Have you ever wondered why a certain diet works well for some and not as well for others?
Do you ever wonder why someone is naturally slim, while others aren’t?
Would you like to prevent disease before symptoms ever appear?
Do you want to improve your health, lose weight, optimize your exercise program or improve your sleep?
The answers just might lie in your DNA. Our genetic code impacts everything about our health. The better you understand yours, the more power you have to control how you feel.
What is DNA?
DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid. It’s a self-replicating material that is present in nearly all living organisms as the main constituent of chromosomes. It is the carrier of our genetic information.
DNA in each cell of an organism tells the body which proteins to make. That is DNA in its simplest terms.
Why DNA and Genetics Matter?
Humans are a relatively young species, and we have not had much time to evolve and genetically produce variations to match our most recent modern lifestyles. That means we still basically have the genes of our ancestors – who were cavemen living out on the land without running water, electricity, EMF’s and WiFi!
Our genes have not yet evolved to the fact that we can just pick up our cell phone, order food, and have it delivered to the house in 30 minutes. Our genes are still hunting and foraging for our food, and when we were hunters and gatherers, that food may not have been very plentiful.
What that means is that things that were once protective against starvation can sometimes be problematic when it comes to obesity and diabetes… Or, something that was once protective against a certain disease or health condition now can make us more susceptible to illness.
It’s important to take into account our modern lifestyle and understand that our genes were not designed for these modern circumstances.
Around the world, all populations of humans are essentially the same. Now, thanks to the human genome project, we know that each of us has approximately 3 billion base pairs of DNA and that no two people are identical (except for identical twins). Any two people can have about 10 million base pairs that are different. Basically, the genes are telling us that we’re pretty much the same except for the little tiny bit that is different. Isn’t that so cool?
Epigenetics – The Next Frontier
It’s important to remember that your genetics aren’t a diagnosis or an absolute that you’ll have a certain condition or illness. Your genetics just show a certain propensity towards a possible outcome. You can affect how your genes are actually expressed through diet and lifestyle, and influence the outcome! This is the new and exciting science of Epigenetics.
Genes are at the root of health. You may or may not be familiar with the functional medicine tree, but this is actually used across the board in functional medicine. It illustrates how our lifestyle is at the root or the base.
Things like sleep and relaxation, exercise and movement, nutrition, stress reduction and relationships are what make up what we call “the foundations of health”. You can see these are the very bottom of the tree at the roots. Next, at the base of the tree is your genetics, and alongside that you have your mental, emotional and spiritual health, as well as your experiences, attitudes and beliefs.
Genetic predisposition in functional medicine is really helpful for assessing health and also planning a personalized intervention. When we look at health from a systems-based perspective, we take into account how well you digest and absorb food, immune system function, your energy production, your hormones, your detoxification, your circulation, and your cellular membranes, muscles and bones.
All these things are so important, and when we understand your genetics, we can actually make a more educated and more personalized precision treatment plan so that we can address all of the signs and symptoms you’re experiencing. Even more important, when we understand genetic predispositions, a personalized lifestyle plan can be designed that will allow you to prevent many of the symptoms from starting in the first place.
DNA Made Simple
Your genes are not your destiny, and diet and lifestyle choices have strong influences on your genetics. In DNA Made Simple, we cover all of the basics of DNA and epigenetics, along with specific action steps for nutrition, sleep, exercise and lifestyle habits based upon your specific genotypes.
Remember: You can’t actually change your genes, but you can impact how they’re expressing. Epigenetics controls the expression of your DNA. In other words, it’s what turns your genes on and off. There are many factors that interact with our DNA: environment, nutrition, medications, alcohol consumption, stress and exercise (or lack thereof).
Do you have a horrible commute? Do you live in a city with a lot of pollution? Do you eat out often? Do you have a desk job? These are all inputs that are acting upon your DNA.
How your DNA expresses and the information it gives your cells changes due to the effects your environment has on them.
Source:https://glownaturalwellness.com/dna-made-simple-the-abcs-of-improving-your-dna/