TAILORBLEND & BioCertica: Taylon Bieldt’s Story

Written by: Jamie Fernandez, B.Sc. Hons. in Genetics, Content Specialist

BioCertica and TAILORBLEND have joined forces to use DNA testing to make hyper-personalized nutritional blends. In this article, I’ll tell you about the personalized blend that was made for Taylon Bieldt, a South African 100m and 400m hurdler, based on her genetics and taking her lifestyle into account. 

Let's talk it through! 

Vitamins and Minerals 

Vitamin and mineral deficiencies can lead to a variety of conditions; however, overconsumption of some can also have negative effects, and therefore it is important to find the perfect balance. In our DNA Nutrition and Wellbeing kit, we test for your genetic predisposition to absorb and utilize a variety of vitamins and minerals. Having a decreased genetic predisposition means that you may not absorb that micronutrient well, and therefore you may need more of it in your diet to give your system a better chance of absorbing it. Having an increased genetic predisposition means that a well-balanced, healthy diet should be sufficient to minimize your risk for a deficiency. When making your personalized blend, TailorBlend will add the recommended dose for each micronutrient for which you have an  "average" or "decreased" genetic score.

However, since Taylon is a high-performing athlete, the blends needed to be altered slightly to account for her level of training. This included adding more vitamin B12 to her blend despite her average genetic ability to absorb it. 

Estrogen 

Taylon's genetics indicate that she has decreased estrogen production. Not only is estrogen important for women, but it also has a role in bone health, which understandably is vital for an athlete. Though Taylon is young and healthy, and there is no concern to worry about her estrogen production at this point, her personalized blend was still made to support estrogen production. A natural compound called 3,3'-Diindolylmethane (DIM) was added to her supplement as this improves the metabolism of estrogen. Of course, estrogen overload is naturally a concern as well. However, supplementing our diets with DIM can shift the production of estrogen metabolites away from dangerous 16-hydroxy in favor of beneficial 2-hydroxy metabolites. Taking DIM in an absorbable formulation encourages active and healthy estrogen metabolism. DIM supports estrogen balance by increasing beneficial 2-hydroxy estrogens and reducing the unwanted 16-hydroxy variety.

This improves estrogen metabolism and helps resolve all three forms of estrogen dominance.

DIM is more for supporting the metabolism of estrogen, to avoid overload, and not so much production of estrogen., this natural supplement only supports her natural production of estrogen. 

Gut health

Insight into the importance of gut health is ever-expanding and although lifestyle plays a major role in this area, your genetics also contribute. Taylon's genetics indicate that she is predisposed to having increased gut microbiota. However, her blend contains a  probiotic called Lactospore  and is high in fiber to help support a healthy gut microbiome. This was done as Taylon often needs to take anti-inflammatory medication to support her high levels of training, which could be disruptive to her gut health. 

Here you can see all the ingredients that were added to Taylon’s blend to help support her needs as an athlete. 

This is how BioCertica and TAILORBLEND worked in unison to develop a costum blend for a high-performance athlete, but there is a custom blend out there for everyone. Whether you are a gym bunny, a park runner, a CrossFit fanatic, a "do it all" parent, or a burnt-out student, we can use your DNA to help support your body and lifestyle so that you can unlock your true potential. Your custom blend is just a click away.