The ‘Genomic volunteers’

Guest article. This piece was written around 2019 and reflects the author's views and the policy landscape at that time.

The genetic code is our blueprint for life and a significant component of our health. Lifestyle plays a large part in health outcomes, and gene expression can be influenced by how we live. We are all different, and genetic data offers one view of what might suit us as individuals.

There is a great deal of discussion about different diets — keto, carnivore, low carb, vegan — and different exercise approaches such as HIIT and LISS. There are compelling anecdotes about results from all of them. Much of that variation comes down to inherent differences in physiology, meaning people respond differently to the same diet or training programme. A single blanket plan for everyone makes little sense when those differences are known to exist.

Genetic testing offers an opportunity to reduce some of the trial and error, giving professionals better information to help people make choices suited to their biology. The wider ambition is to shift healthcare towards prevention, and towards a model where the individual has more agency over their own health.

The announcement of a national "genomic volunteers" programme was a significant step for genomic medicine in the UK. Cardiologist and digital medicine researcher Eric Topol has described a future of healthcare built on a data-rich picture of the individual — genome, exposome, transcriptome, proteome, microbiome and blood biomarkers considered together. As larger datasets accumulate, machine learning can be applied to identify patterns that would otherwise remain hidden, establishing clearer links between genetic variants and health outcomes.

From there, behavioural insights can help nudge people toward the changes that genuinely help them. Better information supports better decisions, and people who feel informed tend to be more motivated to act on their risks.

As a Board Certified Lifestyle Medicine Doctor, my view is that this is a valuable direction for the NHS. It should accelerate understanding of disease and support therapeutic discovery — but more immediately, it allows individuals to make better-informed decisions about their own health.

Clinicians will also be able to give more tailored advice as sequencing becomes progressively cheaper. Over time, a more individualised model of care should support better outcomes across the population.

It is worth adding a note of realism alongside the optimism. Genomic data is one input among many, and for most common conditions it shifts probability rather than determining outcomes. Lifestyle, environment and access to care continue to matter enormously.

About the author

Dr Sohaib Imtiaz is a Board Certified Lifestyle Medicine Doctor and NHS clinical entrepreneur, with a Masters in Public Health and an interest in human performance and technology.

About Rightangled

Rightangled is a UK-registered online pharmacy offering prescription treatments, home blood tests and DNA tests. Our clinical team includes GPhC-registered independent prescribers, with medical oversight from our doctor, Dr Abdullah.

Guest articles reflect the views of their authors. This article is for general information and does not replace personalised medical advice.