A new enterprise is making at-home genetic testing available in Bermuda for the first time.

Jennifer Burland Adams and Claire McDevitt have launched Epic is Life, to help locals gain health and wellness insights from their own genetic code.

“We are looking at the whole person, at the genetic and epigenetic levels to provide recommendations around wellness and longevity,” Ms Adams said.

Epigenetics is the study of how behaviour and environment can impact the way our genes work.

“While DNA testing has been around for a while, epigenetics adds a layer of information on how environment and lifestyle changes have impacted your genes, turning on or off certain markers,” Ms Adams said.

Epic is Life offers saliva tests that look at things such as overall biological age versus chronological age, eye, hearing and memory age, and give three inflammation scores. They can also look at a person’s sensitivity to putting on weight from simple carbohydrate intake, how well the body uses proteins and the impact of unsaturated fats on the body. All the recommendations and plans are tailored to the individual’s DNA.

Ms Adams and Ms McDevitt have done the testing themselves.

“Claire was able to share her risks and gifts with her personal trainer to modify her fitness training,” Ms Adams said.

Ms Adams added vitamins and minerals to her daily regimen based on the results.

“One person’s results might show that adding amino acids to their day would be helpful but my results show they would be of no benefit because I have above-normal muscle stamina and power, so proteins in my muscles are not breaking down as quickly as the average person,” she said.

The tests also give insight into a person’s risk factors for diseases such as dementia or glaucoma, and how to mitigate them.

However, it does not discuss breast cancer risk, which can also be genetic.

“We do not offer any testing or results that should best be delivered in a private medical setting with a doctor on hand,” Ms Adams said. “Our focus is on preventive health and wellness.”

Previously, if people in Bermuda wanted to know more about their genes, they had to have blood drawn at a clinic; and it was usually only done if there was a serious medical concern.

The cost of the Epic is Life service is $445 and includes a test kit and shipping to a lab in Europe. The results take a few weeks and are delivered directly to an app on your phone. Everything is anonymous, unless a client chooses to share information with their doctor or personal trainer.

“Our partner, UK-based Muhdo, anonymises the data and participates in studies like a current one with Ageing Research at Kings College London so that the scientific community can study the effects and causes of ageing and how to combat it,” Ms Adams said.

This is not the duo’s first business venture. During the pandemic they ran Fit to Fly, which supported travellers who needed certified antigen tests. Last year Fit to Fly won second place at the Bermuda Tech awards in the Innovation of the Year category.

Once Bermuda dropped the requirement for certified antigen testing for travellers, they closed Fit to Fly.

“But we were successful and enjoyed working together, so have been looking for the right next venture since then,” Ms Adams said.