Could your DNA reveal your Lean Body Mass? Upload raw DNA data to learn more about yourself and genomics science.
Lean body mass (LBM) is one of those numbers that doesn’t come up as often as perhaps your total body weight or your fat percentage. But, it’s considered an important index for personalizing medications and diagnosing certain metabolic disorders. In other words, it’s essential for personalized medicine, nutrition, and even exercise.
But how do you discover your ideal lean body mass?
We now have the ability to find out through genetic testing.
Here, we’ll walk you through what is lean body mass, why it matters for your health, and the type of genetic test you need to discover your own LBM.
Your lean body mass is the difference between your total body weight and body fat weight. A healthy lean body mass usually means that you can better maintain a healthy weight and stay away from inflammation and chronic disease. A lower, or unhealthy, lean body mass is also associated with health issues of the skeletal muscle, such as osteoporosis and impaired muscle balance.
Lean body mass ranges from 60 to 90 percent of body weight. In general, women and older people have less lean body mass than men and younger people. A healthy LBM for women would be above 68 percent, and for men it would be above 75 percent. Considering how important it is for our health, LBM naturally declines with age.
A person's lean body mass is strongly influenced by genetics: two genotypes have now been shown to be associated with lower lean body mass. This means that you might be genetically predisposed to having a lower lean body mass, no matter how hard you try to exercise and eat healthy.
If this is the case, you can work with your doctor to determine the right health plan to improve your LBM and get back on track.
Today, you can find out what genes you have simply by taking an at-home DNA test, such as the ones provided by AncestryDNA, 23andMe, and MyHeritage.
Chances are you’ve already taken one of these tests. But what you might not know is that the same raw DNA file that unlocked your heritage can still be used to unlock more information about your body and health.
So if you’ve taken one of these tests, the next step will be to visit and log into the original website and download your raw file.
If you haven’t taken the test, go ahead and order one. Then, come back to discover even more information about your body.
Have your raw DNA file? Simply take your raw DNA file and upload it to a DNA upload website such as Genomelink. Our company, for example, provides genetic analysis for a wide range of physical traits, including lean body mass. Our reports provide detailed information on your genes and how to use the information to improve your health.
Take a look at your genetic tendency for lean body mass!