WEALTH

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One man’s meat ... Gene variants determine how your body responds to different types of food HOW TO CHOOSE A DIET Personalized aging can determine which lifestyle helps ward off critical health conditions Finding out whether one is susceptible to cancer, Alzheimer’s or diabetes is just a bit of spit and less than $200 away. Or so say genetic testing companies such as 23andMe, Promethease and others, which provide details about health risks based on gene variants. Results can be viewed online a few weeks later – if you dare. The DNA tests have sparked controversy: critics say they might be too inaccurate to support health decisions. In 2013, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned 23andMe from marketing its tests in the US, claiming that the company had introduced its Saliva Collection Kit and Personal Genome Service (PGS) without marketing approval, thus violating the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. Backed by Alphabet Inc., the company launched its health-related genetic tests in the UK and Canada instead while focusing its US offer on ancestry testing. The practice is not confined to the US. Asia Genomics offers their clients in Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam DNA test screening for cancer, reproductive issues and cardiology, as well as genetic counselling. GenomeAsia 100K, an initiative hosted at Nanyang Technological University Singapore (NTU), intends to sequence 100,000 individuals from more than a dozen Asian countries from India to Japan to better understand the biology of disease in Asian populations, as previous studies were limited to people of European descent. NTU president Bertil Andersson expects the initiative to lead to better healthcare discoveries for Asian patients. “With almost all current personal genomic efforts concentrating on populations in the Western world, the new consortium will benefit the Asian population as it sheds light on the genetic fabric of Asians,” he said at the announcement of the iniative. LET’S MAKE IT PERSONAL While such transparency can seem threatening, it can also bring significant health benefits. Many prevalent modern diseases are lifestyle dependent; no two individuals experience aging in exactly the same way. 26 • Allianz
FOCUS “For those with a risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease, there are measures to reduce the risk,” says Pinchas Cohen, dean of the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. “Other behavior patterns help reduce the risk of diabetes or cancer. Choosing preventative measures to avoid personal highrisk diseases is the most important step in “personalized aging,” a term coined by Cohen. » OUR NEXT CHALLENGE IS EMPOWERING PEOPLE TO USE THEIR GENETIC DATA TO PROMOTE THEIR HEALTH AND HAPPINESS « PINCHAS COHEN, DEAN OF THE USC DAVIS SCHOOL OF GERONTOLOGY Health and nutritional advice abounds but is often conflicting. People need personalized advice that involves a limited number of things to do, explains Cohen. The concept of personalized aging is spreading as scientists increasingly understand genetic variations, the interaction between genes and the environment, and their correlation with specific diseases. Personal genomics has advanced over the last decade, allowing medical professionals to analyze individual’s genomes by means of single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis chips and partial or full genome sequencing. Accessing genotypes makes it easier to identify the gene variants associated with the risk of getting certain diseases. For example, variations within the gene called Apo-E determine the risk for Alzheimer’s disease. This risk can differ by a factor of 10 from one variant to another. Other genes act as health pointers: a melanoma-risk gene variant might make you rethink your sunscreen regime, another gene variant helps determine the usefulness of a daily aspirin, or a glass of red wine. Once the individual risk is understood, various interventions are available, says Cohen. “We can sequence individual genomes quickly and relatively cheaply. Our next challenge is empowering people to use their genetic data to promote their own health and happiness.” YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT Helping people select the best diet for them, according to their genetics and other biomarkers, such as blood lipid or cholesterol levels, comes top of the list. This remains an area of active research but emerging data indicates that a low protein diet might help people with a high risk of cancer and that certain gene variants determine the responsiveness to a low carb diet. Then comes exercise. Genetic variants determine whether certain people benefit more from high-aerobic exercise, such as running, or from low-impact workouts, such as weight lifting. Research is ongoing. “We are still at the stage where we can only tell people that physical activity is good,” says Cohen. Who knows how the practicalities of this will unfold. Clearly, healthcare professionals will need to pass on medical advice to individuals to stop them from making inappropriate decisions about their health, Cohen suggests. Already over a million people in the US have voluntarily had their genes analyzed. Not everyone chooses to delve deeply into their genome but the opportunity to do so and guarantee healthy aging is beckoning. Allianz • 27
Page 1 and 2: Multiplying investment and retireme
Page 3 and 4: OPENING BELL BRIGITTE MIKSA Head of
Page 5 and 6: CONTENTS MICRO (Local knowledge) MA
Page 7 and 8: FOCUS THE FIRST WEALTH Asia today i
Page 9 and 10: Commodity City is made up of three
Page 11 and 12: Over 100,000 vendors at the market
Page 13 and 14: FOCUS By Oktay Atay and Christian G
Page 15 and 16: Most governments in Asia are now in
Page 17 and 18: FOCUS WEIGHING UP THE GLOBAL COST
Page 19 and 20: FOCUS include far more than the dir
Page 21 and 22: FOCUS » IF WE OFFER A PRODUCT THAT
Page 23 and 24: FOCUS PATIENTS WITHOUT BORDERS Medi
Page 25: FOCUS tourism exists, but has not b
Page 29 and 30: FOCUS Outdoor air pollution, which
Page 31 and 32: Who’s the fairest? The Shanghai D
Page 33 and 34: FOCUS sold one car in China for eve
Page 35 and 36: FOCUS by experts. Typical is Eduard
Page 37 and 38: HOLDING BACK Who wants to live fore
Page 39 and 40: HOLDING BACK Geroscientists are dis
Page 41 and 42: MICRO its pension savings plan and
Page 43 and 44: MICRO Allianz • 43
Page 45 and 46: MICRO FOCUS DR. EDUARDO P. BANZON S
Page 47 and 48: What lies ahead for the Chinese eco
Page 49 and 50: Global opportunities MACRO CHINA SH
Page 51 and 52: MACRO García-Herrero has one of th
Page 53 and 54: MACRO economic structure. This coul
Page 55 and 56: MACRO Modern policymakers missed th
Page 57 and 58: MACRO Should public assets be conso
Page 59 and 60: MACRO Wealth funds would give the p
Page 61 and 62: MACRO DONGHYUN PARK Principal econo
Page 63 and 64: AWARDS FOR PROJECT M PRINT AND ONLI

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