Written in our genes

The idea of epigenetics has been around for a quite awhile, but recently it has become a bit more of a buzz word in the health/wellness platform and is becoming more and more accepted in the “scientific world”. The centuries old debate about nature vs nurture is really questioning how much of the way we live our lives is determined by our genetics and how much is based on our environment. In other words, does it really matter what we do or are we destined to develop certain medical conditions, be prone to certain diseases or exhibit certain psychological patterns? Epigenetics may hold much of the answer to this question. 

I spent years in genetics courses learning equations, which predict what the chances are that certain dominant or recessive traits will be displayed by what percentage of the offspring. It was very mathematical and very cut and dry and to be honest, it didn’t really seem to match the complex beings that we humans are! We now are beginning to understand that perhaps it’s not quite so simple and that our genes can actually be turned on or off (expressed or not), based on conditions in our external environment and perhaps more importantly, our internal environment. This is the concept of epigenetics.  

For example, chances might be high for developing a certain medical condition based on your genes, but in most cases, it isn’t 100% certain. So what about the people who have the gene but don’t express the disease - how could that happen? And why do so many medical conditions not “show themselves” until you’re in your 30s, 40s or 50s? After all, you still have the same DNA that you were born with, so what happened? I wonder if perhaps rather than blindly accept the "average ages” that certain medical conditions show themselves, we should consider if it’s actually more about an accumulation of various exposures to stressful environments, events, toxins, pro-inflammatories etc, and that we only have “average age” ranges because it generally takes most people roughly ‘x’ amount of years on the planet for that accumulation to reach a magical level that tips the scale and flips on that nasty gene. I’d imagine everyone’s “switch” is a different tension shall we say. So for some, maybe it doesn’t really matter what they do and early on in life that switch is flipped. For others, it may be a bit tighter and more resistant to flipping on. 

Do you remember our discussion about the “Terrible T’s”? If not you can scroll back and have a look at that post. The T’s were things that are negative stressors to our system: terrible thoughts, traumas, toxins, and tribes. These things lead to our nervous system getting out of whack, our immune system getting off kilter, and inflammation in our bodies to increase. This environment likely provides a good opportunity for one of those “bad genes” to get turned on. Learn to be a master at releasing stress, living a healthy lifestyle and quickly shifting negative thoughts (for real, not just for show on the surface) and that environment is probably less likely to flip on that “bad gene”. I get it, it can’t be that simple and not everyone seems to follow that rule either - just like the mathematical equations. But hey, maybe in some cases it is! I think likely there’s a combo approach at play with epigentics. 1) Just how strong is the tension set on that switch before it flips, and 2) an accumulation of factors that put stress on that switch and edge it closer to the tipping (or rather “flipping”) point. So maybe we can’t just be distilled down to genetic mathematical equations and predictions after all. We might just have the power to change our course - and maybe even the course of our future generations! 

Here’s a couple of real-life examples that display epigenetics at work. Experiments have been done with mice (as we have perfected the art of producing genetically identical mice generation after generation). One such study examined the effect that a mother’s diet might have on the genetic expressions of the offspring she produces. Genetically identical mice were fed the same diet which was lacking in folate, then one group was given a folate supplement and the other was not. Those mice then gave birth to genetically identical offspring - crazy I know but scientists are pretty smart these days. The mice who had a complete diet (with the supplement), gave birth to healthy weight, brown furred mice. The mice who were lacking in folate, gave birth to obese mice with white fur. Now that’s even more crazy isn’t it?!! All of these mice are genetically identical, yet depending on the diet their mother was fed, their hair colour and body weight differed significantly. The implications of this study are obviously wide-reaching in the world of nutrition and how important it is - not just for the function of our body but also for the genetic expression of future generations as well. It also proves us wrong that identical genetics equals identical gene expression. After all, hair colour has a pretty strong genetic link, yet these mice with identical genetics managed to express different colours!

And, it’s not just something that works with mice. Let’s look at a wonderful human example. Twins! Two genetically identical human beings. Sure they might look pretty similar, but do they always have identical health? Nope, they do not.

So next time you are worried your future is 100% predetermined and written in your genes, consider the power of epigenetics and remember we might just have a bit more power than we give ourselves credit for.

To wrap up, I’m reminded of an old legend that is true of how we live our lives, but mayyyy just also apply to our genetic expressions too… 

The story of two wolves: 

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a debate that goes on inside people. He said, “ My son, the battle is between 2 wolves inside all of us. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.” The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: “Which wolf wins?” The old Cherokee simply replied, “the one you feed”