Combatting Genetics With Lifestyle
Nature v. Nurture. The classic debate in everything from child-rearing to socioeconomic norms. But, where does the science stand when it comes to disease and genetics? According to the American Council on Science and Health, genetics and family history do increase a person’s risk of developing a disease. But, what plays the most key role is actually lifestyle. A study out of Britain of more than 500,000 citizens concluded that even if someone had zero risk factors, a poor lifestyle increased their chances of a future disease diagnosis. Pareto’s 80-20 Principle has also been shown to be correlated in disease outlook. This means that, in general, only about 20% of a person’s risk of diagnosis is genetic, while the other 80% is lifestyle-related. So, how do we actually get our lifestyle habits in check to prevent the diseases that run rampant in our family history?
When you’re able to start connecting with your body physically and mentally on a certain higher level, you start to make the connections of where lifestyle plays a role in how you’re feeling. I can easily note that when I am eating too much gluten, dairy, and/or especially refined sugar that my joints start to feel achy or tender. So, before we jump into how I personally make conscious choices to decrease my risk of genetic diseases, let me give you background into my own specific family history.
Heart disease and autoimmune diseases. Those are the two diseases that have played notorious starring roles in the lives of my immediate and secondary family members. One grandfather had heart disease that took him to the operating room twice. The last of which he passed away from. One brother has full-on Type II diabetes. My other grandfather had a stent placed in an artery to prevent further arterial blockage that could lead to a heart attack. And there may well be other members with heart disease that I am unaware of. One grandmother passed away from the autoimmune disease ALS. One brother was diagnosed with another type of autoimmune disease called multiple sclerosis. My mother lived with autoimmune rheumatoid arthritis that eventually paralyzed her and shut down her body systems.
Fortunately for me, and now you, my background in science and nutrition, combined with my passion for reading the latest research has provided substantial amounts of insight into the various causes of these diseases, and thankfully also the lifestyle habits I can adopt to decrease my risk for them. Afterall, just because the history is in my family, doesn’t mean that it's my fate. Especially when the 80-20 rule is in play. So, what does this look like in practice in my own life?
We’ll start with heart disease. Genes do count in determining a person’s risk, as I learned in college courses as well as my work in cardiac rehabilitation. But so do age, weight/BMI, physical activity levels, stress, inflammation, nicotine and alcohol consumption, and food choices. I eat as much healthy fat as I can (monounsaturated, some polyunsaturated, and medium-chain saturated as in unrefined, organic coconut oil). I avoid trans fat and corn, soy, and seed oils like the plague, because these are the plaque-causing and inflammatory oils. I eat very little red meat, and actually very little meat in general since they are high sources of cholesterol. The body makes as much cholesterol as it needs to function. My plant intake (vegetables, fruits, unground whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes) makes up most of my diet as these are the richest in nutrient density that keep every system of my body performing at peak. I have never smoked, and I rarely drink except for the occasional social event. My body is at a healthy weight partly due to my diet, and partly due to my exercise levels. This one is important to note that keeping at an ideal weight reduces the strain on your heart’s pumping, as well as keeps blood pressure, cholesterol and lipid levels, and blood sugar easily within their perfect range. I’ll touch on inflammation and stress as it pertains to both heart disease and autoimmune disease.
A lot of discoveries have been made recently in the causes and treatments of autoimmune disease. Stress, inflammation levels, and especially one’s gut health are large determinants of an autoimmune diagnosis. In an autoimmune disease, the body’s immune system becomes confused about certain factors and starts to attack itself, leading to degeneration of joints, ligaments, gut lining, the brain, muscles, or really any part of the body, and almost always can completely debilitate a person or lead to death. The amount of stress that a person experiences, as well as how they respond to it raises various hormones, and if constant stress is experienced, hormone levels stay elevated and the body stays in a constant fight-or-flight mode. Any inflammation in the body, whether from a small cut or from food that we eat that causes inflammation leads to an immune response to “put out the fire.” And one of the recent findings, is that a person’s gut health and the bacteria present (good and bad) play the biggest role in the expression of an autoimmune disease. This is due to a few factors. Two worth understanding are that the “harmful” bacteria (fed by sugar, stress, and other poor dietary choices) give off their own inflammatory factors and trigger the immune system. The other factor to understand is that our gut lining can become worn down from stress, alcohol, and poor diet, causing tiny holes in the lining of our digestive tract that allow small food particles to leak into the bloodstream before they’re broken down enough to be biologically recognizable to our body, thus being seen as a foreign invader and calling an immune response to attack those food particles.
Avoiding inflammatory foods is a large part of preventing both autoimmune and heart diseases. Foods such as corn and seed oils that are too high in polyunsaturated and saturated fats, red meat, conventionally-grown and GMO foods that are laden with pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides seen as foreign invaders by my immune system, refined sugar, and refined grains. These all increase cellular inflammation and thus trigger an autoimmune response. I try my best to consume dark green, leafy and cruciferous vegetables since they act as blood purifiers, contain high levels of nutrients, and feed the good bacteria that I want in my digestive tract. Whole, gluten-free grains plus fruit, nuts, seeds, and legumes are all full of the nutrients and fibers that feed the good bacteria, as well as are absorbed into the blood and shuttled to my cells to provide the best support for growth and functioning. I strive to hold a gentle spirit to keep my stress response minimal through meditation, prayer, deep breathing, and ever-growing patience and understanding (aka lots of self-growth!) Further, I avoid known stressors. Stressful situations, confrontation, drama-prone people, times of heavy traffic, and more. I also honor my body and mind’s need for sleep. If I’m extra tired I will go to bed earlier or take a nap. During a really good sleep, the body is able to repair itself, reduce stress hormones, and put itself back into a state of healthy homeostasis.
Being mindful of what I eat or don’t eat, how much stress I experience or how I respond to it, how much physical activity I get, and my amount of sleep are all of my personal lifestyle choices that I make in an effort to reduce my risk of heart and autoimmune diseases that are present in my family history. Thankfully, my education in science and nutrition has led me to these habits, but for most people, you may be wondering what you can do to decrease your own risk of developing genetic diseases. As mentioned earlier, genes tend to play about 20% of a role in the development of a disease, which means, thankfully, that roughly 80% is in your own hands. Anyone can benefit from adopting the strategies I’ve talked about such as a plant-based diet that is low in inflammatory foods, regular physical activity that maintains a healthy weight, good sleep habits, avoiding stressors, and striving for calming responses to stress. It starts with a commitment to your future self and baby steps. If you feel that you need guidance in implementing sustainable lifestyle habits, then be sure to check out my other blog posts that offer real tips on the steps you can take to achieve a life of vibrancy, healing, energy, and unfettered joy.