Eating greens may change your genes
Announcement posted by It's My Health 17 Oct 2011
As reported on consumer health website www.itsmyhealth.com.au the old adage, you can change your jeans but not your genes may well be overturned by a new study that says that eating a good healthy diet may actually alter your genetic destiny – for heart disease at least.
While it has long been said that a good diet can decrease your risk of developing certain diseases, this study shows that it can modify the disease causing gene.
In a study of more than 27,000 people from five different ethnic backgrounds the Canadian researchers discovered that strongest gene marker for heart disease was modified by eating generous amounts of fruit, berries and raw vegetables.
By the end of the study those who had the heart disease gene marker - known as 9p21 – had the same risk of developing heart disease as those who did not have the marker.
“We know that 9p21 genetic variants increase the risk of heart disease for those that carry it," said Dr. Jamie Engert, joint principal investigator of the study, from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre. "But it was a surprise to find that a healthy diet could significantly weaken its effect."
To read the entire article visit http://www.itsmyhealth.com.au/healthy-living/nutrition/eating-greens-may-change-genes.
While it has long been said that a good diet can decrease your risk of developing certain diseases, this study shows that it can modify the disease causing gene.
In a study of more than 27,000 people from five different ethnic backgrounds the Canadian researchers discovered that strongest gene marker for heart disease was modified by eating generous amounts of fruit, berries and raw vegetables.
By the end of the study those who had the heart disease gene marker - known as 9p21 – had the same risk of developing heart disease as those who did not have the marker.
“We know that 9p21 genetic variants increase the risk of heart disease for those that carry it," said Dr. Jamie Engert, joint principal investigator of the study, from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre. "But it was a surprise to find that a healthy diet could significantly weaken its effect."
To read the entire article visit http://www.itsmyhealth.com.au/healthy-living/nutrition/eating-greens-may-change-genes.