Raising Awareness, One Doctor At A Time
SNP Of The Week: FUT2
Are you chronically sick? Have you tried various diets that don’t seem to have any positive effect on you? Do you know your secretor type? Do you even know how being a secretor (or non-secretor) can influence your health?
FUT2 (or Fucosyltransferase 2) is involved in the formation of H antigen, and the aforementioned gene helps determine whether you are a secretor or a non-secretor. A blood type is a sugar molecule made of the following combinations of sugars attached to your red blood cells: A, B, AB or O.
80% of humans are secretors, meaning that a ‘secretor’ individual will release his/her blood group into parts of the body that secrete fluid (e.g. mucus, saliva, tears, sweat). This is all fine and dandy if you live in today’s ‘toxic’ world. Where do the possible health risks come into play?
The other 20% of humans are non-secretors, meaning they barely secrete their blood type throughout the body via fluids. As a result these individuals are at higher risks for:
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Bad teeth/poor dental health
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Type 1 Diabetes
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Insulin resistance
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Other autoimmune conditions (e.g. IBD or IBS)
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Wheat, grains & carbohydrate intolerance
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Altered gut flora
There is a diet plan for FUT2 non-secretors (for each of the ABO blood group) which is ‘claimed’ to be tailored to them, reducing the risks of autoimmune conditions and the severity of already present autoimmune conditions.
Non-secretors are claimed to be severely deficient in the beneficial bacteria called Bifidobacteria[1], and this likely explains the often severe dental problems these individuals experience. Taking supplements may or may not be beneficial because the following study claimed that babies born to mothers with FUT2 mutations have different breast milk[2], and as a result, the baby may be born with altered gut flora which follows the child into adulthood[3].
“Our analysis further suggests that pregnant women have altered microbiota compared to non-pregnant adults and FUT2 or secretor status could acts as one of the contributing factors for microbiota changes observed during pregnancy. As such differences may lead to altered microbiota transfer from mother to the infant, this phenomenon deserves further assessment.” [4]
How do I determine my secretor status?
The FUT2 G12447A Rs601338 (risk is the A allele or +/+) can determine your secretor type[5]. You have to be homozygous (A;A) to be have the non-secretory phenotype[5] and the following study also strenghtens this fact[6].
FUT2 diet & more information below:
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Type A non-secretor dietary rec.: link
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Type B non-secretor dietary rec.: link
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Type AB non-secretor dietary rec.: link
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Type O non-secretor dietary rec.: link
NOTE: PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOU COVER YOUR DAILY NUTRITIONAL NEEDS WHEN GOING ON A RESTRICTIVE DIET AND DO SO UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF YOUR PRACTITIONER!
Looking For Creative Cooking Ideas? Check Out The Healthy Mito Cookbook!
The Beginners Guide to Gluten Free – Sprouted – Organic – Low & Moderate Oxalate Recipes for Mitochondrial Wellness in Nutrigenomics and Epigenetics.
This Cookbook is based on a diet that is targeted toward several Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) and Intracellular nutrition. Key enzyme functions are regulated by SNPs within our DNA, and play a role in how the body reacts to certain foods, medicines, and environmental triggers. They also keep our mitochondria and Krebs cycle, the powerhouse of our bodies, running properly. These functions create the energy needed to make us feel healthy and happy, while keeping our body systems stable.
The recipes are a mix of gluten-free, low-carb, moderate-oxalate, and nutritionally dense dishes. They are rich in herbs, whole foods, and spices, all of which support synergistic healing. This diet works for me, and I have induced Mitochondrial Dysfunction which is an Autoimmune Disease. It can work for you, too! You CAN reduce inflammation, pain, and optimize nutritional status with real foods and herbs. Enclosed are tips, swap out food suggestions, and a food tracker sheet to keep track of intake per day.
