Human Biological Analyses | Dr Claude Dalle

Written by Dr Claude Dalle for our partner Anti-âge Magazine.

Human biological analyses have evolved significantly over the last few years. They form an important part of what we can learn about ourselves, in order to feel better, to understand the silent conversations our organs have, unbeknownst to us, and also to predict and anticipate our future health.

Metabolimics

The trend is to know what is going on inside of the cell, both with regard to cellular production and enzymes. For example, when an enzyme transforms one molecule into a new molecule, it is useful to know about its activity, i.e. to evaluate the quantity of the new molecule that will be produced.

Technological advances have given us the means to know how cells work by penetrating deep inside them. This is what we call metabolomics, the study of all of the tiny molecules that are pro- duced in the human body. Thanks to these metabolites we can make earlier and more accurate diagnoses. They are produced by proteins which, together, take part in the vital biochemical reactions and processes within the cell.

This is possible thanks to new devices such as mass spectro- meters. We can now analyse the different bodily fluids: blood, urine, saliva, faeces, and more recently our breath.
Each of these fluids provides information, a bit like in a police investigation. Collecting data from several fluids can be highly informative and useful, it can show up a certain illness or help us to predict more accurately what might happen in the future, and therefore enable us to anticipate and prevent illnesses.

1. Blood tests only reflect what is going on in the blood, not what is happening in the organs, and these two things can be completely different (for example, the level of hormones found in the blood is not the same as that found in the breast or prostate).
2. The blood is in a permanent stable state, called homeostasis; this hides fluctuations which occur elsewhere in the body, where there is no homeostasis.
3. A blood sample tells us what was happening at a precise moment in time; it is a snapshot, like a photo.
4. A urine sample, for example, can show what happened over a 24 hour period, a bit like a film; it gives us a view of what happened over the course of the whole day.

The advances made in the biological field can and should be of great benefit to us.

These health indicators enable us to better predict our future health, and to therefore act quickly and efficiently, and be vigi- lant. In this way, we will behave better, will feel good, and will be able to prepare for the future while staying more active, which in turn will cost society less.

En savoir plus sur le Docteur Dalle

Dr Claude Dalle : Auteur de « Comprendre ses analyses médicales » aux éditions. Alpen