Main description:

We are fast approaching the era of personalized medicine, in which we will each be able to know our level of risk for many diseases, and medical treatments will be tailored to fit the individual, rather than treating all patients who have the same disorder in the same manner. This book is intended to help you understand how your genes influence your health, help you estimate your level of risk for a number of common diseases, and to inform you of the genetic tests which can be performed to help your doctor choose a medication or adjust the dose of a medication to best suit you personally. Your Genes, Your Health and Personalised Medicine contains a chapter which focuses on the interaction between genes and nutrition, and lists a number of genetic tests which can help a nutritionist, dietician or wholistic health practitioner develop a diet plan which best suits your individual physiology. This book will make it easier for both you and your doctor to know what tests can be performed to help determine your risk for a certain disease, the best dose of a medicine to prescribe for you, and what kind of diet will best maintain your health.

Contents:

INTRODUCTION * UNDERSTANDING THE MEANS BY WHICH OUR GENES INFLUENCE OUR HEALTH * The Field Of Personalised Medicine Got Off To A Slow Start, But It Has Picked Up Considerable Speed * Researchers Have Had To Expand Their Focus Beyond Genetics * "Genetic Factors" Determine The Levels Of Activity You Have In Your Proteins * We Cannot Avoid Many Of The Nongenetic Factors We Encounter Through Our Diet, Environment And Lifestyle * Your Genetic Factors Interact With Nongenetic Factors To Influence Your Susceptibility To Multifactorial Diseases * The Field Of Personalised Medicine Holds Great Promise * Some Difficult Challenges Remain, But They Can All Be Overcom * This Book Will Help You Get The Maximum Benefit From These New Advances * THE MECHANISM WHEREBY A GENE MAKES ITS PROTEIN * The Process Has Two Major Steps * The Structure Of DNA * The Sequence Of Bases In The Gene's Coding Sequence Determines The Sequence Of Bases In The Gene's mRNA * The Sequence Of Bases In The Gene's mRNA Determines The Sequence Of Amino Acids In The Protein * Different People Often Have Slightly Different Gene Sequences, Which May Result In Them Having Different Levels Of Activity In Their Proteins * Special Sequences Regulate The Rate At Which the Gene Produces Its Protein * Genetic Factors Influence Your Risk For Adverse Drug Responses (ADRs) As Well * UNDERSTANDING THE PRINCIPLES OF INHERITANCE * Inheritance Of Genetic Factors Through The Generation * Single-Gene Diseases Produce Mendelian Patterns Of Inheritance * The Patterns Of Inheritance Seen With Multifactorial Diseases Are Less Predictable (At The Present Time) Than Those Seen With Single-Gene Disorders * A Note About Inheritance When There Are Multiple Children In the Family * USING YOUR FAMILY HISTORY INFORMATION TO PREDICT YOUR RISK FOR SPECIFIC DISEASES * Your Family History May Provide More Information Than You Think * Drawing Your Family Tree * My Family Health Portrait: An Internet Program You Can Access To Draw Your Family's Pedigree And Summarise The Relevant Information From Your Family History * Even If You Have A Family Member With A Disease, This Does Not Necessarily Put You At High Risk * The Number Of Affected Relatives, How Close They Are To You, And At What Age They Were Affected Are All Relevant * Internet Websites That Can Help You Assess Your Risk For Cancer And Heart Disease * A Genetic Counselor Can Help You In Many Ways * Jennifer's Story: BRCA1 And BRCA2 Genetic Testing For Hereditary Breast-Ovarian Cancer Syndrome (HBOC * USING GENETIC TESTING TO MAINTAIN YOUR HEALTH AND PERSONALISE YOUR MEDICAL CARE NOW AND IN THE FUTURE * The Currently Available Genetic Tests Provide A Variety Of Specific Benefits * The Types Of DNA Sequence Variations That Are Detected By Genetic Tests * Repeated Sequences Can Influence The Activity Of Genes And Proteins * Single-Gene Tests Versus Multiple-Gene Tests * Sequencing Allows You To Detect All The Sequence Variants In A Gene * The Most Useful Tests Will Combine Genetic Factors, Nongenetic Factors And Clinical Information: The Warfarin (Coumadin) Example * The Field Will Progress Slowly But Surely * MAKING THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO HAVE GENETIC TESTING, AND INTERPRETING THE RESULTS OF TESTS YOU CHOOSE TO HAVE PERFORMED * Making The Decision Whether Or Not To Have Genetic Testing * The Ideal Genetic Test Report Should Include Specific Information About Your Risk-Increasing And Risk-Decreasing Alleles: We Are Not There Yet * Interpretation Isn't Always Easy; The Currently Available Tests Have Some Important Limitations * Evan's Story--Whole-Genome SNP Screening In A Man With Type 1 Diabetes And A Family History Of Coronary Heart Disease * It Is Important For You To Be An Informed Consumer * NUTRIGENOMICS AND EPIGENETICS: THE EFFECTS OUR DIET, ENVIRONMENT AND LIFESTYLE HAVE ON OUR GENES AND PROTEINS * What You Eat Affects The Level Of Activity In Some Of Your Genes And Proteins * We Have Recently Become Aware Of The Importance Of Epigenetic Factors * Several Types Of Nutrients Influence The Activity Of Your Genes Through Epigenetic Mechanisms * The Types Of Bacteria That Live In Your Digestive System Can Influence The Effects Certain Nutrients Have On Your Health * Genetics And Genomics Are Active Topics In Obesity Research * A Pregnant Woman's Nutritional State Can Affect The Activity Of Her Child's Genes * What The Father Eats And Drinks May Also Influence Gene Activity In The Child * Keeping Your Chromosome Telomeres Long May Help Keep You Healthier As You Age * The Field Of Nutrigenomics Will Impact Personalised Medicine In A Number Of Ways * INDEX