Amazing new research shows how your lifestyle changes your genes to improve your cardiovascular health. We have seen many studies documenting that healthy changes to your diet, exercise and stress management improve your heart health. However, this research shows us how those changes actually take place at the molecular level. It’s all in your genes! Rather, it is all in how you express them.
Everybody knows that we need to exercise and watch what we eat. We know that eating a lot of fried foods and unhealthy fats with little to no exercise leads to poor health. These lifestyle habits cause excessive inflammation resulting in elevated cholesterol and increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
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Despite much research over many years documenting that healthy lifestyle changes actually improves your heart health, many still do not make the necessary changes. There are many reasons for this reluctance to change; however, one of the underlying excuses we tend to make is that it just doesn’t really work.
Some may say there is no real proof. “There’s no proof that eating a quinoa, chia and berry breakfast bowl versus an Egg McMuffin will really have any long lasting changes.” While we have seen many correlations, the exact science has, indeed, been unclear.
New Research: Your Lifestyle Changes Your Genes to Change Your Health
This new research eliminates that excuse. We now know how high intensity exercise and green smoothies give you a healthier heart. Your lifestyle changes your genes. These lifestyle changes have been shown to changes the expression of your genes.
The lifestyle-change program consisted of a very low-fat vegetarian diet (<10% of calories from fat), 180 minutes/week of moderate aerobic exercise, one hour of stress management each day, and weekly group support sessions. “At one year, the prevalence of hypertension dropped from 41% to 17%. Similarly, the rate of obesity dropped from 60% to 37%, and the rate of dyslipidemia fell from 54% to 37%.”(1)
In addition to these amazing, heart healthy changes, the researchers noted some fantastic results in the expression of certain genes in this group. “We saw 143 genes that really showed a significant change in their expression,” lead author Dr. Darrell L Ellsworth. “A lot of these genes were involved in the immune response. Most of these genes [99] were being downregulated, which is a sign that the amount of vascular inflammation was decreasing with this program.”(1)
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It was also noted that these changes are transient. That means that adopting a healthy lifestyle with a single goal of weight loss can have great short-term results but no lasting changes. You may lose weight but still die of a heart attack when returning to your old habits.
However, maintaining these changes resulted in sustained, positive changes in gene expression. This underscores the importance of making lifestyle changes versus jumping on the latest diet or exercise trend. By changing your lifestyle, you will lose weight and gain energy. You will also reduce you CVD risk by changing your gene expression and experience life long results.
How are your genes? Does heart disease run in your family? You do not have to be shackled to those bad genes. You are not fighting a losing battle. You can change your genes!
Make changes today and change your genetic future! Changing your lifestyle will change your entire life. Your lifestyle changes your genes!
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References for this Article:
(1) Heart-Healthy Lifestyle Changes Also Alter Gene Expression http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/821498?nlid=50708_2703&src=wnl_edit_dail&uac=215510FK
(2) Intensive Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Induces Sustainable Changes in Expression of Genes and Pathways Important to Vascular Function http://circgenetics.ahajournals.org/content/early/2014/02/21/CIRCGENETICS.113.000121.abstract
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