Do you know you can turn your genes ‘on’ or ‘off’? Genetics was long thought to be a fixed part of one’s life, something inherited from parents and unchangeable. While it is true that DNA determines physical traits, personality, and health conditions, research suggests that your lifestyle choices can modify your genes. This phenomenon is known as epigenetics.
Lifestyle habits have a profound effect on your health. The choices that you make in your daily life, such as diet, exercise, and stress management, can save you from age-linked health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. You can create epigenetic changes to enhance your well-being by making informed health choices.
This article will explore how adopting healthier lifestyles can modify epigenetic expressions in your favor. It will enhance your understanding of how your daily choices can unlock a healthier and more resilient you. So, before saying, “I can’t help it, it’s in my genes,” read on.
Epigenetics is the study of changes in gene expression that do not involve alterations to the underlying DNA sequence. Epigenetic changes occur even before birth, but they are influenced by factors such as your environment, habits, and age. Research in the field of epigenetics suggests that by improving your lifestyle, you can improve health at the gene level.
How epigenetics works is not solely characterized by perilous or irreversible gene modifications. Some epigenetic changes are even integral to normal cellular processes. For example, insulin-like growth factor (IGF2) is crucial for normal growth and development.
A genome contains the entirety of your genetic information. During development, your DNA accumulates chemical marks known as the epigenome, which are responsible for modifying your gene expression. Together, the genome and epigenome play a crucial role in shaping your traits, appearances, and susceptibility to diseases.
Methylated DNA is one of the most common types of epigenetic mechanisms. The methylation process turns genes ‘off,’ whereas demethylation turns them ‘on.’ Histone remodeling, which influences how tightly DNA is packaged, is another important epigenetic mechanism.
An array of factors such as diet, lifestyle, stress, age, and other epigenetic environmental factors like pollutants and toxins can influence your epigenetics.
Researchers suggest that poor lifestyle choices such as smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity, and stress influence your gene landscape, potentially contributing to health risks. However, these epigenetic changes are also inheritable.
Lifestyle and genetics are intertwined; your lifestyle choices affect your genes, which determines how your body will function.
Recent estimates show that you can influence around 1,200 of the 1,500 genes that are on and 21,000 genes that are off. Another study found that by making changes to their physical activity, diet, and stress management, 30 men were able to turn off genes associated with prostate cancer.
Making healthy life choices can protect you from chronic diseases and increase your lifespan. Poor lifestyle choices are one of the major causes of premature death. Thus, epigenetic alteration can lower your risk of age-related diseases and enhance your overall health span, contributing to a more vibrant and fulfilling life as you age.
In addition to external factors affecting epigenetics, internal factors like maintaining a holistic routine also have a profound impact on your genes. This includes various aspects of your physical, emotional, and mental well-being. The world you create, both intrinsically and extrinsically, exerts a substantial influence.
Read more: Healthy Habits for a Balanced Life: How to Prioritize Self-Care and Wellness
By the time you are 60 years old, around 75% of your health outcomes are determined by your lifestyle choices. Every productive and healthy lifestyle choice will turn on good youth-promoting and disease-preventing genes. Bad choices will lead to the activation of destructive genes. Below are some changes that you can make in your everyday life to ensure healthy living.
Your dietary choices directly affect your health through nutrition. Coronary heart diseases, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity are all caused by unhealthy diet. A diet rich in methyl-donating nutrients such as folic acid, B vitamins, and omega-3 can rapidly alter gene expression. These nutrients can reverse DNA hypomethylation and reduce the risk of diseases such as pancreatic cancer and obesity.
Your optimal “epigenetic diet” must include food that supports processes like DNA methylation, histone remodeling, and inflammation regulation. This includes foods like yogurt, turmeric, fish, kimchi, chia seeds, and other fruits and vegetables. An epigenetic diet protects you from harmful genetic modifications, promoting a healthy genetic profile.
Regular resistance or endurance training exercises positively impact your epigenetic expression. Exercise helps strengthen various tissues, including the skeletal muscle, and prevents or treats chronic diseases.
A 2020 study shows that regular exercise is an excellent protection against cardiovascular diseases. Maternal or paternal exercise can even prevent metabolic dysfunction in the offspring.
Aerobic exercises such as running or cycling directly influence metabolism and reduce the risk of adverse DNA methylation changes. Resistance exercises such as pushups or lunges can help increase muscle growth and improve cognitive function. Mix and match these exercises to optimize your health and fitness goals.
Read more: Can Physical Exercise Strengthen Your Brain?
Stress, whether acute or chronic, can trigger negative changes in your DNA. These changes are linked with adverse mental conditions such as anxiety and depression. It may also influence your immunity and neurological function. Therefore, adopting effective stress management strategies is important to avoid long-term health implications.
Epigenetics and trauma are also linked. Childhood trauma, including abuse and neglect, can impair a child’s future learning capacity and behavior.
Stress management techniques such as yoga, meditation, and breathing exercises can help you reverse the epigenetic changes and improve health outcomes. These relaxation techniques are associated with lower blood pressure, blood sugar, heart rate, and inflammation. Some practices such as self-care, appropriate dietary intake, and incorporating natural remedies can help you with stress detox.
Read more: The Stress Detox: Reclaiming Well-Being in a Hectic World
Sleep deprivation can have a long-lasting impact on your epigenetic expression, such as the activation of pro-inflammatory genes, which can negatively affect mood, behavior, and physical health. It can also impact your neurons and impact your learning and memory. If you are sleeping less than 7 hours, it can impair your circadian rhythm and accelerate aging.
You must establish a consistent sleep schedule aligning with your circadian rhythm. To promote better sleep, minimize distractions when going to bed. Use supportive mattresses and comfortable bedding to ensure a peaceful sleep. Avoid the intake of caffeine or other stimulants before bedtime. Lastly, limit screen time as the blue light from electronic devices can disrupt the production of melatonin.
Read more: Early Birds vs. Night Owls: Unveiling the Lifelong Impact of Your Lifestyle Choice
The impact of lifestyle on genetics is well-researched and documented. Lifestyle factors are significant modulators of epigenetic changes. Your lifestyle choices act like a switch that you can use to turn ‘on’ or ‘off’ certain genes. Poor lifestyle choices can negatively impact your health outcome and make you more vulnerable to diseases.
Indeed, you can not change the DNA sequence you inherited, but you can influence your gene expressions through your lifestyle. Understanding the intricate relationship between lifestyle and epigenetics can help you make informed lifestyle choices. Making simple life choices such as eating well, exercising regularly, reducing stress, and sleeping well can mitigate the risk of genetic predispositions.
This article is a reminder that you are not simply at the mercy of your genes. It’s never too late to adopt positive and productive lifestyle habits. You have the power to shape your health outcomes and increase your overall well-being, so start today!
If you would like to see more resources on genetics, check out the Personal Science Labs. The lab uses the research of the Institute for Life Management Science to produce courses, certifications, podcasts, videos, and other tools. Visit the Personal Science Labs today.
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