SNP Analysis Webinar Tidbits

I attended a great SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) Analysis Webinar last night presented by Penny Kendall-Reed ND.  SNPs are single nucleotide (gene building blocks) differences in the structure of the gene that change the way that the gene expresses itself/works.   Here is a summary of a few of the interesting tidbits:

- More than 170 of our genes' functioning is impacted by stress and some of the impacts include deceased wound healing, increased inflammation, increased weight gain, and decreased sleep quality
- TSH levels (which measure our thyroid health/function) can increase by up to 140% from morning to night and fluctuate throughout the day
- Estrogen can deactivate T3 (our active thyroid hormone), increase TSH levels, and falsely elevate T4 levels (our other thyroid hormone) - this impact is especially seen while on oral contraceptives (the birth control pill) or during the mid part of our cycle/ovulation
- TSH levels are higher in the winter/colder months and lower in the summer/warmer months
- Stress increases TSH levels and the production of auto immune mediated thyroid antibodies 
- Our SNPs can help determine whether we are a good candidate for hormone replacement therapy (HRT) - the optimal SNP combination when taking HRT is genes that encourage the conversion of estrogen into the C2 form (the 'good' form/non carcinogenic form), that do not encourage the conversion of estrogen into the C4 form (the 'bad' form/ the carcinogenic form), and that encourage proper clearance of these estrogen breakdown forms through phase 2 liver detox pathways 
- Increased stress and the resulting increased cortisol (stress hormone) production causes inflammation of melatonin receptors which prevents melatonin from binding and prevents us from getting into the deep sleep phase of our sleep cycle