282 | id == 282
282 | category_id == 15
282 | category_order == 11
282 | category_name == Diet
282 | category_color == #C47AC0
282 | slug == AMY1A-diet
282 | title == Does This Gene Impact Your Ability To Digest Starch? (AMY1A)
282 | meta_description == AMY1A gene variants may influence your amylase activity. Read on to find out how this may impact your ability to digest starch!
282 | summary == <p style="text-align:justify"><strong>The AMY1A gene encodes amylase enzymes. Variants in this gene may influence your ability to digest starch. Read on to find out how these variants may be influencing your dietary habits, and some steps you can take to reduce their potentially negative impact!</strong></p>
282 | overall_score_text == Starch Digestion Score (based on AMY1A)
282 | image == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/background/AMY1--Foods-Starch.jpg
282 | author_id == 13
282 | author_name == Lewis Cuthbertson
282 | author_title == PhD
282 | author_order == 12
282 | author_photo == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/author-photo/Lewis_SelfDecode.jpg
282 | author_intro == <p><strong>Lewis completed his PhD in Molecular Microbiology at Northumbria University (UK).</strong></p>    <p>Lewis spent several years researching the biodiversity of bacterial communities in the Arctic and Antarctic, whilst also performing research for a DNA sequencing service, where he was involved in several health based microbiome studies. This gave him an insight into how the highly diverse and invisible to the naked eye portion of human health, can potentially impact an individual&rsquo;s quality of life, driving his desire to help others understand their own complex health needs through the most current scientific research.<br />  &nbsp;</p>
282 | reviewer_id == 10
282 | reviewer_name == Biljana Novkovic
282 | reviewer_title == PhD
282 | medical_reviewer_id == 11
282 | medical_reviewer_name == Puya Yazdi
282 | medical_reviewer_title == MD
282 | publish_date == 2020
282 | publish_date == 9
282 | publish_date == 1
282 | avg_rating == 5.0
282 | tags_id == 549
282 | tags_name == AMY1A Gene
282 | tags_id == 548
282 | tags_name == Amylase
282 | tags_id == 285
282 | tags_name == Carbohydrates
282 | tags_id == 183
282 | tags_name == Diet
282 | tags_id == 550
282 | tags_name == Starch Metabolism
282 | permissions_favorite == False
282 | permissions_rate == False
282 | content_article == <p style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you have any serious health concerns related to your starch intake or other dietary issues, it is important to discuss these concerns with your doctor. The information in this post is presented for educational purposes only, and should not be used to replace standard medical care.</span></em></p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">What is the </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">AMY </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">gene?</span></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Humans have two primary </span><a href="https://www.selfhacked.com/blog/amylase/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">amylase</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> genes: </span><a href="../../../gene/amy1a/"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">AMY1A</span></em></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">AMY2A</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">AMY1A</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> encodes salivary amylase, while </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">AMY2A</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> encodes pancreatic amylase. In this post, we will be focusing on salivary amylase (</span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">AMY1A</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">) [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/276"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/279"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Amylase is an enzyme that breaks down starch (a carb) into simple sugars. Digestion of carbs is extremely important, since carbs are ultimately broken down into </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/glucose/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">glucose</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, the main energy source that fuels our bodies.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Salivary amylase is produced by salivary glands, and it starts digesting food as you chew it. Pancreatic amylase is produced by the pancreas, and helps digest complex sugars in your gut [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5322607/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1702756"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK54127/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Amylase breaks down complex carbs like starch into simple sugars. There are two broad types: salivary amylase (encoded by the <em>AMY1A </em>gene) and pancreatic amylase (<em>AMY2A</em>).</span></p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">AMY1A</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> variants</span></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Individuals carry multiple copies of the </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">AMY1A</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> gene. How many copies each individual possesses is known as their </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">AMY1A </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">gene copy number. </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">AMY1A </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">gene copy number varies considerably, from 2-17 copies [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26098870/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Variants of the </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">AMY1A </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">gene are thought to be associated with an individual's </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">AMY1A </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">gene copy number [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26098870/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">There are several </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">AMY1A </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">gene variant alleles that have been associated with significantly lower gene copy numbers. Each variant carried is thought to cause a difference of up to 2 gene copies. Variant alleles which are associated with these differences include [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26098870/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32493715/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]:</span></p> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">rs4244372 (&lsquo;A&rsquo; allele)</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">rs1566154 (&lsquo;A&rsquo; allele)</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">rs1930212 (&lsquo;G&rsquo; allele)</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">rs2132957 (&lsquo;G&rsquo; allele)</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">rs11185098 (&lsquo;G&rsquo; allele)</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">rs1999478 (&lsquo;A&rsquo; allele)</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">rs1330403 (&lsquo;A&rsquo; allele)</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">rs6696797 (&lsquo;G&rsquo; allele)</span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;"><em>AMY1A </em>gene variants are associated with the number of copies of the <em>AMY1A</em> gene an individual carries, which may vary from 2-17 copies.</span></p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">AMY1A </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">and Starch Consumption</span></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Carrying more copies of the </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">AMY1A </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">gene is associated with increased amylase enzyme levels, whilst carrying less gene copies is associated with lower levels [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24686848/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32493715/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">In fact, an association has been shown between individuals carrying more </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">AMY1A </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">gene copies, increased amylase enzyme activity, and an improved ability to break down starch into simple sugars. This was relative to individuals with fewer copies of the </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">AMY1A </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">gene, who have a lower associated enzyme activity and showed a reduced ability to break down starch [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3327743/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">A low amount of amylase (fewer copies) has been associated with glucose malabsorption and lower ability to digest and use complex carbs. Therefore, individuals with lower </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">AMY1A </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">copy numbers are at increased risk of diabetes and obesity [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27436124"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/early/2020/06/01/db19-1257"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5566300/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22492122/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Interestingly, individuals from cultures that eat more starch carry more AMY1A gene copies. In contrast, people from cultures that typically eat less starch, such as those of Northern Siberia, carry relatively fewer copies of the AMY1A gene. This suggests that AMY1A copy number may be an evolutionary adaptation to diet [</span><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/srep37198"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2377015/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Whilst the above evidence suggests that </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">AMY1A </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">variants, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">AMY1A </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">copy number, and amylase activity may influence the body&rsquo;s ability to digest starch, more comprehensive work is required to clearly identify whether a link exists between all three factors and starch intake.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">The number of <em>AMY1A </em>copies an individual carries may influence their ability to digest starch.</span></p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Your </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">AMY1A</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Results for Starch Intake</span></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>*6395572333377835*</strong></p> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">SNP Summary and Table</span></h3> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>AMY1A </em></strong><strong>rs4244372</strong></p> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;AA&rsquo; = associated with lower amylase activity and poorer ability to digest starch [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32493715/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;AT&rsquo; = associated with lower amylase activity and poorer ability to digest starch [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32493715/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;TT&rsquo; = associated with normal amylase activity and ability to digest starch [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32493715/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">10% of individuals carry two copies of the &lsquo;A&rsquo; allele, whilst 39% carry one &lsquo;A&rsquo; allele [</span><a href="https://useast.ensembl.org/Homo_sapiens/Variation/Population?r=1:103496905-103497905;v=rs4244372;vdb=variation;vf=2301644"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>AMY1A </em></strong><strong>rs1566154</strong></p> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;AA&rsquo; = associated with lower amylase activity and poorer ability to digest starch [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32493715/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;AC&rsquo; = associated with lower amylase activity and poorer ability to digest starch [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32493715/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;CC&rsquo; = associated with normal amylase activity and ability to digest starch [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32493715/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">64% of people carry two copies of the &lsquo;A&rsquo; allele, and 31% carry one copy [</span><a href="https://useast.ensembl.org/Homo_sapiens/Variation/Population?r=1:103786755-103787755;v=rs1566154;vdb=variation;vf=1024238"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>AMY1A </em></strong><strong>rs1930212</strong></p> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;GG&rsquo; = associated with lower amylase activity and poorer ability to digest starch [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32493715/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;AG&rsquo; = associated with lower amylase activity and poorer ability to digest starch [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32493715/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;AA&rsquo; = associated with normal amylase activity and ability to digest starch [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32493715/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Just 3% of people carry two copies of the &lsquo;G&rsquo; allele, and 26% carry one [</span><a href="https://useast.ensembl.org/Homo_sapiens/Variation/Population?r=1:103781697-103782697;v=rs1930212;vdb=variation;vf=1249772"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>AMY1A </em></strong><strong>rs2132957</strong></p> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;GG&rsquo; = associated with lower amylase activity and poorer ability to digest starch [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32493715/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;AG&rsquo; = associated with lower amylase activity and poorer ability to digest starch [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32493715/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;AA&rsquo; = associated with normal amylase activity and ability to digest starch [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32493715/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Less than 1% of people carry two &lsquo;G&rsquo; alleles, whilst just 2% carry one [</span><a href="https://useast.ensembl.org/Homo_sapiens/Variation/Population?r=1:104352565-104353565;v=rs2132957;vdb=variation;vf=1377328"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>AMY1A </em></strong><strong>rs11185098</strong></p> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;GG&rsquo; = associated with lower amylase activity and poorer ability to digest starch [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32493715/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;AG&rsquo; = associated with lower amylase activity and poorer ability to digest starch [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32493715/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;AA&rsquo; = associated with normal amylase activity and ability to digest starch [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32493715/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">64% of individuals carry two copies of the &lsquo;G&rsquo; allele. 30% of people carry one copy of the &lsquo;G&rsquo; allele [</span><a href="https://useast.ensembl.org/Homo_sapiens/Variation/Population?r=1:103778227-103779227;v=rs11185098;vdb=variation;vf=4217258"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>AMY1A </em></strong><strong>rs1999478</strong></p> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;AA&rsquo; = associated with lower amylase activity and poorer ability to digest starch [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32493715/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;AC&rsquo; = associated with lower amylase activity and poorer ability to digest starch [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32493715/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;CC&rsquo; = associated with normal amylase activity and ability to digest starch [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32493715/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Just 4% of people carry two &lsquo;A&rsquo; alleles, whilst 26% carry one copy of the allele [</span><a href="https://useast.ensembl.org/Homo_sapiens/Variation/Population?r=1:103768590-103769590;v=rs1999478;vdb=variation;vf=1297224"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>AMY1A </em></strong><strong>rs1330403</strong></p> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;AA&rsquo; = associated with lower amylase activity and poorer ability to digest starch [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32493715/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;AG&rsquo; = associated with lower amylase activity and poorer ability to digest starch [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32493715/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;GG&rsquo; = associated with normal amylase activity and ability to digest starch [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32493715/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">91% of people carry two &lsquo;A&rsquo; allele copies, whilst 8% carry one [</span><a href="https://useast.ensembl.org/Homo_sapiens/Variation/Population?v=rs1330403;vdb=variation"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>AMY1A </em></strong><strong>rs6696797</strong></p> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;GG&rsquo; = associated with lower amylase activity and poorer ability to digest starch [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32493715/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;AG&rsquo; = associated with lower amylase activity and poorer ability to digest starch [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32493715/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;AA&rsquo; = associated with normal amylase activity and ability to digest starch [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32493715/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">16% of people carry two copies of the &lsquo;G&rsquo; allele, whilst 45% carry one [</span><a href="https://useast.ensembl.org/Homo_sapiens/Variation/Population?r=1:103474656-103475656;v=rs6696797;vdb=variation;vf=3136725"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>*6414089015335742*</strong></p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Recommendations to Improve Your Starch Digestion</span></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>*2834349909538003*</strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Carrying a gene variant associated with lower </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">AMY1A </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">copy number may be associated with lower amylase levels and decreased overall amylase enzyme activity [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3327743/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">As a result, it may be harder for your body to digest carbs such as starch. This may increase your risk of certain diseases and disorders associated with eating starch [</span><a href="https://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/early/2020/06/01/db19-1257"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5566300/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22492122/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The following recommendations may help reduce the negative impacts of these gene variants.</span></p> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lifestyle</span></h3> <h4 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Exercise</span></h4> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">A review of 54 studies showed that moderately intense </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/top-14-proven-health-benefits-exercise-references-mechanisms/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">exercise</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> may help increase amylase levels and potentially improve starch digestion [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3961115/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <h4 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Avoid Cigarettes</span></h4> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Smokers have lower amylase levels compared to non-smokers, which suggests that smokers with low-copy associated variants of amylase may be especially vulnerable to reduced starch digestion [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1432581/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4807301/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Diet</span></h3> <h4 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Reduce Dietary Carbohydrates</span></h4> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The primary function of amylase is to process dietary starches, and people with lower levels of this enzyme may not be able to process starches and other complex carbohydrates as efficiently as those with high levels. Therefore, those with low amylase may gain more weight in response to dietary carbs from sources like grains, bread, pasta, beans, potatoes, and corn [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24686848"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4858278/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4489572/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25394825"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <h4 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Avoid Snacking at Night</span></h4> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Eating a meal in the late evening was linked to lower salivary amylase in 2,500 subjects [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3937213/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p>
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282 | content_learn_more_6414089015335742_text == Based on the variants we looked at, your AMY1A gene may be associated with poor starch digestion. However, this doesn't necessarily reflect your overall digestive health — just one gene related to it. Read on to find out more.
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rsIDs = rs1330403,rs2132957,rs11185098,rs1999478,rs6696797,rs1930212,rs4244372,rs1566154
rsStatus = rs1330403,,chr1,104038080,A,G,,,13,0,Normal
rsStatus = rs2132957,,chr1,104353065,A,G,,,27,0,Normal
rsStatus = rs11185098,,chr1,103778727,G,A,T,,10,5,HET
rsStatus = rs1999478,,chr1,103769090,C,A,,,15,0,Normal
rsStatus = rs6696797,LOC101928436,chr1,103475156,G,A,,,3,26,HET
rsStatus = rs1930212,,chr1,103782197,A,G,T,,18,7,HET
rsStatus = rs4244372,LOC101928436,chr1,103497405,T,A,G,,22,11,HET
