Scientists are continually coming across evidence that shows how much impact we can have on our wellness and ageing. Genetics appears to have a very strong hold over our health, but research indicates that we have more power than we once thought. New studies are a great way to see how we can influence our wellbeing, so we can harness our health and youth for years to come.
What genes do
Our chromosomes come from our parents, with each one giving us 50 per cent of our genetic material. Genes generally have to be turned on or activated in some way to work, so people with brown eyes, have to have the dominant brown-eyed gene turned on to get that eye colour. Sometimes changes occur in our cells that alter whether genes are turned on or off, but some of these changes aren’t believed to be written in our genes. In fact, scientists think ‘epigenetic’ changes occur because of influences from our environment.
Small changes, big anti-ageing effect
Researchers at the Institute of Food Research recently found that epigenetic changes associated with colon cancer were reduced depending on several different factors. The majority of these kinds of alterations were linked with the age of people in their study with older people having more, which is what they expected to find. But the scientists also found that people who had good quantities of Vitamin D and selenium in their diet had fewer of these markers. Also, people who were overweight and those that ate too many folates seemed to have more markers for colon cancer.
Lifestyle impact
Although a healthy diet, high in fibre and general healthy living has been linked with reduced cancer rates, these results suggest why this is the case. The study indicates that including these specific nutrients in your diet could have protective effects on your colon. Although folates are necessary for a healthy nervous system and many other wellness benefits, in this case large amounts were connected with epigenetic changes. The researchers explained how they planned to find the most effective rates of folates in our diets, although it’s always wise to speak to your doctor before making dietary changes that could affect wellbeing.
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