7 min readIs PCOS genetic, and what do your genes actually say about your hormones?If PCOS runs in your family, or if you have spent years managing symptoms without ever fully understanding where they come from, the genetics of this condition is one of the most practically useful things you can understand about your own body. PCOS is the most common hormonal condition in women of reproductive age, affecting somewhere between 10 and 20 percent of women globally. It is also one of the most genetically complex, which is both why it is hard to diagnose and why no two women's experience of it is quite the same. The genes are real, the interaction with lifestyle is real, and both matter in ways that change how you manage this condition day to day.
Reviewed· 3 sources· 4 genes
6 min readWhy do the bacteria in your gut decide so much about your health, and how much of it is genetic?There are trillions of bacteria living in your gut right now, and they are not just passengers. They are closer to a hidden organ, one that influences your digestion, your immune system, your weight, your mood, and even how you respond to food and medicine. This community is called your gut microbiome, and in recent years it has become one of the most exciting and most overhyped topics in all of health. The truth sits somewhere in between the breathless headlines and the dismissive eye-rolls, and the genetics angle is more interesting than most coverage admits.
Reviewed· 3 sources· 2 genes
5 min readWhy do some people turn into a different person when they're hungry?Getting 'hangry', that sharp slide into irritability when a meal runs late, is not a character flaw or a lack of willpower. It is real biology, and part of how intensely you feel it is shaped by your genes: when you have not eaten, your blood sugar drops, your glucose-hungry brain starts rationing, and stress hormones flood in, with variants in blood-sugar genes like TCF7L2 and mood-chemistry genes like SLC6A4 making some people feel that drop harder and faster than others.
Reviewed· 3 sources· 2 genes
5 min readWhy do mosquitoes feast on you and ignore your friend?Mosquitoes bite you more than your friend because your body advertises itself differently, and a surprisingly large part of that advertising is genetic: twin studies suggest your attractiveness to mosquitoes is roughly 60 to 80% heritable, shaped by the carbon dioxide you exhale, the chemistry of your skin and your body heat, so it was never about your 'sweet blood'.
Reviewed· 3 sources· 3 genes
5 min readWhy does dal-chawal spike my blood sugar but not my sister's?Dal-chawal can spike your blood sugar but not your sister's because of differences in the AMY1 gene that sets how much starch-digesting enzyme you make, plus TCF7L2 and FTO variants that shape insulin response, so the same rice raises glucose more sharply in some people.
Reviewed· 3 sources· 3 genes
3 min readWhy does milk bloat me when everyone says it is healthy?Milk bloats you because of lactose intolerance, set by the MCM6 region that controls the LCT gene: in most South Asian adults this gene switches off after childhood, so you make less lactase and undigested milk sugar ferments in the gut, causing gas and bloating.
Reviewed· 3 sources· 2 genes
4 min readDo I actually need all these supplements?Most people do not need a cabinet of supplements, but genes like MTHFR (folate and B12 processing), VDR (vitamin D response) and FUT2 (B12 absorption) plus the Indian context of widespread vitamin D and B12 deficiency mean targeted supplements, guided by a blood test, often beat broad multivitamins.
Reviewed· 3 sources· 3 genes
5 min readWhy is my cholesterol high even though I eat well?High cholesterol despite a good diet is often genetic: inherited variants in LDLR, APOB or PCSK9 cause familial hypercholesterolemia, and the APOE e4 variant raises cholesterol response, so your liver handles cholesterol differently regardless of how carefully you eat.
Reviewed· 3 sources· 3 genes