rew up with a grumpy dad? The fear grows that, with each passing year, you are moving steadily toward that irritable transformation: your temper shortens in inverse proportion to the lengthening of wrinkles. With every sarcastic comment whispered to a forgetful waiter, with every “idiot” barked involuntarily during question time, the wretched metamorphosis feels fated. And science seemed to support the idea that resistance was futile against this looming curmudgeon. As recently as 2005, an influential article claimed that 50 percent of people’s happiness was determined by their genes. Becoming a grumpy asshole was part of your heritage.
But if I can momentarily stop insulting television, pause harsh determinism, and deliver some good news: We now know we’re not entirely doomed by our parents’ genes. Not just pessimistic DNA, but genes linked to all sorts of dispositions and diseases you’d rather not pass on, like diabetes and heart disease. That’s because the rapid leaps and bounds in genetics in recent years have transformed the way we understand the nuanced role that genes play in our Health and well-being, and everything seems much less predetermined.
“We once believed that ‘having the genes for’ a complex disease was the key to explaining why some people are more likely to be affected by a disease like diabetes. Not anymore,” says Professor Vittorio Sebastiano, an epigeneticist at Stanford University. What is “crucial,” he says, is in fact gene expression. In very basic terms, whether the genes are turned on or not. “In other words, having a good gene, but not being able to express or activate it in the right way, could lead to disease,” says Professor Sebastiano.
“In contrast, you may have a genetic predisposition to diabetes, or depression, heart disease, or hundreds of other genetically linked conditions, but if the gene combination isn’t turned on, you’re unlikely to develop the condition.”
The idea that genes can be turned on or off, that it is not certain that we will take on the ailments of our ancestors, changes the rules of the game. Professor Sebastiano estimates that up to 70 percent of our health outcomes come down to gene expression. “It’s the biggest factor affecting our health, from aging and immunity to how we feel.”
Thus our temperament can be lengthened and wrinkles shortened; but how do we get our genes to play ball in this radically changed game? Well, the good news is that much of genetic expression is in our hands. Because our lifestyle, the day-to-day how we live, can actually turn those inherited traits on or off. For example, exercise, stress, pollution, sleep, and meditation can affect genes, as can behavior toward others. One of the authors of that 2005 paper later found that “simply performing small acts of kindness for other people can affect the regulation of human genes.”
Gene expression is the single most important factor affecting our health, from aging and immunity to how we feel.
Like connecting with nature, alternative medicine guru Deepak Chopra told me, when I was exploring on my skeptical BBC wellness podcast All Hail Kale how to somehow change my genetic tendency to be a morning person.
How can you get out of the ground? After astronaut Scott Kelly returned from the International Space Station, NASA discovered that his genetic expression was seven percent different from his identical twin.
But the most important way to impact gene expression, with all the benefits it can have for the mind, body, immunity, aging, etc., is through what we eat. The nutrients we eat go deep into our cells, interact with DNA, and can actually flip switches to turn genes on or off. Food as molecular medicine.
study the relationship between our diet and genes is a revolutionary branch of science called nutrigenomics. And it has captivated me.
Seeing how something as natural and accessible as nutrients can affect this vital process of gene expression forced me to go from being a cynic on the sidelines to, well, getting stuck. pioneering nutritional psychiatrist, to bring nutrigenomics research to the masses. Cards on the table, we have thrown Karmacist — the world’s first nutrigenomics-based supplement — with formulations for mood, relaxation, immunity and energy. We have always known that plants are powerful. Humanity has been turning to them for more than 60,000 years. Plants fuel approximately 40 percent of modern pharmaceuticals. But it’s geekily fascinating to use nutrigenomics to dig deeper and see how and why botanicals might be working their magic.
Take saffron. The active components of this precious Persian spice have been found to help regulate the gene that transports serotonin, the “happy hormone” that is key to our mood. Saffron has also been shown to increase the expression of the feel-good chemical dopamine in the brain. In fact, notes Dr. Naidoo, “saffron has been shown to be as effective as Prozac in reducing depressive symptoms.” Perhaps there is a good reason, now revealed by cutting edge science, why saffron has been coveted for millennia and is pound for pound more expensive than gold.
Another ancient botanical revealing its cellular secrets is ashwagandha. Prized for its rejuvenating qualities in the Ayurvedic tradition, research now shows how ashwagandha can prevent the expression of certain genes that can lead to inflammation, a known factor in stress and anxiety. Reishi mushrooms contain phytochemicals that studies show may help regulate the immune system.
The fact that herbs and plants can have such profound transformative potential is also consistent with our understanding of the gut-mind link: the two-way highway that runs between the brain and the stomach. Because, as Deepak Chopra told me, humans carry not only their 25,000 or so genes, but an additional “two million additional genes that are not human, they are bacteria. Technically speaking, you are a few human genes clinging to a bacterial colony, which is known as the microbiome or second genome, and it totally depends on your lifestyle.”
So the way we live, especially what we eat, not only affects our own DNA, but also the several million genes in the mass of bacteria we carry that seem to have a direct line to our brains.
The nutrients we ingest profoundly impact our molecular and cellular processes, directly affecting mental health
We are still in the early days of nutrigenomics and understanding precisely how the gut-mind axis works.
But at Massachusetts General Hospital, where Dr. Uma Naidoo directs the first Nutritional Psychiatry Service in a US hospital, she uses nutrients as part of her clinical practice and is in no doubt about the connection between the state of mood and food. “The nutrients we ingest have a profound impact on our molecular and cellular processes, directly affecting our brain and mental health,” says Dr. Naidoo.
“Psychiatry has been too slow to realize that the rest of the body, and what we feed it, affects our mood and stability. Nutrition is the pioneering new frontier for better mental health and resilience.”
With enough gene expression-friendly nutrients, along with meditation, exercise, sleep, and exposure to nature, a mood-free future could command attention where bartenders can take as much time as they want, especially if they’re bringing saffron risotto.
Spice Up Your Life: How To Eat Your Happiest Way
“The benefits of herbs and spices are mind-boggling,” says Dr. Uma Naidoo, a Harvard nutritional psychiatrist. Not only are we adding more flavor to our food, these condiments can also be good for our mood, she notes.
To help combat depression, Dr. Naidoo suggests:
Oregano: Research shows that its active component has promising antidepressant activity and is likely to help protect brain tissue.
Saffron: the ultimate mood-enhancing spice (see main article for its prowess with serotonin and dopamine).
Turmeric: shown in studies to “adjust brain chemistry and protect cells against toxic damage that leads to depression,” writes Dr. Naidoo. Always add fresh ground pepper to maximize absorption.
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