Nutrigenomics Uncovered: Where Genes Meet Health
Wanting to change your health trajectory, not just feel better for a few months? Join this conversation in which naturopath and ReMed clinic owner Keonie Moore details nutrigenomics testing as our own unique blueprint for how our DNA influences the way we respond to nutrients and the environment, including how we metabolise and absorb nutrients. By identifying gene variations, it can provide insights into predispositions for conditions like anxiety, depression, children's behaviour, or hormonal imbalances. This testing helps personalise health recommendations, optimising diet, supplements, and lifestyle to support individual needs.
Covered in This Episode
1:32 Understanding Nutrigenomics:
Keonie Moore explains the fundamentals of nutrigenomics, clarifying that while it is often mistaken for genetic testing, it actually focuses on how DNA variations influence enzyme function, nutrient metabolism, and overall health rather than predicting disease risk.
3:15 Genetic Testing vs. Nutrigenomics:
Addressing common misconceptions, Keonie discusses why some patients are hesitant about genetic testing due to concerns around insurance implications and how nutrigenomics differs by focusing on functional health rather than disease prediction. She reassures listeners that testing is conducted through Australian labs with strict privacy protections.
4:36 Clinical Applications of Nutrigenomics:
The conversation highlights the broad applications of nutrigenomics in clinical practice, explaining how this testing provides valuable insights into predispositions for inflammation, immune dysregulation, anxiety, depression, detoxification, and metabolic health, allowing for a more individualised approach to patient care.
5:01 Nutrigenomics in Mental Health
Diving into methylation pathways, Keonie discusses key SNPs such as MTHFR, MTR, and COMT and how they influence neurotransmitter production, detoxification, and hormone metabolism. She explains that methylation plays a crucial role in serotonin regulation, which impacts mood, stress resilience, and cognitive function.
12:27 Nutrigenomics in Perimenopause & Hormone Metabolism:
The discussion shifts to the impact of gene SNPs on oestrogen metabolism, particularly through the COMT enzyme, and how these genetic variations can contribute to symptoms such as mood instability, brain fog, and weight fluctuations in perimenopausal women.
14:11 Nutrigenomics in Paediatric Behavioural Health
Keonie outlines the genetic factors involved in paediatric behavioural conditions like ADHD, emphasising how dopamine receptor variations, BDNF levels, and methylation pathways influence neurodevelopment, attention, and emotional regulation.
15:58 Treatment Approaches Based on Nutrigenomics
The conversation delves into how nutrigenomics enables a targeted and personalised approach to treatment by identifying genetic vulnerabilities. Keonie explains why certain interventions must be sequenced correctly, such as addressing slow MAOA before supporting methylation, to prevent exacerbating symptoms and ensure optimal results.
22:10 Vitamin D and Nutrigenomics:
Highlighting the role of genetics in vitamin D metabolism, Keonie discusses how variations in vitamin D receptor genes impact absorption and utilisation, explaining why some individuals struggle to maintain adequate levels despite supplementation and how testing provides insights into the best form and dosage for each patient.
24:10 Final Thoughts:
Keonie concludes by emphasising the immense value of nutrigenomics as a functional test, explaining how it provides a lifelong blueprint for understanding an individual’s unique genetic predispositions, refining diet and lifestyle recommendations, and implementing highly targeted supplementation. She discusses how this approach represents the future of personalised medicine, offering a way to shift long-term health trajectories rather than relying on short-term interventions.
Resources and Links
Experienced, award-winning naturopath, mentor and keynote speaker, Keonie White, is the pioneering founder of ReMed, one of Australia’s leading naturopathic clinics. She and her team are committed to lifting the standards of naturopathic and complementary medicine in Australia and changing lives through natural medicine that works.
With 4 children of her own, Keonie has always worked predominantly in paediatrics throughout her career spanning over 16 years, With her extensive experience with children, she has become specialised in neurological presentations such as ADHD, autism, OCD, tics and paediatric oncology.
Keonie is recognised as a leading practitioner in paediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS and PANDAS), a condition that leads to anxiety, OCD and tics after an infection in children.
