Most people have an enzyme within their saliva called amylase, which, like a giant pair of shearing scissors, has the ability to cut apart big and bulky starch molecules into simpler sugars. That’s the first step in making big threads of starch molecules available for the body to use easily as energy. And amylase is really good at cutting up starch. You may or may not have inherited multiple copies of the gene your body uses to make the protein amylase, called AMY1. And the more copies of AMY1 you’ve inherited from your parents, the more amylase you have in your saliva right now. If you have multiple copies of amylase, you are lucky enough to speedily burn through and digest a tremendous amount of starch. It’s actually pretty simple to gauge how much amylase you have in your saliva, and thus, how well your body can digest starch. In my new book, The DNA Restart, I show how you can unpack key parts of your own genome at home with a few genetic self-tests. The first genetic self-test is the DNA Restart Cracker Self-Test. Results from this experiment will indicate how much amylase you have in your saliva and, through that result, about how many copies of the AMY1 gene you’ve inherited from your parents. Now get your timer out. Whenever you’re ready, place the cracker or potato in your mouth and start timing and chewing. You’ll need to pay really close attention now, as the starch in the cracker or potato may already be starting to be digested by amylase in your saliva. If you feel yourself wanting to swallow, that’s perfectly normal, but try to stop yourself. Try to imagine that you’re simply chewing a piece of gum as you keep chewing. As soon as you detect a change in taste or if you reach 30 seconds while timing, stop chewing, swallow, and note the time. Rerun the same self-test two more times. Now, add up the three times and divide by three so that you can get to your DNA Restart Carbohydrate Consumption Category. Take your combined score to find your personal Carbohydrate Consumption Category: **This is assuming an approximate average caloric intake of 2,600 kilocalories per day. If your DNA Restart Carb Category is Full, you can have up to 50 percent of your calories coming from carbs, 20 percent from protein, and 30 percent from fats. If your DNA Restart Carb Category is Moderate, you can have up to 35 percent of your calories coming from carbs, 30 percent from protein, and 35 percent from fats. If your DNA Restart Carb Category came out to be Restricted, you can have up to 25 percent of your calories coming from carbs, 35 percent from protein, and 40 percent from fats. Remember that these numbers are meant purely as an estimated guide since the focus should be bringing your life in line with your DNA and not counting calories. That being said, you’re going to have to be diligent regarding the amount and quality of food you eat. Today, we are all consuming more food than our DNA thrives on. Overeating literally stresses the body, which hurts our genes, saps our youth, and reduces our longevity. To make matters worse, our food has been stripped of essential phytonutrients and minerals, which used to nourish and strengthen our DNA. His scientific work led to the discovery of a first-in-class member of a novel class of antibiotic compounds directed against multiresistant or “super-bug” microorganisms such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). His clinical work also led to his discovery of two new genetic conditions. Sharon’s current research focus illuminates how historical nutritional and dietary choices impacted and shaped genetic differences across human populations. Sharon and his research have been featured on “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart, “Today,” CNN, “Good Morning America,” and in the New York Times, O: The Oprah Magazine, and New Scientist. He lives in New York City.
