Thursday, March 19, 2015

Ancestry guess

I'm still about 1-3 weeks away from receiving the results.  Although I am primarily interested in my raw genetic mutations, I'm starting to get excited about my ancestry report.  I expect to see a good mix of eastern and western European DNA but based on what I've read, it may not turn out as expected.  I do know that my paternal grandmother was born in Scotland and my paternal grandfather was of German ancestry.  My mother's side of the family is mostly Polish but I believe that there is some Irish mixed in as well.  While I do expect to see those 4 countries represent the vast majority of my DNA, it is important to remember that none of them were completely homogenized when my ancestors came to America.  Let's take a look:

Poland: There was a lot of Slavic migration in the medieval period here so I may see a bit more DNA from southeastern Europe or even west Asia.  I do tan well and can retain some of it even through the winter months.

Germany:  I've read that Germans commonly have a bit of east Asian DNA, which likely comes from the Mongolian Empire so if I do have a trace of Asian blood, that's where it came from.

Scotland and Ireland:  Surprisingly, I've read that Scottish DNA is especially diverse.  It's common to find Scots with traces of DNA from much of Europe including Germany, Scandinavia and even Asia and Africa.  If I do have any African DNA, it will be a very small trace but that's the most likely source.

All told, I still expect to see more than 95% European DNA but would be surprised if it is fully 100%. If I do have traces of unexpected ancestry, it's certainly worth finding out.
Another interesting fact is that most African Americans have between 15-25% European DNA and some have traces of Asian and Native American.  One case that particularly surprised me was that Condoleezza Rice is only 51% sub-Saharan African.  The rest of her genetic makeup is composed of 9% Asian and 40% European.  Since reading these reports, I have become even more disgusted by racism on all sides and can appreciate beauty in every ethnic group.

As for my health, I have a mixed report.  Tolerance to folate has improved and I am back on Jigsaw Mag.  Also, the zinc and copper sensitivity remains well under control as does the Cal/Mag ratio.   That said, I still don't feel any better overall.  If anything, I may have regressed a bit since last week.  The taurine intolerance has not let up and that is almost certainly due to the CBS mutation.  Also, the sensitivity to All In One is brutal.  I may have to open the capsules and take half because 1 is not enough but 2 pills are too many.  1.5 may be just right ....   for now.   There's not much I can do until I get the results and talk to a health coach.  If nothing changes next week, I expect that a "good day" in Kentucky will be a finish in the mid-high 1:40s.  A bad day will be over 2 hours but likely not approaching 3.  The time limit is a generous 3.5 hours (16 minute pace) so there's very little chance that I DNF.  If my health coach suggests it, I may take off the month of April as well as the early part of May.  I don't think I'm doing myself much good by continuing to train while so far out of whack.  I am still very disappointed that I hit another barrier when I was so sure that Cal/Mag plus Thym-Adren would lead me to balance by Spring.

Next week's post will be on methylation, neurotransmitters and overuse of anti-depressants.

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