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“Your genetics is not your destiny” – George M. Church

 

A little about genetics.

 

Genes are the building blocks of what was passed down to you. There are about 25,000 genes in each living cell in the human body.

Genes are made up of DNA and serve as instructions for making proteins. And these proteins are the basic components of molecules that shape our body.

In 2003 the entire human genome was deciphered. The genome is the set of genetic instructions from the three billion chemical pairs that make up our genes. Since then, we have developed a greater awareness of the importance of genetics in our risks for certain diseases, although not much is still known, which brings us to the concept of genetic predispositions.

 

What are genetic predispositions?

A genetic predisposition is an increased probability of developing a certain disease based on the genetic component of the person. It is also the result of certain genetic mutations that are inherited from one’s parents. Despite this, genetic predispositions do not necessarily guarantee the outbreak of the disease in full, but do contribute to its development. However, it is important to note that people with genetic predispositions will not necessarily develop the disease in their body, and at the same time there are people who will develop the same disease, even in the same family.

 

Genetic variations can have large or small effects on the likelihood of contracting a particular disease. For example, certain mutations in the BRCA1 gene greatly increase a person’s risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. Changes in other genes, such as BARD1, also increase the risk of breast cancer, but the contribution of these genetic changes to a person’s overall risk appears to be much smaller than the BRCA1 gene.

 

In people with a genetic predisposition, the chance of getting sick can depend on several different factors. These factors include other genetic traits, as well as lifestyle and environmental factors. Our lifestyle, as doctors like to tell us, is important in increasing or decreasing the risk of various diseases. Research in the new field of epigenetics reveals that our lifestyle choices – the foods we put into our bodies, the chemicals we are exposed to, how active we choose to be, even our social environments – can actually change our health all the way down to our gene level. These choices can have big effects on our chances of getting sick, even if it seems some of our genes are working against us.

 

So what can be done to prevent or reduce the chances of getting genetic diseases?

 

1. Smoking is a well-known example of how our behavior can affect our genes. We know that smoking is associated with poor health outcomes. But how does it work molecularly? In this case, carcinogens in cigarette smoke directly affect the molecules in our bodies, which triggers cancer growth by mutating our anti-cancer genes so that they no longer work effectively.

But what is found to be equally true is that the positive lifestyle choices we make – especially eating right and exercising – may have just as much effect on our genetic makeup. Two recent studies illustrate this point. One found that eating well can “turn off” the genes that put one at higher risk for heart problems; The other showed that exercise can encourage stem cells to become bone and blood cells rather than fat cells.

 

2. In the first aforenamed study, people who ate more raw fruits and vegetables had a reduced risk of heart disease, even if they carried copies of the gene that increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. The researchers divided participant groups according to the type of diet they ate. They named the diets as follows: a typical “Western” diet included more salty and fried foods, meats, eggs and sugar; The “Eastern” diet included more soy, pickled foods, eggs and leafy vegetables; And the “wise” diet contained more raw fruits and vegetables, leafy greens, nuts and milk. People who were at a high genetic risk for heart attacks (they had two copies of the specific genes associated with heart attacks) had twice the heart-attack risk if they were on a diet lacking in fruits and vegetables, compared to people who ate a sensible diet.

The research clearly illustrates how eating well will not only help you feel better immediately, but it may change a person’s genes and reduce your heart risk in the long term.

 

3. The third thing that is very important to take into account is physical exercise, there is a direct connection between physical exercise and an assortment of health benefits such as warding off Alzheimer’s, prolonging life, etc.

The reason there is a direct connection between physical exercise and the prolonging of one’s life span is because there are certain types of cells called “stem cells”. These cells have not yet gone through the final differentiation process, nor have they fully morphed into tissue cells. So, through physical exercise and a healthy lifestyle, it is possible to determine the way the cells develop. Instead of the stem cells turning into fat cells, they can become bone marrow blood producing cells.

 

In conclusion, we are not the victims of our genes, and in many ways they are subject to us and the choices we make. Family history may be a predictor of diseases, but we have the power to change that.

Our lifestyle decisions will not necessarily protect our health fully, but these decisions do affect the difference between experiencing a serious illness and avoiding it.

Good genes are a starting point that give our body an advantage, with maintenance and frequent self-discipline, we can pass improved genes down to the next generation.