It’s Time to Change Those Genes!
In a recent ETR article, I introduced you to the burgeoning new field of nutrigenomics - the use of your personal genetic information to create a tailor-made diet that can thwart the diseases you’re most prone to. But once you have this critical information in hand, wouldn’t it be nice to simply repair those damaged genes? New research suggests you can!
Dr. Dean Ornish and colleagues conducted a study on 30 men with low-risk prostate cancer who decided against "conventional" medical treatment. The men underwent three months of major lifestyle changes, including eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes; 30 minutes of moderate daily exercise; and 30 minutes of daily stress management.
After three months, the men had lost weight, lowered blood pressure, and were enjoying other health benefits. But what astounded researchers were the profound changes in their before and after biopsies. In only 90 days, there were changes in about 500 of the men’s genes – including 453 that were turned off and 48 that were turned on. The activity of disease-preventing genes had increased while the number of disease-promoting genes had shut off.
"In just three months, I can change hundreds of my genes simply by changing what I eat and how I live? That’s pretty exciting," says Ornish. "The implications of our study are not limited to men with prostate cancer."
So whenever you hear someone offer up yesterday’s excuse of "Oh, there’s nothing I can do about that – it’s just my genes," smile and suggest they change them.
[Ed. Note: It's easy to say "It's just my genes" and resign yourself to poor health. But it can be almost as easy to make a few simple changes to your diet and lifestyle - and live a longer life, free of pain and medical bills. Start feeling better and getting healthier right here.
It's a lot easier to get healthy when your "health food" tastes good. Get delicious and healthy recipes at Kelley Herring's website, HealingGourmet.com.]
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