Healthy lifestyle triggers genetic changes
Healthy lifestyle triggers genetic changes: study By Will Dunham
Mon Jun 16, 9:21 PM ET
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.
The research was led by Dr. Dean Ornish, head of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, California, and a well-known author advocating lifestyle changes to improve health.
"It's an exciting finding because so often people say, 'Oh, it's all in my genes, what can I do?' Well, it turns out you may be able to do a lot," Ornish, who is also affiliated with the University of California, San Francisco, said in a telephone interview.
"'In just three months, I can change hundreds of my genes simply by changing what I eat and how I live?' That's pretty exciting," Ornish said. "The implications of our study are not limited to men with prostate cancer."
Ornish said the men avoided conventional medical treatment for prostate cancer for reasons separate from the study. But in making that decision, they allowed the researchers to look at biopsies in people with cancer before and after lifestyle changes.
"It gave us the opportunity to have an ethical reason for doing repeat biopsies in just a three-month period because they needed that anyway to look at their clinical changes (in their prostate cancer)," Ornish said.
(Editing by Julie Steenhuysen and Xavier Briand)
Mon Jun 16, 9:21 PM ET
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.
The research was led by Dr. Dean Ornish, head of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, California, and a well-known author advocating lifestyle changes to improve health.
"It's an exciting finding because so often people say, 'Oh, it's all in my genes, what can I do?' Well, it turns out you may be able to do a lot," Ornish, who is also affiliated with the University of California, San Francisco, said in a telephone interview.
"'In just three months, I can change hundreds of my genes simply by changing what I eat and how I live?' That's pretty exciting," Ornish said. "The implications of our study are not limited to men with prostate cancer."
Ornish said the men avoided conventional medical treatment for prostate cancer for reasons separate from the study. But in making that decision, they allowed the researchers to look at biopsies in people with cancer before and after lifestyle changes.
"It gave us the opportunity to have an ethical reason for doing repeat biopsies in just a three-month period because they needed that anyway to look at their clinical changes (in their prostate cancer)," Ornish said.
(Editing by Julie Steenhuysen and Xavier Briand)
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by nick lankester on -
I see it that the DNA is simply a type of reflection in 'matter' of how we see ourselves and our worldview.
The more we move the body and care for ourselves, the more the body reflects that it is cared for and the more awake we are. The DNA reflects the 'On-ness' of us... and when combined with the understanding that all is energy we get 'oneness'... :))
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Permalink Reply by Shadoan on -
I had to (at the age of 24) have a sit down with my older self.... "your not keeping your health in perspective." You have to put this as the first priority, and so.... Organic vegetarian diet... has helped a lot.
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Permalink Reply by nick lankester on
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yes, being passionate about being healthy is fundamental.. to.. erm.. health! :)
its amazing how we communicate in non-linear way with all the different 'versions' of ourselves...
I am presently investigating how much of these ideas of 'what is healthy' are empirical truths and how much they are themselves simply the result of other beliefs. Since we are energy and energy is infinite in its nature then it is entirely true that there are no rules beyond what we make for ourselves.
So the question for me right now, since smoking is the only real health 'change' I see that would be immediately beneficial to me, is not 'is smoking healthy' but 'why do I smoke?'.. The answer is that I believe it 'gives me something I cannot get otherwise'. On the surface that appears to be a short term 'rush', however, it is in truth related to many more facets of myself.. It is at least exciting to explore!!! :)
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Permalink Reply by nick lankester on
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I just wonder how much of the entire scenario is created by the thought 'It is exciting to explore'.. ;)
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Permalink Reply by Peace Love and Happiness on -
Ive heared a lot of things about raw food diets and i know people who recovered from cancer and people who got rid of their alergies and other miracles.
Now these people could have been just lucky but i really dont believe that becouse theyve been taking pills for over 5 years and after 3 months on raw foods their imune system kicked in slowly killed the cancer now if this happened to 1 person after doing this i would say ok... but it happens evrywhere so im only eating raw foods from now on. It will probably help you to quit smoking aswell when you are taking in evrything you need.
When you cook or even steem ur vegatables a very big percentage "dont know it out of my head" of vitamines and minerals are lost so dont cook ur food although there are some foods like patatos can be poisonous when eaten raw so watch out what you eat and always investigate yourself.
Remind yourself that evrything you buy is poisoned by the environment we live in and needs to be washed even the biological foods.
Much love,
Baz.
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