Healthy lifestyle triggers genetic changes

[Bernard]

This isn't specific to epilepsy, but I found it extremely interesting - confirming something I have long suspected - that diet, environment and lifestyle may be more important variables for health problems than so called genetic risk factors.

Comprehensive lifestyle changes including a better diet and more exercise can lead not only to a better physique, but also to swift and dramatic changes at the genetic level, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

In a small study, the researchers tracked 30 men with low-risk prostate cancer who decided against conventional medical treatment such as surgery and radiation or hormone therapy.

The men underwent three months of major lifestyle changes, including eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and soy products, moderate exercise such as walking for half an hour a day, and an hour of daily stress management methods such as meditation.

As expected, they lost weight, lowered their blood pressure and saw other health improvements. But the researchers found more profound changes when they compared prostate biopsies taken before and after the lifestyle changes.

After the three months, the men had changes in activity in about 500 genes -- including 48 that were turned on and 453 genes that were turned off.

The activity of disease-preventing genes increased while a number of disease-promoting genes, including those involved in prostate cancer and breast cancer, shut down, according to the study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Healthy lifestyle triggers genetic changes: study

[RobinN]

Now ...knowing this information, why is it so difficult for some of us to follow it?

[LynnW]

I live in the land of Mountain Dew and cigarette breakfasts. And Kentucky has some of the highest rates of heart disease, respiratory ailments, diabetes, various cancers. Well, DUH!

[hawke86]

Looks like some good and interesting advice.

[haird18]

Bernard,
With all the prolbems I have to ease into every change because like today I had some bad seizures. and it is becoming clear of dramatic changes emotional physical and enviromental changes that throw me off!
David