The One Test That Never Expires: Why Your DNA Is the Most Important Thing You'll Ever Test

This is Pushing the Limits with Lisa Tamati, where we explore longevity, health, AI, markets, and the technologies shaping our future.

Hey everyone and welcome back to Pushing the Limits.

Before I get into today's episode, which is going to be all about genetics, I want to say something because a lot of you have noticed maybe that I've been quiet for a couple of months and a lot of you have written to me and know why.

But for the past two months, they've been the hardest of my life.

I was fighting to try to save my mum after an aneurysm.

And she battled for six weeks, multiple operations, an incredibly tough journey.

She's the most courageous woman I've ever met.

But on the 24th of August, we lost her.

For those of you who have been with me a long time, you know that story, Laura.

Nearly 11 years ago, my mum had an aneurysm back then and we were told she'd never walk or talk again and that she would be in full-time care way back then.

And I refused to accept that and we got her back to absolute normal.

She was even driving the car and completely independent and power of attorney.

And I wrote a book about that and she lived for another 11 years.

She also survived on the way a cancer diagnosis that was meant to be terminal.

And it wasn't.

And she lived for many years after that.

She also had a hip fracture and sepsis and many other complications.

And I fought with her and alongside her all of those years.

And finally, after having another aneurysm and multiple operations and a medical system that absolutely is broken, I have to say, she lost the fight.

I just want to thank everybody who's reached out to me.

I really appreciate it.

And I'm going to keep going with what I do here.

I needed a break, but now I want to get back in and I really want to help people optimize their health so that they hopefully don't end up in situations like I've faced.

I only learned all of this way too late in mum's life.

And we have a genetic mutation in the family that I only found out about way too late.

And that's one of the reasons why today I'm talking about genetics.

So thank you for your patience while the show went quiet.

And to everybody, yep, I'm back.

And I'm going to honour my mum by keeping doing the work that I'm doing.

And if there's one thing that that fight taught me is that the answers are out there and they were out there for mum too.

And we did a lot and she had a lot more life.

She got to see her grandchildren grow up a lot longer and we were privileged to have her for another 11 years.

So one of the most important tools that I found in my 15 years of doing this is genetics.

Not because it predicts your future, but because it explains your present.

Because it's the only test you'll ever do where the

answer is still true in 20, 30, 40 years time because your genes don't change.

And because it

turns things like why isn't this diet or this exercise working for me into an actual answer instead of another round of self-blame.