Generally we see a lot of gluten sensitivity and intolerance as well as intolerance to dairy products and other grains.
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