Dr. Elina Chernyak in Vail, Colorado recently released an article explaining that rather than our heath depending on our genes, our health depends on what we do to our genes. Genetotrophic disease is the result of an imperfect expression of certain genes created by insufficient amounts of particular nutrients.
Although we may seem pretty similar to each other, each human body differs greatly on a biochemical level. Our diversified genetic potentials are a result of the impact of nutrients on the expression of our genetic characteristics. “Exposure to various nutritional and environmental factors alters the expression of our genes, producing what we call the phenotype, or the observable characteristics of an individual.”
Everything we eat, micronutrients, proteins, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins and minerals all have an impact on our genes. For example, lipoic acid, N-acetyl-cysteine, vitamin E and coenzyme Q10 are known to have an impact on the modulation of gene expression. We can improve a person’s immune system “by designing an appropriate diet for an individual based on his or her genetic needs, and by reducing antigens to which the person is sensitive (such as gluten in wheat or casein in dairy products).”
Physicians of functional medicine can use certain biological markers to evaluate a dysfunctional metabolism, “providing insight into where gene expression is increasing the risk or likelihood of various diseases, including heart disease, arthritis, and cancer.” “In the true spirit of preventative medicine, we can modify nutritional and environmental exposures today in order to help avoid potentially bigger and harder to solve problems in the future.”
Medical research such as this is taking us another step forward in bridging the gap between traditional and holistic medicine with additional elements such as nutritional supplements.