Copyright 2007,2008. All rights reserved. Portions excerpted from The GenoType Diet (Broadway Books, New York, NY)
'Responder Type' (Reactive Worldview) GenoType
Almost Always Blood Type O
Tall, thin, and intense, with an overabundance of adrenaline and a fierce, nervous energy that winds down with age, the Hunter was originally the success story of the human species. Vulnerable to systemic burnout when overstressed, the Hunter's modern challenge is to conserve energy for the long haul.
Genotype Hunter is one of the true success stories in our history as a species. They are highly charged, kinetic people with a constant need for a physical outlet --human electrons, if you will. When in shape they are capable of prodigious physical effort and as such make for some of the best, most 'natural' athletes to be found in sports. If you need a quick metaphor for the Hunter metabolism, just think of those turn of the century steamships with their glowing coal furnaces buried deep down inside of the hull of the ship. Yet like the heart of a thoroughbred racer, they run and run, often until their heart bursts.
Because they typically function at such a high level of output, The Hunter rarely sickens in an over-energetic fashion, rather more likely rapidly falling into one of any types of exhaustive states. In these circumstances they can have problems regulating their blood sugar, especially if they are deconditioned from a history of sedentary behavior. Earlier in life, with all their resources at peak function Hunters can develop a sort of free floating anxiety, occasioned by difficulties in their ability to clear adrenaline effectively from their bodies. These higher levels of adrenaline can often compromise their appetite and appreciation for the texture and flavor of food, and it is not uncommon for Hunters to complain during adolescence and early adulthood that they have difficulty keeping their weight up.
Originally forest hunters, advancing and retreating along the outskirts of the boreal and tropical woodlands with each change in climate, Hunter GenoTypes are acutely tuned and flexible in their reactions, which perhaps explains why as a human technology they have been so historically successful --and why they continue to adapt to new conditions and challenges.
The Hunter Genodynamic is reactive, adversarial and opportunistic --basically a phenomenal combination for survival.
Physical Profile
Typically, Hunters are long-legged, with lower legs longer than upper legs and total leg length greater than torso length. They are often lean and long (classic ectomorphs, really) but also can range to meso-ectomorphic as well, with perhaps the distinguishing feature being the fact that meso-ectomorphic Hunters tend to have denser bones but a smaller frame size. Caucasian Hunters almost always broad-headed and often have lighter hued hair; not necessarily blonde, but a broad spectrum of lighter hues of brown. In Africans, Hunters tend to have a Capoid facial structure, with a nasal index that points to a narrower nasal ridge. Biometrically, Hunters almost always have at least one hand that is testosterogenic (ring finger longer than index finger) and many, especially men, have both hands symmetrical for this. This feature and all that growth factor activity in early life are what make Hunters the natural athletes they are.
Metabolic Profile
At their best, Hunters have an absolutely superb metabolism--perhaps the best of the six GenoTypes. They have a positive genius for converting calories into the perfect combination of muscle, bone, and fat, and their physiques are primed for optimal use of their lean athletic limbs and long, strong backs. If you're a Hunter you might think of yourself as a top-of-the-line sports car that burns high-octane fuel --and then ask yourself what happens to that Porsche if it gets poor-quality gasoline or isn't driven at the top speeds it was designed for.
Hunter possesses a truly amazing set of predictives for hunter-gathering. However unlike several of the other reactive/thrifty genotypes Hunter is moderately well-adapted to the present day set of environmental conditions as well. Perhaps this is the result of a long tradition of superlative maternal effects due to the genotype possessing many of the requirements for optimum nurturing: High gestational levels of oxygen, insulin and growth factors, often the result of the mother being a Hunter as well, and being perhaps a bit more inclined towards a high protein diet. Hunter dermatoglyphics (fingerprint patterns occurrence and distribution) show no strong associations, suggesting that this genotype is a product of vigorous and effective prenatal gestational processes, which is a reflection of their lack of thriftiness and ability to burn through calories at a prodigious rate. If you haven't been eating right for your GenoType, you'll probably have done some damage to the lining of your digestive tract and having worn fingerprints with lots of white lines will let you know that's the case.
Stress Profile
The organs that govern our stress response are the adrenal and pituitary glands, and, not surprisingly, these are vulnerable areas for most Hunters. Well-functioning Hunters run on a healthy adrenaline high, with short, sustained bursts of energy that members of other GenoTypes often find astonishing. But good adrenal function requires down time --periods when adrenaline is discharged through satisfying physical exertion and when the mind returns to a place of calm. Hunters in our modern world, with its perpetual deadlines and sedentary life, are all too prone to adrenal burnout, the sad condition that results from excess adrenaline production and insufficient stress release.
Hunters can also have difficulty properly adjusting what physiologists call the 'HPA Axis' the series of connections between the adrenal gland and the pituitary and hypothalamus glands in the brain. The HPA Axis is responsible for regularizing and normalizing the adaptive stress response, sometimes called the 'fight or flight' reflex. Probably as a result of their optimization for hunter-gathering with all its attendant risks and needs for present-time consciousness Hunters would seem to wear a path out in the rug between their pituitary and adrenal glands. Adrenal glands vary in weight from 7 to 20 grams in normal adults while the thickness of the gland varied almost tenfold among individuals and you can bet that Hunters are at the top of the scale.
In the 1960s Henry Bieler, a medical doctor wrote a book called Food Is Your Best Medicine. In it he described what he called Glandular Types --differences among people that are the result of one glandular system acting pre-eminently over the others. Hunters would likely classify as Pituitary Dominant in Bielers system; he describes the type as suffering from weak adrenal function, having tall stature and a somewhat moody and perfectionist mental outlook. This is way too broad of a brushstroke: Hunters display what more likely seems a highly developed mechanical aptitude rather than any moody perfectionism.
Aging Profile
Because of their reactive and inflammatory tendencies, Hunters can age rapidly. Keeping a healthy dietary supply of proper gene promoting factors such as the B vitamin Folic Acid is esepcially critical for optimizing gene methylation (the process of maintaining DNA integrity during replication). Because of their exposure to the various growth factors in early life, which can increase risks for certain cancers, this is especially important to consider when supplementing. Often the buildup of combinations of antigens and antibodies that come out of solution in the blood and deposit in the tissues, called immune complexes, can lead to autoimmune problems with the joints, kidneys and skin.
Immune Profile
Hunters are prone to inflammation --the heat, redness, swelling, and pain that result when the body fights off what it perceives as a dangerous invader. In many cases, the cure is worse than the disease, since inflammation contributes to numerous health problems, including arthritis, asthma, cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Inflammation may also contribute to obesity, so hyper-reactive Hunters' price for not following their ideal diet is to, well, need a diet! As you can see, an over-reactive immune system is the powerful Hunter's Achilles heel, so the GenoType 1 Hunter diet is designed to get that immune system back in balance and damp down its hair-trigger responses when they're not really needed.
Hunter has a somewhat hostile bent and this can be tremendously amplified if they are forced to derive intrauterine nourishment from a mother who is consuming an inadequate amount of dietary fat or who is blood group A. The female Hunter is a very effective genotype, with some wonderful predictives behind her. Curiously, the spectrum of cancers that Hunters appear prone to seem to impact men a bit more than women, especially those that involve hormone activation and the organs of reproduction. In essence Hunter women are a bit more prone to malignancy, but it is not malignancy that involves the breast, uterus or ovaries Š- the reproductive organs. Male Hunters on the other hand do seem to have their fair share of prostate cancer.
Overcompensation was at one time a very effective survival strategy in the pre-antibiotic, pre -vaccination days, but in our modern society with its abundance of new man-made, xenobiotic chemicals, this type of reaction norm is as exhausting as it is unprofitable. And exhausting it is: as Hunters age, their immune function can drop precipitously, which along with their tendencies to longer lower leg length and its implications with regard to childhood exposure to high levels of growth factors, goes a long way to explain their surprisingly higher rates of malignancy. ItÕs also likely that this tendency to malignancy is a result of epigenetic programming that needed to anticipate maximum energy, fertility and strength during the 20's and early 30's but did not anticipate effectively the effects of the ongoing and steady increases in lifespan that have occurred in the last several centuries.
Hunter Supplementation
The GenoType 1 Hunter Diet is designed to help Hunters burn high-quality calories while calming and soothing their hyper-reactive digestive and immune systems (about which more in a moment). So just like that high-end sports car, which lasts a lot longer if you give it high-octane gas, Hunters will see enormous benefits in how they age if they eat right, get the types of exercise and use GenoSpecific supplementation.
Hunter Activator is designed to offset the catabolic (cellular breakdown) tendencies that can cause many of the common health problems seen in the Hunter GenoType. These catabolic waste products are often the result of insufficient cellular detoxification (ubiquinylation), a common tendency in Hunters.
Hunter Activator Supplement Strategy:
Holy Basil: Is regarded as one of the most important plants used in Ayurvedic medicine. In the past decade or so a number of scientific studies have looked at holy basil holy basil may help counteract the effects of stress. Holy Basil supports healthy cortisol, insulin metabolism, and blood sugar already in the normal range*
Turmeric/Curcumin: The active ingredients in Curcuma longa are a group of plant substances called curcuminoids. Known collectively as "curcumin", curcuminoids have demonstrated potent antioxidant properties in scientific studies. Curcuminoids benefit joints and other tissues by helping to neutralize free-radicals. Through its antioxidant mechanisms, curcumin supports colon health, exerts neuroprotective activity and helps maintain a healthy cardiovascular system.
Rhodiola: Rhodiola rosea has been categorized as an adaptogen by Russian researchers due to its observed ability to increase resistance to a variety of chemical, biological, and physical stressors. Rhodiola rosea appears to offer generalized resistance to physical, chemical, and biological stressors.
Hunter Catalyst is designed to provide maximum cell-integrity stabilization and to assist in the optimization of gut by enhancing cell repair and intracellular energy production.
Hunter Catalyst Strategy:
Chinese Scute (Scutellaria biacalensis): Chinese Skullcap flavonoids a member of the mint family and has long been used in traditional Chinese herbal medicine. traditionally used as a digestive aid, and to normalize an over-active digestive system. Scutellaria has been shown tp decrease inflammatory cytokine production from human mast cells (immune system hormones which ramp up inflammation). Scutellaria also has a cell-regulating effect; encouraging the body to more efficiently remove cells which have become dysfunctional, either though age or malformation.
Magnesium Butyrate: Butyrate is a short chain fatty acid that is a potent detoxifier of ammonia and neurotoxins. It encourages the formation of friendly bacteria in the gut. Butyrate is also one of the few dietary nutrients that has an epigenetic (gene regualtory effect) due to its influence of DNA winding and unwinding (histone acetylation and deacetylation).
Arabinoglactan: Larch AG has been shown to increase short-chain fatty acids, decrease colonic ammonia levels, increase the numbers of beneficial bacteria in the colon, as well as improve the immune response. These favorable effects of Larch AG may positively modulate many of these too-common intestinal disorders.
Bifidobacterium, Saccromyces and Lactobacillus Probiotics:These friendly bacteria have positive effects upon the gut lining andhelp control bacteria overgrowth. Saccromyces, actually a yeast, is a rich source of nucleotides (genetic building blocks).
Hunter Synergist is designed to offset the excess of omega-6 oils found in meats and most vegetable oils found in the Hunter Diet, which can cause them to suffer a relative deficiency of the omega-3 oils. Particularly important to good health are the longer chain omega-3 fatty acids such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA) found in fish, especially cold-water fish such as Anchovy and Sardine--two Beneficial fish for Hunter GenoType.
Hunter Synergist Supplement Strategy:
Marine Lipids Marine Lipid Concentrate from the South Pacific off the coast of Peru, deep ocean waters some of the purest, untouched waters in the world. This pharmaceutical grade marine lipid concentrate offers the assurance that you are meeting your requirements for these valuable long-chain omega-3 fatty acids without the fear of mercury or other free from lipid peroxides, heavy metals, environmental contaminants, and other harmful compounds.
