retinol

Curing Keratosis Pilaris: Part II
06/12/2011 - 17:54

 Last year I wrote that I had cured my keratosis pilaris, an annoying and unattractive skin condition. I thought it was because of different bathing habits. I was wrong. It came back really badly when I started an office job and I brainstormed possible causes:

  • Less sunlight?
  • Trace vegetable oil and gluten from eating out?
  • Too hot showers

Unfortunately, when I tested each of these theories they didn't pan out. I tried sunbathing, not eating out, and cold showers. The keratosis remained. 

When I learned I had a polymorphism that meant I that most of the Vitamin A in my favorite orange vegetables was not getting converted to retinol, I decided to try to get more retinol. Since synthetic retinol has been tied to some issues in studies, I got it mainly from liver and cod liver oil. 

Within a few days my keratosis started clearing up and just in time for swim-suit season! I guess I wasn't getting enough retinol in my diet because I was eating fairly conventionally and eating more vegan meals when I didn't have access to grass-fed meat. By conventionally, I mean an ancestral diet that's just normal diet minus junk, but without the addition of things like offal. Think meals like a burger without the bun and a salad. I guess the lessons here are

  • An "ancestral" diet that is just a normal diet minus gluten, sugar, and grains might not provide as many benefits as one that involves eating nose to tail
  • Nutrient needs vary among people
  • Animal sources of most nutrients are usually more usable
Promethease: Vitamin A, Folate, and other fun with genes
06/01/2011 - 15:21

 Thanks to Karen who recommended Promethease on my genetics post. I ran myself and got some fun results. Well, this one isn't so fun- I have a rare genotype, Rs12536657(A;A), associated with hypermyopia. Indeed, myopia and retinal detachment issues are common in my family. I thankfully seem to have halted my vision decline around the time I improved my diet, but that could just be vision stablization associated with age. 

Last year I took a genetic test for celiac disease and my doctor told me it was impossible for me to have it. Unfortunately, like all things, there are many factors and genes at work. How much genetics coursework do doctors have to do anyway? That's why I feel that much future innovation will be done by biopunks- biologically educated nerds with time on their hands. That is unless our government "protects" us from our own genetic information. Oh the hilarity that people with science degrees and training in molecular genetics wouldn't have access, but older doctors who have never taken a genetics class in their life will... 

Turns out I do have a variation strongly associated with celiac disease: Rs3184504(T;T).

In high school and early in undergrad, I was taking lots of NSAIDs for headaches. I developed ulcers because of this. Perhaps my gene associated with impaired NSAID metabolism was at play? 

I also have a genotype associated with reduced conversion of beta carotene to retinol: Rs12934922(A;T). People with this genotype must rely more on dietary retinol, only present in animal products. It's interesting that this is most common in people with Northern and Western Europe Ancestry, perhaps reflecting an environment where dietary retinol was plentiful? I better eat liver anyway since I have a genotype associated with impaired folate metabolism.

I definitly recommend Promethease. It's a great way to learn about human genetic variation and your own variation in response to drugs and diet. 

 

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