You Are More Than Your Genes

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There are significant side benefits to working on a power pantry and living a wellness lifestyle. One that I became aware of in the last year was the opportunity to block and even reverse hereditary challenges that may be programmed into our genes. Our DNA is determined by our parents and our lineage, and brings with it whatever challenges and opportunities our family and ancestors live(d) with. Even so, we can significantly influence how our health progresses by the lifestyle choices we make.

In my family there is cancer (dad's side) and good longevity (mom's side) some diabetes on both sides, and then aches and pains, thinning hair, etc. What is good to note, as quoted in a recent article in Prevention magazine, "Your lifestyle absolutely influences how your genes express themselves." Really?... hmmm... So even though cancer runs in my family, or diabetes, or even long life, I may not be destined for that result? That's the fact. Our wellness and power pantry choices can steer our physical well-being in whatever direction we want. The choice is ours.

Consider this study of the FTO ('fat') gene in the Amish. This gene is prevalent in a majority of European descendants, and with the Amish being almost solely European in their lineage, they were a good study group. The results showed that Amish lifestyle choices (significant daily, physical exertion) trump the presence of the fat gene. Here is a great overview article on the topic and study.
The Amish Obesity Studies



When the physical activity of the Amish was tracked, they were logging 14,000 to 18,000 steps a day (women and men respectively) when 10,000 steps a day is considered a very active lifestyle. So even though many Amish pantries wouldn't pass as a power pantry (they eat what they like, not what is necessarily nutrient dense or healthful), you wouldn't know it by their waistlines. While the obesity rate in the general public is 30%+, the rate in the Amish community is 4%.

Even though our genetic coding comes to us at birth, the fact is our power pantry and lifestyle choices, today, really matter. If obesity, heart disease and cancer run in your family, don't succumb to that fate for yourself. Our wellness choices will determine our health journey much more than our ancestry. We are more than our genes.

By the Way

There is a fairly new technical field of study related to this understanding of genetics and nutrition called nutrigenomics. The concept is that, since the mapping of the human genome, we can closely consider the genetic makeup of an individual and then chart a custom nutrition plan and wellness plan for them which will yield optimal health. That idea could have passed as science fiction just a few years ago, but it is gaining research support, and we may have these resources within our lifetime. Check out this article on Wikipedia about nutrigenomics for more information.