Your Genes Are Not Your Destiny: But They May Be the Key To Preventing Disease
Dr. Robyn Murphy, ND
Scientific Advisory Board Member
In recent years, the field of systems biology has emerged as a powerful approach to understanding the body. Systems biology focuses on understanding biological systems as a whole, rather than studying individual components in isolation. It aims to uncover the complex interactions and relationships between genes, proteins, cells, and their environment, with the goal of elucidating how these interactions give rise to the behavior and function of living organisms. In medicine, this perspective provides a holistic perspective on disease mechanisms and offers a framework for providing a personalized approach to health. It recognizes that the development of lifestyle diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cannot be attributed solely to genetic predispositions. Instead, a comprehensive understanding of how genetic predispositions interact with environmental and lifestyle factors, such as diet, chemical exposure, stress, exercise, and the microbiome, is crucial in determining not only how the disease manifests, but also how to prevent it.
The influence of gene-environment interactions is seen in numerous chronic diseases. Common diseases, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, heart disease, osteoporosis, and dementia are all linked to genetic predispositions; however, the genes themselves do not determine the onset, rather it is how they interact with the environment that defines expression and disease manifestation. One important factor that showcases the interconnectedness of genes, environment, and lifestyle is vitamin D and osteoporosis.
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