For health coaches: genetic analyses with clear limits

Reviewed by Dr. Daniel Wallerstorfer, molecular biologist and founder of Novogenia · Updated: 15 October 2026 · Reading time: 9 min

In short

As a health coach, you can build lifestyle analyses on nutrition, weight, exercise, stress handling and skin into your coaching. Your title does not protect you – what counts is what you do. In Germany, diagnosing, curing or relieving diseases is the practice of medicine (Section 1 HeilprG); in Austria, the prevention of diseases is also part of the medical profession (Section 2 ÄrzteG 1998). In Switzerland, coaches do not order lifestyle analyses themselves: only the health professionals listed in Art. 40 GUMV may do so, and the saliva sample is taken in their presence.

Why genes make advice tangible

What happens when people receive dietary advice based on their own genes? Researchers at the University of Toronto randomly split 149 young adults into two groups. One received gene-based recommendations; the other, general ones. In the gene group, 93% said they understood their recommendations, compared with 78% in the control group. 88% found them useful (versus 72%), and 95% wanted to learn more (versus 76%). Only 9% felt uneasy about learning their genetic information (Nielsen & El-Sohemy, Genes & Nutrition, 2012).

For your coaching, that is strong news. Coaching thrives when people understand something, take it on as their own and stick with it. A personal, biological reason is a good lever for that: “because that is how your body is built” convinces more than “because that is what people do.”

At the same time, no profession in this guide is as free – or as exposed – as yours. This article shows where your limits run in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and how to word your offer so that it stays lifestyle.

Your title is free – your activity is not

“Health coach” is not a protected professional title. That sounds like freedom, but it is also a trap: because no professional law grants you powers of your own, the law judges you solely by what you do. Think of your title as a sign on the door. The law does not read the sign – it looks into the room.

Country	Where the line runs	What it means for you
Germany	The practice of medicine (“Heilkunde”) is any professional activity to diagnose, cure or relieve diseases, ailments or physical injuries. Anyone who is not a physician needs a permit for it (Section 1 HeilprG); otherwise, imprisonment of up to one year or a fine may follow (Section 5 HeilprG).	You support healthy people with their lifestyle. You do not diagnose, you do not treat complaints, and you do not use a genetic analysis to clarify symptoms.
Austria	The medical profession includes, among other things, examining for diseases, treating them, preventing diseases and prescribing remedies (Section 2(2) ÄrzteG 1998); it is prohibited for everyone else (Section 3(4) ÄrzteG 1998). Anyone without medical training who commercially performs activities reserved for physicians on a larger number of people commits a criminal offense (Section 184 StGB).	No promise to prevent diseases. And check with the Chamber of Commerce which trade license your coaching needs: counseling and supporting people, for example with personal or career problems, is the trade of life and social counseling (Section 119(1) GewO 1994).
Switzerland	Only the health professionals listed in Art. 40 GUMV order analyses on nutrition, sport and well-being – coaches are not among them. The sample is taken in the presence of the person who orders the analysis (Art. 34(3) GUMG).	You work with a listed professional who orders the analysis and is present when the sample is taken. Sample kits for use at home are ruled out for these analyses (Art. 13 GUMG).

In Austria, food adds one more twist: the trade of life and social counseling only covers nutrition counseling if you can prove a degree in nutritional sciences from an Austrian university or a dietitian training, and sports-science counseling only with a degree in sports science or a trainer diploma from a federal sports academy (Section 119(1) GewO 1994). If you lack these, bring in a professional with the right qualification for these topics.

What fits into your coaching

Lifestyle analyses are your tool: on nutrition, weight, exercise and performance, stress handling and recovery, and skin. They show tendencies you can work with. An example for stress: the COMT gene breaks down stress hormones such as adrenaline. If it works slowly, these messengers stay active longer, and your client may react more sensitively to pressure. For coaching, this means routines such as enough sleep, exercise and clear boundaries get a personal reason. That is exactly how stress belongs in your offer – as a lifestyle trait.

What does not belong in your coaching:

Disease risks and diagnoses: in Germany, genetic examinations for medical purposes may only be performed by physicians (Section 7 GenDG).
Clarifying complaints: if an analysis is meant to clarify whether genetic traits, combined with external factors, can trigger a health disorder, it is diagnostic (Section 3 No. 7 GenDG).
Medication: even though Austria allows pharmacogenetics as the only medical test without a physician – prescribing remedies is part of the medical profession (Section 2(2) No. 7 ÄrzteG 1998), and medication is not a coaching topic.
In Switzerland, in addition: analyses of food intolerances, addiction potential, susceptibility to infection or metabolic disorders (Art. 37(2) GUMV) and of mental disorders (Art. 38 GUMV) are medical.

The full line between the two is drawn in What you may offer: lifestyle or medicine.

The language of coaching: wording that carries

For coaches, a single word often decides whether an offer sounds like lifestyle or like medicine. These pairs help on your website, on social media and in conversation:

Better not	Better this way
“Burnout prevention with a genetic test”	“How you handle stress and recover – with an eye on your genes”
“Your genetic test shows your disease risk.”	“Your analysis shows tendencies in nutrition, exercise and recovery.”
“Your genes determine how you react to stress.”	“Your genes help shape how you react to stress – and so do your routines.”
“I treat,” “therapy,” “my patients”	“I support you,” “coaching,” “my clients”
“Diagnosis,” “findings”	“Result,” “report”
“Boosts your immune system against infections”	“Vitamin C contributes to the normal function of the immune system” – only in the official wording and only if the conditions for the claim are met
“Helps against exhaustion”	“Magnesium contributes to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue” – same rule
“Certified gene coach,” “gene expert”	“NOVO Academy certificate in …”

The two claims on vitamin C and magnesium are authorized health claims under Regulation (EU) No 432/2012. Disease-related statements for foods, by contrast, are prohibited, including in advertising (Art. 7(3) and (4) Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011). More examples in Advertising genetic tests: what is allowed, the rules in detail in Professional law and advertising: titles, claims.

When to hand over – and to whom

Good coaches recognize their limit before the client reaches it. Hit the brakes if someone expects a diagnosis, has acute symptoms, may have an eating disorder, or wants the analysis mainly out of fear of a disease. In case of complaints, diseases, medication, pregnancy or questions about disease risks, refer to a physician.

Build a small network for this before you need it:

Physician: for anything that sounds like a complaint, a disease or a medication.
Dietitian or nutritionist FH: for nutrition in case of disease.
In Switzerland: a professional listed in Art. 40 GUMV who orders lifestyle analyses and is present when the sample is taken.

How to explain results and phrase referrals in the conversation is shown in The consultation: explaining results.

Show competence without overselling

Precisely because your title is free, what stands behind it counts. The NOVO Academy is a good building block: free, about 5 hours of video per language, in seven languages, with a certificate for each completed topic. It is not mandatory for partners. The certificate does not replace state-regulated professional training or a license to practice – so name it exactly as what it is. More in Training with the NOVO Academy.

To get started without your own production, the partner shop is a good fit: you receive a commission per order and pay no setup fees. If you want to build your own brand, you can move to white label later. Promise your clients better-founded, more personal support – not guaranteed results. The recommendations in the report remain logical conclusions. The models are compared in Nutrigenetics as a service: partner and white-label models.

Checklist for your coaching

Your offer is aimed at healthy people and their lifestyle.
No diagnoses, no treatment, no disease risks, no medication.
For you, stress is a lifestyle topic, not a burnout promise.
In Austria: trade license clarified; nutrition counseling only with the right qualification or as a team.
In Switzerland: a professional listed in Art. 40 GUMV orders the analysis, and the sample is taken in their presence.
Your clients have been informed and have consented in writing.
Website and social media are free of healing promises; supplement claims only in their official wording.
Your referral network is in place.

The path to your own offer is described in Launching your offer in 5 steps.

Frequently asked questions

May I offer genetic analyses as a health coach?

Lifestyle analyses without a medical purpose, yes, in Germany and Austria. In Germany, genetic examinations for medical purposes may only be performed by physicians (Section 7 GenDG). In Switzerland, you do not order analyses on nutrition, sport and well-being yourself: only the health professionals listed in Art. 40 GUMV may do so. There, you work with such a professional.

May I offer an analysis on stress?

Yes, as a lifestyle topic: how someone handles pressure and recovers. Do not talk about burnout, disease risks or mental disorders, and never use the analysis to clarify complaints such as persistent exhaustion or sleep problems – those belong with a physician. In Switzerland, analyses of mental disorders count as medical (Art. 38 GUMV).

Why can’t I send sample kits to my clients in Switzerland?

Because for analyses on nutrition, sport and well-being, the saliva sample must be taken in the presence of the professional who orders the analysis (Art. 34(3) GUMG), and tests for self-use are only allowed for the other examinations, such as hair color (Art. 13 GUMG). Only the professions listed in Art. 40 GUMV may order these analyses.

May I offer nutrition counseling with a genetic analysis in Austria?

That depends on your qualifications. The trade of life and social counseling only covers nutrition counseling if you hold a degree in nutritional sciences from an Austrian university or a dietitian (Diätassistent) training (Section 119(1) GewO 1994). Nutritional-medicine counseling is part of dietetics (Section 7 MTDG). Without these qualifications, team up with a dietitian (Diätologin or Diätologe) for the nutrition part.

May I call myself a “certified gene coach” after the NOVO Academy?

Better not. The NOVO Academy awards a certificate for each completed topic; it does not replace state-regulated professional training or a license to practice. Name it exactly that way: NOVO Academy certificate for the respective topic.

Genetic analyses for your practice?

Tell us about your practice and your clients – we will show you what fits.

Request a project →Offer for naturopaths

Note: This guide is general information for businesses and professionals and does not replace medical or legal advice. The genetic traits determined in a genetic analysis are well documented (each gene included is backed by at least three independent studies); recommendations derived from them are logical conclusions, not scientifically proven. Regulations can change; errors and changes excepted.