Your Genes Are Not Your Destiny!

How your environment can impact your genes.



Ever wondered why nutrition advice is so confusing? One year eggs are bad, the next they are championed as a premier protein source. One group says saturated fat causes heart disease, another group says saturated fats are actually beneficial to health. And one decade (we’re looking at you 90s) any kind of fat, including olive oil and avocados, was demonized and replaced with low-fat, high sugar options then all of a sudden fat was ok again, but carbs were now public enemy number one.

If you’re like us (or most of the population) you have probably tried many different kinds of diets and had varying degrees of success. After all, the diet industry is a multi-billion dollar industry and tens of millions of Americans adopt a diet strategy each year hoping that they’ve finally found the true answer to health. Paleo, Vegan, Whole30, Ketogenic, DASH, Mediterranean, Weight Watchers, and countless more. Every diet out there has varying rules, regulations, and diehard followers with generally good intentions who want to convince you that they’ve figured out the solution.

The problem is that there is no single diet that is right for everyone. It’s entirely possible that your best friend can feel great for years on a Vegan diet, while cutting out all animal products has you feeling lethargic and irritable. Or that your neighbor could lose 25 pounds and feel the best he has in decades on a ketogenic diet, while you’re left feeling sluggish with elevated cholesterol.

Why?

Human biology is incredibly complex and while various factors like age and activity level can impact our response to nutrition, a major culprit is likely due to the differences in our genes and the way they interact with our environment.

While humans are approximately 99.5% the same, the other 0.5% is due to variations or differences in our genetic code. That 0.5% is what makes you unique and affects everything that is unique about you, from your eye color to the way your body uses nutrients like Vitamin D or Calcium.

 

SNPs

The most common type of genetic variation is called a Single Nucleotide Polymorphism, or SNP. SNPs represent changes or differences in a single DNA building block and occur as a normal part of a person’s DNA. In fact, there are an estimated 10 million SNPs throughout the human genome. Most of these SNPs have no effect on human health, but some actually act as biological markers that can impact how we interact with environmental factors like diet and exercise or our susceptibility to various diseases.

Certain genetic variations have been shown to influence how your body responds to environmental stimuli, like diet or stressful situations. For example, some individuals carry a specific genetic variant that has been shown to impact their ability to digest the milk sugar, lactose. For these individuals, consuming lactose can cause bloating and GI distress, potentially also causing an inflammatory response in the gut. However, individuals who do not have this specific variant tend to have no Gi issues when consuming lactose. These differences can be attributed to differences in their genetic variations or SNPs.

 

Your Genes Are Not Your Destiny!

While genes carry the information that determines our traits, our overall health, from our energy levels to our disease status, is the result of an interaction between our genes and our environment.

Environmental factors can actually act to turn on or turn off certain genes, essentially impacting whether or not those genes are activated. In fact, your genes are not even thought to be the primary determinant of your health. Instead, it is your environment and the impact that environment can have on your unique genetic code that impacts your overall health status.

Environmental factors that can impact our genetic expression (whether genes are turned on or off) include:

  • Nutrient deficiencies or toxicities
  • Nutrient components in the foods eaten (i.e. phytochemicals in vegetables)
  • Type of overall diet.
  • Physical activity or exercise
  • Adequate sleep
  • Stress management
  • Environmental toxins
  • The sun
  • The water supply
  • And so many more!

Since our genetic expression is strongly influenced by these environmental factors, knowing your unique genetic variations can help you to tailor your lifestyle factors, including diet, exercise, supplement, and other environmental exposures, in order to reduce your risk of disease and optimize your own health.

For more information on how to test for your own genetic variations or SNPs, check out the Toolbox Genomics Shop Page.

Want to learn more? Check out additional blog posts here or email us at info@toolboxgenomics.com

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Toolbox Genomics testing is not intended to and does not diagnose disease or medical conditions or determine treatment options.
The results from Toolbox Genomics are not a diagnosis and are not necessarily a reflection of your current condition.
Please consult your healthcare practitioner before starting or changing your diet, supplements, medications or lifestyle.