DNA nutrition test: 5 surprising things you'll find out

The Vitl Nutrition Team / 22 Mar 2018

Genetic traits are like switches, your lifestyle choices and environment turn them on or off. But how do you really know what's right for your body without taking a peek inside?


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DNA tests just tell you what eye colour you have and where your great-great-great grandmother probably came from, right? They don’t tell you anything that can actually help you in real life...right?  

Wrong. 

Thanks to the incredible advancements geneticists have been able to make in the last few years, a DNA test can now reveal the perfect diet, exercise and lifestyle for your body, such as... 

1. Which diet you’ll respond to best

Paleo? Low fat? Mediterranean? Your genes can tell you how well you’re likely to process dietary fat, showing you whether it’s more likely to be your preferred fuel source or whether you’re more likely to store it as body fat.

2. How much coffee you should really be drinking 

Think you have a high caffeine tolerance? Just because you’re able to drink tea and coffee all day, it doesn’t mean it’s the best thing for your inner health. Even those with the ‘slow caffeine metabolizer’ gene can build up a tolerance.

What they might not realise, however, is how it’s contributing to psychological stress, high blood pressure, anxiety, poor sleep, and overloading the liver (you'll also find out the same about alcohol tolerance too). 

"Fast caffeine metabolizers", on the other hand, might want to consider pairing up caffeine with exercise for an effective workout boost. Which leads us on to…

3. How you should really be working out

Push your body through miles of running every week but see a minimal difference in your fitness and physique? Maybe you’re just not built for it. Maybe you’d get faster results with resistance training instead... Your genes can tell you whether your muscles are more likely to be made up of fast or slow twitch muscle fibres, helping you work out the best exercise for your body type. 

So before you sign up for that next marathon, it might be a good idea to find out whether it’s likely to be a treat or a torment for your inner health. 

4. Which vitamins and minerals you actually need to be taking

Yep, your genes can tell you how well you’re likely to absorb key nutrients like vitamin D, omega 3, vitamin B12, B9, B6, iron, vitamin A and vitamin C. Think you’re getting enough vitamin C from that orange you eat every day? Well, that all depends on how well your body is able to absorb it, which is precisely what your DNA can tell you.

5. And which you really don’t…

Perhaps, according to your genes, you’re likely to absorb iron very effectively. Great news! Or is it? Unlike VITL, many mainstream multivitamins contain iron, but did you know an excess of iron can be dangerous to your health? As long as you’re not vegan, it’s also likely that you’re getting enough from your diet alone. Men are particularly at risk of consuming too much iron, which can lead to joint pain, fatigue, weight loss, lack of energy, abdominal pain, loss of sex drive, loss of hair, and heart problems. Women, on the other hand, are more likely to be low in iron (you can thank menstruation for that) so finding out if you’re more likely to be deficient in iron can help you take the right precautionary measures.


Discover how to eat, exercise, and the deficiencies you're at risk of according to your DNA with a simple saliva test, plus get expert advice from our in-house nutritionist on how you can work with your genes to see the best results.  

Save 50% on a DNA Nutrition Test today!