HOW TO READ YOUR LIFECODE GX REPORT
Your Lifecode GX Nutrient Core Report is one of the tools we use in the Baking as Lifestyle Medicine Protocol to personalise your bread. It doesn’t stand alone. each of your genes has a brilliant explanation so this is a self contained report written in a way tha you shiuld be able to understand most of this. I read it and interpret your report in the context of four things that together create your health framework:
- Your DNA report – the genetic tendencies you were born with
- Your lifestyle – how you live day to day, including sleep, movement, and stress
- Your gut health – what your microbiome looks like and how well you digest
- Your bread & health questionnaire – which includes your symptom tracker
It’s when we bring these four pillars together that the report becomes meaningful. On its own, genetics only tell part of the story. In the context of behaviour and biology, they tell me how to use bread therapeutically and as preventative health that means I can support your heath optimally through the way you bake eat and share your bread every day .
HOW THE REPORT IS STRUCTURED
The Nutrient Core report is divided into functional sections, each showing how specific genes influence how your body responds to food and nutrients.
- Food Response – how you digest and react to certain foods such as lactose, caffeine, and gluten, and how your microbiome is shaped
- Vitamins – how effectively you activate or use key vitamins including A, B9 (folate), B12, C, D, K, and glutathione
- Metabolism – how your body regulates sugar, fat, inflammation, blood pressure, and circadian rhythm
Each page lists:
- The gene name (for example MTHFR or FUT2)
- The rs number (reference code for the genetic variant)
- Your genotype result (two letters such as AG or TT)
- A colour-coded highlight (the traffic light system)
THE TRAFFIC LIGHT SYSTEM
Think of the colours as signposts — not labels or judgements.
- Green: gene function is typical and efficient.
- Amber: a variation that slightly changes function — usually supported through diet or lifestyle.
- Red: a stronger variation that affects how efficiently that process works — an invitation to pay attention and support that pathway.
These are guidance colours, not warnings. Just as we read hydration, temperature, and fermentation cues in breadmaking, these colours simply help us know where to focus.
WHAT THE NUMBERS AND LETTERS MEAN
Your DNA is made up of four bases: A, T, G, and C.
A SNP (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism – pronounced snip) is a tiny variation in one of these letters. It’s like a small change in a recipe that might slightly alter texture or timing but still produces a loaf.
The rs number (for example rs1801133) is a global reference number for that exact spot in your DNA — much like a page number in a book.
Your genotype result (e.g. AA, AG, GG) shows which versions you carry — one from each parent.
SINGLE AND DOUBLE VARIANTS
We inherit two copies of every gene — one from each parent.
- Single variant (heterozygous): one letter is changed (e.g. AG). This usually has a mild effect.
- Double variant (homozygous): both letters are changed (e.g. GG or TT). This usually has a stronger effect.
Think of it like baking with two ovens. If one runs slightly cool, you can compensate. If both do, you’ll adjust your baking time. That’s all we’re doing with nutrition and lifestyle — adjusting to suit your biology.
WHY CONTEXT MATTERS
The report is powerful, but only in context.
Your genetics may suggest one thing, but your behaviour and environment can override it. A good example is circadian rhythm. Your report might say you’re an “owl”, yet you may have trained yourself to wake early because of your schedule. That doesn’t make the report wrong; it shows that genes express differently under different conditions.
This is why I always cross-reference:
- your bread & health questionnaire,
- your symptom tracker,
- your gut microbiome data, and
- your daily rhythm.
Together, these tell the true story of how your genes are expressing — not just what you were born with.
UNDERSTANDING THE DIAGRAMS
The pathway diagrams in your report map the biochemical processes inside your body — how nutrients are converted, transported, and metabolised.
Each gene is like a worker on a production line. If one is slower, the others adapt. In baking terms, if the mixer runs slow, fermentation adjusts; the system rebalances.
These diagrams show where the biological “line” might need more raw materials — such as:
- more natural folate for MTHFR,
- more sulphur-rich foods for GSTM1, or
- more fibre and fermentation for FUT2.
They also show how diet and fermentation can strengthen weak points in the system — exactly what we do in BALM.
BRINGING IT TOGETHER: PERSONALISED BREAD
When you understand your Lifecode report, you start to see how genetics meets breadmaking.
- If your FUT2 gene suggests lower microbial diversity, I’ll use botanical blends and long fermentation to feed your gut microbes.
- If MTHFR shows slower folate activation, we might include sprouted or fermented pulses for natural methylated folate.
- If GSTM1 is absent, we’ll add sulphur-rich or antioxidant ingredients to support detoxification.
This is how we use the BALM Protocol to transform bread from a generic food into a personalised intervention — supporting digestion, mental health, and systemic wellbeing.
LIST OF GENES IN YOUR NUTRIENT CORE REPORT
Food Response
- LCT – Lactase (lactose digestion)
- HLA-DQA1 – Gluten and coeliac risk
- HLA-DQB1 – Gluten and coeliac risk
- FUT2 – Secretor status and microbiome diversity
- ADORA2A – Caffeine sensitivity
- CYP1A2 – Caffeine metabolism
Vitamins
- BCO1 – Beta-carotene to retinol conversion (vitamin A)
- MTHFR – Folate activation (vitamin B9)
- TCN2 – Vitamin B12 transport
- SLC23A1 – Vitamin C absorption
- COL1A1 – Collagen synthesis
- GC – Vitamin D binding protein
- VDR – Vitamin D receptor
- VKORC1 – Vitamin K recycling
- GSTM1 – Glutathione and detoxification
Metabolism
- FTO – Appetite regulation and body composition
- LEPR – Leptin receptor (satiety hormone sensitivity)
- PGC1A – Energy metabolism and mitochondrial function
- TCF7L2 – Blood sugar regulation and insulin response
- TNF – Inflammatory response
- IFNG (IFN-gamma) – Immune response and inflammation
- FADS1 – Fat metabolism and omega-3/omega-6 balance
- FADS2 – Fat metabolism and omega-3/omega-6 balance
- ACE – Blood pressure regulation
- AGT – Sodium balance and hypertension risk
- CLOCK – Circadian rhythm regulation
- PER1 – Sleep timing and rhythm
FINAL NOTE
Reading your report is not about finding faults; it’s about understanding how you work.
Your genes tell us the framework, your gut and lifestyle show us how you live, and your bread brings it all together.
By interpreting these results within the BALM framework, we use food — particularly fermented, diverse, and fibre-rich bread — to bring your body back into balance.
As you read, compare your report with your symptom tracker and lifestyle notes. Notice where the patterns align — and where your habits may already be supporting your genes.
That’s how we begin to bake health into daily life.
