Turns Out Fatigue Comes from Your Mom

16 May Turns Out Fatigue Comes from Your Mom

You know that feeling when you’re still tired even though you got a good night’s rest? It’s horrible, right? Before you go blaming your hectic schedule or that third cup of coffee, you may want to have a word with your mum.

The reason you’re so tired all the time may not have to do with your job, stress or social life—it could actually be traced back to your mitochondria, the very power plants in your cells you inherited exclusively from her. You bet; your levels of get-up-and-go may be a mother’s legacy. Here’s how it works.

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Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) – all from Mum

You inherit your mitochondrial genome only from your mother. In your cells, these little power plants are the source of your energy. Here’s why they matter:

• 37 protein-coding genes, which are essential for the function of mitochondria, are all located in mtDNA.
• These genes help turn the food you eat into ATP (cellular energy).
• The mtDNA mutations could be one source of abnormal energy conversion related to fatigue and degenerative diseases of the nervous system, as well as metabolic diseases.

Since mtDNA is passed down only from the egg (the mitochondria found in sperm are destroyed after fertilisation), any mutations or quirks in your mum’s mtDNA are passed directly to you, and only from her.

Nuclear DNA (Your Other 20,000+ Genes) – 50% of Both Mum and Dad

Although only the mitochondria come from your mom, the rest of your DNA is a mix of both your parents. But here is where maternal influence still has a special role.

1. X-linked Genes

Females possess two X chromosomes (XX) and males possess one X and one Y (XY).

No matter who you are, you’ll always get one X from your mother.

X-linked genes determine:

• Dystrophin gene – associated with muscle function (mutations result in Duchenne muscular dystrophy).
• G6PD gene – implicated in the metabolism of red blood cells.
• MECP2 — critical to brain development (mutations lead to Rett syndrome).

If you’re male, you only have one X chromosome from your mum. So, her X-linked genes have a big effect.

2. Imprinting (Parent-of-Origin Effects on the Genomic Level)

Some genes are “imprinted”. This means that only one parent’s copy is active. For some genes:

It is exclusively active from the maternal copy but silenced from the paternal one. These may affect brain development, metabolism and growth.

Examples:

• UBE3A (associated with Angelman syndrome) is expressed only from the mother in the brain.
• GNAS complex imprinting status has an impact on hormonal signalling.

Want to know more about DNA? Then be sure to read about the personalised hormone balance diet.

So, What Now? Blame Mum but Empower Yourself

You can’t copyedit your mitochondrial DNA (Thanks, Mum), but you can learn about how your body is wired — and negotiate with it, not against it. With YOLO Health, we examine genetic variants associated with fatigue, energy metabolism and mitochondrial function. More importantly, we demonstrate how the lifestyle choices you make — from fuel to sleep to movement — can fight those genetic inclinations.

Genes have a way of whispering, but not screaming. If you have the right insights, you can make your biology your superpower. Because yes, you inherit your energy—but what you do with it is all up to you. Buy YOLO Health’s male DNA Health Check kit to discover if it’s truly your mom’s genes that make you tired, or if something else is at play. Or, if you’re a woman, our DNA Health Check for Females might just illuminate if you need to have that talk with mum. Either way, we’re sure she loves you. But be sure to send her this blog when the next Mother’s Day comes around!

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