Monthly Archives: July 2018

Silverberry Newsletter, July 13, 2018

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This week’s newsletter is all about preventing photoaging and the new Fitness Club Partnership Program.

Ours genes have a lot to do with how fast our skin shows signs of aging. Learn about the contributing genes, vitamins, and minerals and prevent photoaging.

Don't forget: The Silverberry Fitness Club Partnership Program is bringing DNA assessment to gyms and fitness centres.

Here's the latest on Silverberry, the world of wellness, and genetic advancements.

Gene Spotlight

The sun is out! Protect your skin from photoaging ☀︎ 

Up to 90% of the visible signs of aging and most types of skin cancer are caused by UV rays of the sun. Long-term sun exposure can cause premature aging of the skin, which encompasses various skin troubles such as wrinkles, pigmentation, and sun spots.

This is known as photoaging and the rate at which it happens is influenced by our genes.

Silverberry Fitness Club Partnership Program

The Fitness Club Partnership Program is pleased to bring DNA assessment to gyms and fitness centres that would like to offer the latest advancements in science and technology to their members. Along with the Certification Course, wellness coaches and personal trainers can create personalized fitness plans with genetic assessment to optimize results.

 

Silverberry Genomix Hackathon

Illumina Accelerator joins hackathon!

With great enthusiasm, Silverberry Genomix welcomes Illumina Accelerator to the panel of judges at the Silverberry DNA Hackathon!

The Illumina Clinical Services Laboratory is a proven and trusted partner in the new era of using genomic information to make critical health care decisions, and offers a comprehensive portfolio of clinical whole-genome sequencing tests intended to help both diagnose and assess risk for certain genetic diseases.

 

Don't miss this special event!

TheSilverberry Hackathon will bring together wellness enthusiasts like you, data scientists, developers, and designers, over an intense 24-hour period of creative explosion. 
Bring your enthusiasm and ideas! Learn from the experts while helping build the next generation of innovative DNA-powered health solutions! 
July 20-21, 2018 @ Galvanize   |   44 Tehama St, San Francisco CA   |   Read More

 

Join the Discussion

Facebook Group

Join us along with other Silverberry members to share your ideas, provide us with feedback, or ask your questions! 

Join Group

 

Silverberry Club Forum

Join fellow fitness enthusiasts and healthcare providers at the discussion forum.

Ask your questions here!

 

Genes Making Waves

Gene editing prevents deafness in mice.

A Harvard and MIT study has been able to prevent progressive hearing loss in mice with a genetic mutation that bound them for hearing loss, with a single injection. Could this lead the way for prevention of hereditary hearing loss in humans?
[The Guardian]

Personalized medicine: Why one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to cancer treatment.

Genetic testing at the University of Utah’s Huntsman Cancer Institute was able to identify a specific mutation in a cancerous tumor, the right type for a targeted drug. This saved the life of a 71 year old with stage IIIA lung cancer, opening the door to further research and expansion of personalized medicine.
[U.S. News]

Can the genes behind tanning help us understand the onset of skin cancer?

King’s College of London has led a large study with data from over 200,000 people that discovered genes influencing whether our skin sun tans or burns. Many of the discovered genes were found to be involved in skin cancer, linking scientists’ understanding of the genes behind tanning with the onset of skin cancer. 
[Independent]

Fight Photoaging with Vitamins E & K

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The sun is out! Protect your skin from photoaging with the right vitamins and minerals.

Up to 90% of the visible signs of aging — and most types of skin cancer — are caused by the sun's UV rays. Long-term sun exposure can cause premature aging of the skin, including wrinkles, pigmentation, and sunspots. This is known as photoaging, and the rate at which it happens is influenced by our genes.

How does photoaging happen?

Photoaging is the premature aging of the skin due to repeated exposure to UV radiation. UV radiation causes DNA damage and oxidative stress, a situation in which the production of harmful free radicals overwhelms the body’s ability to neutralize them using antioxidants. In order for the body to protect itself from oxidative stress, the skin produces several enzymes built with antioxidants including vitamin E, vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin A, iron, and selenium.

While modest UV exposure can prompt the body to increase epidermal thickness, which helps to protect from further UV damage, prolonged exposure overwhelms the skin’s antioxidant defense system. This damage of overexposure, referred to as photoaging, manifests as facial pigmented spots and wrinkles. It is the result of both diminished collagen production (needed to increase epidermal thickness) and diminished antioxidant activity.

Check your Skin Care Reports for the Photoaging, Facial Pigmented Spots, and Skin Antioxidant Deficiency traits.

 

The Importance of Antioxidants

Our bodies produce a number of antioxidative and detoxifying enzymes, such as superoxide dismutases (SODs), to fight free radicals and prevent damage to our skin. However, in order to work properly, SODs require certain minerals, such as copper and zinc, to act as cofactors. To achieve maximum protective capacity, it is important to ensure adequate daily intake of these minerals. This daily need may be higher if you have certain genetic variants that are associated with copper or zinc deficiency.

Check your Nutrition Reports for these traits!

Additionally, genetic variations in the NRF2, SOD2, and CAT genes have been associated with reduced antioxidant activity in cells throughout the body and an increased risk of damage to lipids and proteins in the skin. It is even more harmful for individuals with these genetic variants to have reduced dietary intake of antioxidants — i.e. to not get the recommended FIVE daily servings of vegetables and fruits.

Do you need to keep a close eye on your vegetable intake? Check your risk of “Skin Antioxidant Deficiency.”

 

Vitamins E and K Fight Photoaging

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble antioxidant which absorbs UV rays from the sun to protect your skin, thus preventing wrinkles, dark spots, and certain types of skin cancer. It is an essential ingredient in the sebum, the oil secreted by the skin for protection and hydration. Vitamin E’s anti-inflammatory and hydrating properties keep the skin looking youthful. In order to maximize its benefits as an antioxidant, make sure to get enough vitamin C and B3 as well because their presence enhances vitamin E’s activity.

Vitamin E: How Much and From Where? Check this handy guide.

While vitamin E prevents photoaging by acting as an antioxidant, vitamin K works to treat other skin troubles to keep the skin healthy and youthful, minimizing the effects of photoaging. Its main functions as a vitamin are blood clotting to heal wounds and strengthening capillaries to heal bruises. Vitamin K additionally helps treat spider veins, stretch marks, and dark spots, while increasing circulation to reduce undereye darkness and puffiness. Vitamin K: How Much and From Where? Check this handy guide.

Fun fact: A recent study found that the MC1R gene, which is responsible for pale skin and red hair, is also linked to increased photoaging.

This gene codes for a protein that plays a role in normal pigmentation. It is found on the surface of melanocytes, which are cells responsible for the production of melanin — the pigment giving skin, hair, and eyes their colour. There are 2 types of melanin produced: eumelanin and pheomelanin. People with more eumelanin tend to have brown or black hair and skin that tans easily. On the other hand, people with more pheomelanin production tend to have blonde or red hair, freckles, and less protection from UV rays and photoaging. One gene responsible for the synthesis of pheomelanin is the ASIP gene. Having variants of this gene could lead to an increased risk of facial pigmented spots with sun exposure, as it would lead to the clumping of melanin to form areas of hyperpigmentation. [NIH]

If you are worried about photoaging, protect yourself! By having a diet with sufficient vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants for your genetic makeup, you can reduce your the risk of photoaging and have plenty of fun outside this summer. ??

Would you like to see sample reports?

IIlumina Accelerator is joining the Silverberry DNA Hackathon!

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With great enthusiasm, Silverberry Genomix welcomes Illumina Accelerator to the Panel of Judges at the Silverberry DNA Data-Hackathon on July 20th 2018 at Galvanize in San Francisco!

The Illumina Clinical Services Laboratory is a proven and trusted partner in the new era of using genomic information to make critical health care decisions, and offers a comprehensive portfolio of clinical whole-genome sequencing tests intended to help both diagnose and assess risk for certain genetic diseases.

About the Event
The Data-Hackathon by Silverberry (#datathon) is bringing together data scientists, developers, designers, industry pros, and fitness enthusiasts over an intense 24-hour period of creative explosion to build and pitch solutions to build innovative DNA-powered consumer apps for fitness, nutrition, and everyday wellness decisions.
Event Page: https://silverberrygenomics.com/genomics-hackathon-for-data-science-and-health/

About Silverberry Genomix
We are a lifestyle company that uses the latest advancements in genomic sequencing to generate personalized DNA-driven wellness reports for fitness, nutrition, longevity, injury risk, skin care, allergy and personality development. We believe that the real value of DNA-driven assessments is the positive lifestyle changes they inspire, and we encourage many industries to unite in this valuable effort.

Silverberry Newsletter, June 29, 2018

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This week’s newsletter is all about Exercise Aversion and the new Fitness Club Partnership Program.

Silverberry is bringing DNA Assessment to gyms and fitness centres! Learn all about this new partnership program.

Don't forget: If you suffer from insomnia, you might consider joining us for a 24-hour hackathon in the Galvanize speakeasy.

Here's the latest on Silverberry, the world of wellness, and genetic advancements.

Gene Spotlight

Where does our motivation for exercise come from? 

Studies have found that up to 50% of our like or dislike for exercise can be due to our genes...

Learn more by listening to this short Gene of the Day featuring Exercise Aversion.

Silverberry Fitness Club Partnership Program

The Fitness Club Partnership Program is pleased to bring DNA assessment to gyms and fitness centres that would like to offer the latest advancements in science and technology to their members. Along with the Certification Course, wellness coaches and personal trainers can create personalized fitness plans with genetic assessment to optimize results.

 

Silverberry Genomix Hackathon

Don't miss this special event!

The Silverberry Hackathon will bring together wellness enthusiasts like you, data scientists, developers, and designers, over an intense 24-hour period of creative explosion. 
Bring your enthusiasm and ideas! Learn from the experts while helping build the next generation of innovative DNA-powered health solutions! 
July 20-21, 2018 @ Galvanize   |   44 Tehama St, San Francisco CA   |   Read More

 

Join us at the IDEA Fit Conference

Silverberry will be exhibiting at the IDEA Fit Conference in San Diego, from June 28th to June 30th. You can join the expo for free and meet the Silverberry team (Booth #747 in the Nutrition area), learning about new technology and training tools among fellow personal trainers, health coaches, and innovators.

 

Join the Discussion

Facebook Group

Join us along with other Silverberry members to share your ideas, provide us with feedback, or ask your questions! 

Join Group

 

Silverberry Club Forum

Join fellow fitness enthusiasts and healthcare providers at the discussion forum.

Ask your questions here!

 

Genes Making Waves

Gene editing produces pigs resistant to the world’s most costly animal disease.

Scientists at the University of Edinburgh have been able to successfully produce pigs that do not become infected by the deadly Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS). They’ve done so by editing the genetic codes of these pigs, which showed no signs of any impact on their wellbeing. [Science Daily] 

 

‘Gene map’ of depression opens the door for more effective treatments

A team of over 200 researchers have discovered 30 new gene variants that increase the risk of depression. With this, they hope to understand why certain people suffer from the disease while other do not, even with similar life experiences. [The Guardian] 

 

Can our genes record our time of death?

Recent research has found that some of our genes continue to be active and perform transcription even after we die, displaying activity patterns that can roughly estimate when the time of death was. Similarly, our molecular processes continue to work after death until the necessary enzymes and chemicals run out. But at what point does that happen? [Science News]