Optional add-on · From month three
When the pattern persists, genetics usually explains why
Most of what your five tests reveal responds to intervention. Some of it does not — homocysteine that keeps climbing despite methylated B vitamins, T3 that will not shift on appropriate thyroid support, oestrogen clearance that stays sluggish however well the gut is working.
Those residual patterns are usually genetically driven, and that is the point at which a DNA panel earns its place — not before.
Why this order matters
Genetics tells you what you are predisposed toward. Functional testing tells you what is actually happening right now. They are not the same thing, and the second is more useful.
Someone with an MTHFR variant may have perfectly adequate methylation if their diet, cofactors and gut function support it. Leading with genetics tells you about a risk that may never have been expressed. Leading with function tells you what to do on Monday.
What the panel covers
Hormone metabolism and thyroid — the oestrogen detoxification pathways, cortisol regulation, and the enzymes converting storage thyroid hormone to its active form. These sit directly alongside what your DUTCH panel measures.
Cardiometabolic — lipid handling, insulin sensitivity, inflammatory tendency and metabolic efficiency. Read against your blood chemistry.
Nutrient handling — beta-carotene to vitamin A conversion, B12 absorption, the vitamin D pathway, omega-3 metabolism, iron regulation, lactose tolerance. This is the layer that explains why two people on the same diet end up with different nutrient status.
Neurotransmitters and circadian rhythm — the dopamine and serotonin architecture, and the clock genes governing sleep timing. Read against your organic acids results.
What genetics is not
A variant is a predisposition, not a diagnosis and not a destiny. Most of what these genes describe is modifiable by what you eat, how you sleep, and what your gut is doing. That is the whole point of running the functional tests first.
One caveat worth stating plainly: the panel includes APOE, which carries information about long-term dementia risk. Some people want to know and some emphatically do not. We discuss that before the test is ordered, not after, and you can choose not to receive that section.
When: at your three-month retest, or once the functional picture has stabilised.
How: a saliva sample collected at home. One sample covers all reports.
Cost: £150 for the panel, plus £50 per interpretation report. Four reports are available — £350 for the complete picture. Discussed and agreed at your retest consultation, never added automatically.
Existing clients: ask AIdan about the DNA add-on, or raise it at your next consultation.
