This is the question. Studies suggest that lifestyle (diet, exercise, emotions) can be powerful enough to switch on or off certain genes. So, while you can’t change the genetic set you are born with, you can control some of the switches. 

Dr Dean Ornish showed that some 15 years ago when he claimed that heart disease can be reversed. More recently, he showed that when men with early stage prostate cancer made lifestyle changes, the nature of the cancer changed. The actual cancer tissue started behaving differently. 

Just last month, another study showed that when it comes to diabetes, lifestyle can be more powerful than genes. The Finnish study followed identical twins to show that lifestyle can determine the switching on and off of genes linked to diabetes. 

Because the genes of the volunteers is identical, the finding suggests that environment contributes more than heredity to the development of insulin resistance in people who are obese.

Fascinating, I think…

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