Health ‘fact’ destroyed: Research reveals what truly controls your future wellbeing

Health ‘fact’ destroyed: Research reveals what truly controls your future wellbeing

(NaturalHealth365) Doctors and researchers have long known that the major killers in the Western world – heart disease, cancer, stroke, and obesity – are influenced by a person’s lifestyle as well as their genes, right?  Well, now research reveals just how powerful lifestyle decisions can be on our future wellbeing.

And, here’s the kicker, for all those that believe that ‘genes control everything:’ Science reveals that the way you live your life greatly influences your gene expression.  In other words, unlike popular belief – your actions control what how your genes behave.

Powerful heatlh NEWS about your lifestyle choices, new study says it all

Too many people are taught that our genes – the small DNA-based blueprints passed down to you from your parents – are ‘unchangable’ or out of our control.  Simply put, you get what you get and you don’t get upset about it – right?

Well, it turns out that’s not how it works!

Research involving 362,496 middle-aged Caucasian people from the United Kingdom showed that certain environmental and lifestyle factors outweighed and changed the influence of genes on a person’s risk for obesity.

For example, the authors found the following effects:

  • Frequency of alcohol consumption: a person’s genetic risk for obesity was more influential if they drank alcohol frequently (e.g., every day)
  • Socio-economic status: a person’s genetic risk for obesity was less influential if they were higher on the socio-economic scale 
  • Physical activity: a person’s genetic risk for obesity was more influential if they walked slowly and exercised less often

These study results were published in the September 2017 volume of PLOS Genetics.

The author sum up their findings succinctly: “Our analyses indicate that many lifestyle factors modify the genetic effects on BMI with some groups of individuals having more than double the effect of the genetic score.”

The lead author also stated that their evidence “clearly” showed how the environment and lifestyle interacts with our genes.

The usual suspects of healthier living: Simple lifestyle choices can help us AVOID disease

Here’s the major takeaway from the above data:

Even if you’re born with a ‘genetic predisposition’ for certain health issues, it IS possible to adjust your risk for developing these issues by changing your lifestyle.

In other words, it’s no longer necessary to use a family history of obesity, heart disease, or any other ailment as a reason to be gloomy about your future – nor is it feasible to use your family medical history as an excuse for living unhealthily!

What are the best thing you can do to optimize your genes and improve your health?  Follow these simple tried-and-true tips based on the research:

  • Avoid cigarettes and other tobacco products
  • Maintain a healthy weight
  • Walk at least 30 minutes per day and avoid excessive sedentary behavior and TV time
  • Eat a healthy diet rich in non-toxic fats, organic fruits and veggies plus high-quality (clean) protein sources.

Following these strategies benefits your health, your body, and even your genes. Start today!

Editor’s note: Here are some nice nutrition ideas for you to get started.

To increase your ‘healthy fat’ intake, enjoy eating an avocado salad with mixed greens, cucumbers, onions and a lemon-based dressing.  Eat more fruits and veggies by making it fun: try creating a fresh (organic) fruit salad loaded with sliced apples, pears, blueberries and strawberries.  And, finally, to add more (clean) protein to your diet: make a delicious, goat whey protein smoothie with frozen bananas and strawberries (personal favorite) or, if you’re vegan: try adding some hemp seeds to your favorite smoothie recipe.

Sources for this article include:

NIH.gov
Naturalmedicine.news
Sciencedaily.com
PLOS.org
Heart.org

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