Your Genes Are Not Your Fate

While it has become generally accepted that our lifestyle affects our general health, most people believe that the ultimate determinant of health resides in their genes. We often hear “I have diabetes, it’s written in my genes, there’s nothing I can do!” or “Eczema runs in my family, I just have to accept it”. But things may not be that simple when it comes to the human body. Recent research is showing that it is actually our lifestyle, rather than our genetic make-up, that has the greatest impact on our health.

Did you know that….

• cardiovascular diseases are completely preventable for at least 95% of people just by changing diet and lifestyle
• 70% of cancers are directly caused by our lifestyle habits
• 30% of all cancers are directly related to our eating habits
• Only 15% of cancers are caused by heredity

Those astounding statistics show that simple lifestyle changes may have a powerful impact on gene expression. Exercising, eating well and reducing stress can switch on beneficial genes and turn off those genes that lead to illness. A broad range of health conditions can therefore be avoided or improved by simply adopting a better lifestyle. We are all genetic engineers: our genes may be our predisposition, but they are not our fate!

The statistics above are extracted from Dr.Dean Ornish’s works and the research of Dr.Denis Gingras and Dr.Richard Beliveau (a synopsis of the conclusionsn of these leading molecular scientists can be found in their book Foods that Fight Cancer).