The secret to keeping disease away lies in more than just your DNA

Earlier this week, I explained how genetics are just one piece of the puzzle where the obesity epidemic is concerned—and not even the biggest one, at that.

But the fact is, DNA is just one factor behind most diseases. And it’s one that’s a whole lot smaller than the hype over genetic testing would lead you to believe…

A drop in the bucket

New research from scientists at the University of Alberta shows that genes only comprise a mere five percent of your risk of developing any given disease. Read that again: five percent.

This is the conclusion of the largest meta-analysis on the subject yet, consisting of two whole decades worth of data on the influence of gene mutations on disease development.

In fact,  results showed that genetics contribute to maybe ten percent of your risk of cancer, diabetes, or Alzheimer’s disease, tops.

Of course, there are exceptions—like Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, and macular degeneration—of which genetics play a stronger role, comprising closer to 50 percent of the risk.

So what does this mean? Well for starters, it means that modern genetic screening isn’t the holy grail of disease prediction some folks believe it to be.

But that’s hardly bad news. Because it also means that your fate isn’t written in stone. As I’ve reminded you here many times before, you’re in the driver’s seat—not your DNA.

And averting disaster is possible, even when the rest of the cards are stacked against you.

Little changes make a big difference

I make this point on a regular basis, but I’ll repeat it as often as I need to for the message to really sink in. “Bad genes” may not kill you—but bad choices will.

Whether it’s getting adequate sleep, buying organic, purging the plastic from your home, kicking sugar to the curb, or exercising every day, there’s so much you can do to protect your body from disease. And it’s especially important to do all of the above if you’re genetically predisposed in the first place.

Even in the case of the notorious BRCA gene mutation, simply staying lean could reduce your odds of developing breast cancer dramatically. Weight gain, on the other hand, has the opposite effect—rocketing cancer risk by 30 percent or more.

But of course, environment plays a role too. And while sometimes it seems like there’s no way to escape the toxic soup, you can certainly minimize its impact. In fact, I devoted a whole feature to protecting yourself against the dangerous toxins we all face on a daily basis back in the April 2019 issue of my monthly newsletter, Logical Health Alternatives (“Staying healthy in a polluted world: How to protect yourself against the dangerous toxins you come face-to-face with on a daily basis”).

Subscribers to my newsletter can find that article—and a whole lot more—in my archives. So as always, if you haven’t yet, consider signing up today.  

Source:

“Your DNA is not your destiny — or a good predictor of your health.” Science Daily, 12/19/2019. (sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/12/191219142739.htm)