In 2020, NuroKor launched an app-driven DNA test, called KorDNA. The non-invasive saliva test calculates personalised health insights to improve a person’s everyday life, including their; training, recovery and diet. Also, giving users the opportunity to explore how epigenetic factors such as; environment and lifestyle affect their genetic expression. The ground-breaking app offers 300+ health reports from 1,000 analysed genetic markers, in turn offering users personalised workout and meal plans aligned to their DNA.
Why KorDNA?
KorDNA was launched in partnership with Muhdo, a large data company underpinned by genetic science. NuroKor’s CEO, Rick Rowan, developed a keen interest in genetic science after he realised that by understanding a person’s foundations (their DNA), you can help them to better understand all other aspects of their health. This revelation led Rick to team up with Muhdo to develop KorDNA, which can be used in conjunction with other NuroKor technology to enhance a person’s performance, recovery or indeed pain management.
Building on this Rick Rowan, CEO and Founder of NuroKor BioElectronics comments:
“By collaborating with Muhdo, we can better understand the epigenetic factors that impact individuals. Together, we will be able to provide personal, easy-to-understand DNA diagnostics and analytics via the app - the combination of our bioelectronic treatment applications and Muhdo’s data analytics has the potential to improves lives, whether your aim is to recover from injury or illness, or to simply get fitter.”
The Athlete Advantage
Every incremental gain can make the difference to improving an athlete’s performance. Nathan Berkley, CEO of Muhdo, who has worked with elite athletes for many years believes:
By understanding their own DNA, athletes can get “a 1-7% gain, which is absolutely massive in the world of elite sports – the difference between making it professionally or not.”
Berkley goes on to say that athletes examining their DNA has become wider than just looking at performance gains. He explains: “The DNA journey encompasses more than just performance; it’s wider focus is on injury prevention and staying healthy. If athletes train hard for one event and then they're ill or injured, all that other training goes out the window, and the opportunity that athletes’ have put blood, sweat and tears into can vanish in an instant. This is why it needs to be about more than just performance.”
"The DNA journey encompasses more than just performance; it’s wider focus is on injury prevention and staying healthy"
“It’s unreal what a small sample of my saliva has identified and flagged up,” says GB athlete and NuroKor Ambassador Alex Bell. “Any deficiencies you might have - whether that be mineral, whether it be vitamins. They let you know about your carb responses, your protein responses, your metabolic rate, your caffeine sensitivity, your general infection rate. The list just goes on.”
Personalising healthy living
With the birth of apps such as KorDNA, DNA analysis and health insights are now available to everyone, not just elite athletes. Having access to an app such as KorDNA will allow everyday people to better understand their DNA and how this can help shape their physical well-being, health, diet and vitamin intake. The information can allow them to take a personalised approach in how they look after themselves.
Rick Rowan believes that medicine in general is starting to lean towards a more personalised approach:
“Medicine, as well as our own technology and other therapies are becoming more and more personalised, to the point of hyper-personalisation, which makes them more efficient. I think that DNA science and data is going to play a massive role in the personalisation of living healthier, being healthier and being proactive in how we approach it.”
Prevention
Both Rick Rowan and the team at Muhdo believe that NuroKor technology can play a vital role in prevention and giving people autonomy over managing their own health and well-being. Nathan Berkley from Muhdo gives an example:
“If someone has inflammation, KorDNA can help them understand their foundations and predisposition to inflammation. After they understand this, they can turn to something, like the NuroKor mibody system, to help manage the inflammation. Giving them the power to manage in a non-invasive and quick way. ”
“A clinical intervention can be very costly for employers and the NHS as well, so we want to try and aid prevention. We believe the technology and online guidance can help people to help themselves - in some circumstances removing the need for clinical intervention.”
A game changer?
So, if you’re an elite athlete or recreational fitness goer, is KorDNA really a game changer?
Dr. Leah Austin, GP and Nutritional Therapist thinks so:
"The ability to build a bespoke management plan, which is based on an in-depth understanding of personal genetic disposition has the potential to profoundly improve recovery from training for people exercising at all levels.
"I know from my own personal and professional experience that some people's bodies take much longer to rest and repair from strenuous activity. I once cycled from Lands End to John O'Groats and experienced significant swelling, but I didn't have a recovery plan. If I'd had a routine that took into consideration my genetics using a simple and effective app like KorDNA, my experience could've been very different."
Health insights
KorDNA uses a simple saliva test, which then allows for a detailed DNA analysis of the user and provides deep health insights, which are more than just DNA results. The app reports on diet, for example how someone’s body reacts to carbohydrate and their lactose intolerance risk, a person’s potential response to vitamins and supplements, as well physical elements such as muscle power and stamina. It can also give insight into body health such as heart health, eye health and injury risk.
The KorDNA app will then give access to a personalised workout planner aligned to a person’s gene make up, as well as a hyper-personalised meal guide with a wide selection of recipes. Over time NuroKor will build a recommendation algorithm from data, that will help optimise it’s technology use for the individual. Both Muhdo and NuroKor believe by accessing personalised health and lifestyle advice, KorDNA can help unlock a human body's full potential. As Rick Rowan summarises:
“Having access to a DNA and epigenetic analysis allows a person to better understand their health and recovery needs. This means they are then able to better manage their recovery from exercise and training by using NuroKor's devices to take control of it.”
Tune into the full episode of The BioElectronics Podcast to hear more about KorDNA and Muhdo’s involvement:
Visit here to find out the full list of factors delivered in the KorDNA report.
