Genetic Testing Is A Key to Have Healthy Offspring

Genetic testing is a medical test that involves the analysis of blood samples or other body tissues. It helps to identify the changes that has happened to the genes, chromosomes and proteins and thus helps to determine whether a mother or father or their baby is carrying a ?genes for any inherited disorders.

Genes are the subunits of DNA and DNA exist as two long spiral double helix strands in each and every cell of the body ?and produce proteins that are vital for the functioning of the cell as per the genetic information provided by the genes. Each DNA consists of two pairs of chromosomes that carry genes, one pair inherited from the father and one pair from the mother.

Genes have different variants called alleles and a dominant allele prevails over a normal or recessive allele. A person who inherits disease causing recessive gene does not suffer from the disease rather he act as a carrier and have about 50-50 chance to transmit that disease to his offspring. If both parents have disease causing recessive gene that one among their four children is at the risk of developing this disease.

Genetic testing helps to detect the defective genes and also identifies whether an embryo is carrying those defective genes and is prone to develop any hereditary disease. For conducting a genetic test only a tint of blood sample, bone, skin, hair or any other tissue is required.

Genetic testing is used by doctors to know whether the parents who have a family history of any inherited disease carry any altered gene and also to find out how much is the chances for passing on that disorder to their children. If only any one of the parent is having an altered gene and the other is normal then their children may not get that disorder instead these kids may act as carries of this particular disorder and may pass the disease causing gene to their offspring.

Partners having a child with birth defects are also recommended to carry out a genetic test. It is not necessary that the birth defects are always due to altered genes but it can also be due to exposure to certain radiation, toxins, physical trauma before birth or infection. It may also be due to the spontaneous error that happened within the child’s gene and not due to the defective parental gene. In such situations doctors screen embryos and find out the possible genetic disorders in them.

Women who had two or three miscarriages are also recommended to carry out genetic test as at times chromosomal problems of the fetus may be the reason for miscarriages and in many instances miscarriages pin point certain genetic disorders. Women who had delivered a still baby with physical abnormalities are also recommended to undertake ?genetic test. This is because certain genetic disorders lead to physical abnormalities that provide a distinctive appearance to the child.

If a woman gets pregnant after 34 years then the chances for having a child with chromosomal abnormalities such as trisomy are more. Similarly older fathers also have a risk of getting a child with genetic mutations. Hence in such cases also doctors recommend genetic testing. Genetic testing at times also helps to confirm or rule out the diagnosis of having a genetic disease in an adult. The test results help the people to make family planning, life decision, career choice etc.

In order to carry out a genetic test the pregnant women have to undergo either amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling. For an amniocentesis doctors insert a hollow needle through the woman’s abdomen and take out a little amniotic fluid that surrounds the developing embryo. This test should be carried out between 16th to 18th weeks of pregnancy and this fluid is further tested to determine the genetic abnormalities.

At some instances amniocentesis may induce a miscarriage. To accomplish a chorionic villus sampling doctors take a small piece of placenta from the woman’s womb and then check it for genetic problems. This test should be carried out at 10th to 12th weeks of pregnancy but this test carries the risk of miscarriage. Hence such tests should be carried out only with the consent of the patient.

Genetic test helps to diagnose and treat certain conditions and it also allows the families to avoid kids with genetic abnormalities. It also helps to identify the risk of having dreadful diseases such as cancer and treat them at appropriate time to save the life. But the major defect of this test is that it can only provide the probability or susceptibility of having the disease and it is not necessary that a baby carrying mutated gene develop that disease.

The final assumption depends mostly on the ability of the physician to interpret the results. More over many of these mutations in association with environmental and other factors cause the disease. Hence while interpreting a result there should be a false positive and false negative interpretation to rule out the chances of genetic problems. There are also chances that a laboratory test may have errors due to contamination of chemicals used for testing, sample misidentification etc.

Since genetic testing can affect the lives of the people it should be handled with utmost care. The test report at times questions the privacy of the people. This is because once a baby is found to a carrier of genetic disorder or likely to develop that disorder then it may affect his future insurability or employability. Hence before doing a genetic test doctors should inform their patients about the benefits, risks, efficiency and significance of genetic testing.

Above all the results of the genetic test are kept highly confidential and are given only to the authorized receiver and also the future access to a genetic test result should be limited. Certain genetic tests are highly essential to support or encourage the development of a fetus or a newborn baby. Above all the knowledge of having a child that carries a high risk gene helps parents to modify or plan their kid’s lifestyle and reduce or control the chances of developing the disease.

Photo Credit: Methodsofhealing.com

View the original article here

Keep Your Skin Healthy Through Diet

The loudest buzz coming from the beauty community is about the foods for your skin, i.e. the power of vitamins & nutrients which helps in making skin radiant, healthy and glowing. The focus should not only on the creams and lotions .Human beings puts on the skin but it must be what one puts onto the body as well.

The vitamins and minerals play an important role for a healthy complexion, be it a source in food or supplements or even a jar of a cream, says expert. Whatever is going inside your body is the fingerprint of your skin and all skin conditions. You can’t help but benefit, if you care for your skin from the inside and out, says expert. Vitamins nourish your skin whether you apply directly to the skin or you get enough from the foods you eat. Vitamins affect the skin.

Deficiency of vitamins can make skin blotchy, dry, lifeless or oily. Youthful and healthy skin requires a mixture of vitamins to keep it supple. Vitamins help prevent the skin from damage from pollution, sunlight etc. Only with few exceptions, the body cannot produce or synthesize rest all vitamins are natural organic substances found in plants and animals. Vitamins are essential for normal functioning of body; hence, they must be taken in diet or dietary supplements.

So many areas in the body and hair and skin are directly impacted by a healthy diet which is responsible for proper functioning of the body. A lack of some key vitamins can very often lead to hair and skin problems. According to experts and new researches the following vitamins are food for your skin, which help nourish your skin and make an important difference in the way your skin looks and feels.

Even the least vain are troubled by skin problems like acne, blackheads and deep wrinkles. Even some people care, and avoid leaving the house without applying sunscreen and use of anti-aging creams, but this may not be enough to leave your skin young and healthy. The skin also needs nutrition, especially of those who have a history of skin problems like acne, pimples and blackheads, explains nutritionist Daniel Jobst, UNIFESP. Among all nutrients, vitamins are important, since consumption of some of them will make the skin healthy and protected from the weather.

Pimples, or acne, are formed because there is a blockage in the pore that drains to the surface skin fats produced by the sebaceous gland. This cap can ignite the pore, leaving the red lesions, pustular and unsightly. Vitamin A, also called retinol helps skin health because it has an antioxidant which helps restore skin lesions, explains nutritionist Daniel Jobst, UNIFESP. This nutrient also balances the production of secretions from the sebaceous glands, making the pores becoming clogged and inflamed.

Vitamin A also known as retinoid is essential for healthy skin. It can be applied directly to the skin to treat acne, skin wrinkling and pigmentation caused by sun exposure. It also helps to prevent skin cancer. It can be easily found in foods consumed on a daily basis, but their main sources are avocado, broccoli, carrots, spinach and other green vegetables.

Vitamin B2, or riboflavin increase energy production. Its deficiency could damage the skin and lips, and may cause dermatitis, and lead to other inflammations. It also prevents the hair and nails from becoming dry and brittle, says the expert. Furthermore, this vitamin promotes a faster cell renewal, leaving skin firm and healthy, by combating wrinkles and expression marks on his face.

Milk is the major source of vitamin B2, which is easily available in nature.? It is important part of the diet of those who want slow skin aging. Dairy products like cheese and yogurt are also good sources of vitamin B2 but people allergic to milk should be careful with these products and must take other sources of vitamin B2, such as liver and green leafy vegetables.

The nails are formed by the accumulation of substances in the pores of the sebaceous skin. This process is most common when a person has poor circulation, which hinders the transport of nutrients that can dilate the pores. Vitamin B3 is important because it facilitates blood flow throughout the body, including the skin, which contributes to the metabolism of fats, proteins and carbohydrates.

Famous for being used in the prevention of colds and flu, Vitamin C is also beneficial to the skin cells. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition examined the relationship between nutrient intakes and skin aging in more than four thousand women aged between 40 and 74. It was found that the intake of Vitamin C as food for your skin levels was associated with a lower probability of having a wrinkled appearance and dry skin. This is because Vitamin C is a natural antioxidant that helps in collagen formation, responsible for elasticity and firmness.

According to nutritionist Daniel Jobst, Vitamin E also has the function of antioxidant and protects cells from the action of free radicals, which slows the aging of skin. Vitamin C is found in citrus fruits such as orange, lemon, pineapple and strawberry, and vegetables such as cabbage, onions and peppers. Vegetables – like lettuce, watercress, spinach and kale – vegetable oils, eggs, sunflower seeds, soybeans, bananas, meat and oil are sources of Vitamin E.

While shaving with a razor blade, it is common that the skin becomes irritated, and in some cases even injured. Vitamin B6 has a healing action and acts in the body’s immune system, protecting the skin inflammations, and also accelerating the healing of wounds. “This vitamin can be found in potato, banana, chicken breast, sunflower seeds, salmon, tuna and avocado,” says nutritionist.

In gist, Food for your skin or Vitamins play a significant role to our health and its longevity. For proper growth, functioning, energy and tissue removal of our body, Vitamins are very important. They definitely help to make your skin look healthy and younger. They help to prevent the skin from harmful substances in the environment, like, free radicals to air pollution. By consuming Vitamins you can surely make your skin healthy and clear.

Photo Credit: 1acnetreatment.com

View the original article here