The historical standard for vitamins in America is a one-size-fits all approach. Large, international companies create multivitamins that contain the same dose of vitamins and minerals for every person.
Newer vitamin brands have emerged that attempt to make vitamins more personalized, but they still sell vitamin pills that contain the same standard dose of each vitamin for every person who purchases a subscription.
This one-size-fits all approach to selling vitamins, actually fits no one. In fact, of the vitamins American’s take, 5% are actually harmful, 10% have no effect, and the rest are incorrectly dosed.
The only way to ensure that you are taking the right vitamins at the correct dosages is through a personalized approach to vitamins.
The science and technology now exist to combine quantitative health data, like genetics and blood levels, with qualitative lifestyle information to create truly personalized vitamin and mineral recommendations. This level of personalization means you can take exactly what you need and avoid the potentially harmful or ineffective results of taking incorrect dosages and the wrong vitamins.
The Three Components of a Personalized Vitamin Regimen
1. Lifestyle
Qualitative information about lifestyle is one key component to understanding personalized nutrient needs. Every person’s diet and daily habits are different, so their vitamin regimen should account for those differences. Variances in diet, age, and gender all play a role in the types and dosages of vitamins that an individual may need.
2. Genetics
Genetics have been scientifically proven to impact the types of nutrients that your body needs. In fact, there are 52 genes that we know of that have been proven by at least three independent scientific studies to interact with the way your body requires and absorbs nutrients. Rootine’s at home genetic test tests all 52 genes, giving you the most complete picture of any gene-nutrient interactions that you may have.
3. Blood Levels
Blood level data is the final piece of the nutrient need puzzle. Nutrient ingestion and absorption rates differ from person to person, and blood level data helps Rootine account for these variances. Many health professionals take blood levels to test nutrient rates, but the problem is, sometimes based on your genetics you may need more or less of a nutrient than the standard person, so having both data points is key.
Personalized Vitamins in Action: An example from our co-founder, Rachel
Rachel leads a fairly healthy lifestyle, which for the most part helps her avoid extra free radicals (chemical agents in the air that can cause aging and other harmful effects). Based on her lifestyle questionnaire alone, she would therefore only require the average amount of antioxidants, like Selenium.
However, after taking Rootine’s at-home DNA test, she learned that she is part of 7% of the population who has two defective GPX-1 genes, which help fight free-radicals. Therefore, she actually could benefit from taking significantly more antioxidants, like selenium, than the average person to help her counteract her genetic variances.
She also learned from the DNA test, that due to her genetic profile, her body holds more iron than average, so she should not take a full dose of extra iron. However, results from her lifestyle questionnaire suggested that her iron requirement may be somewhat higher than average. In this case, Rootine’s personalized approach helps Rachel avoid additional iron that may have been given to her based on lifestyle alone that could potentially be harmful for her in the future.
