Food is more than just calories. Food is information that influences your genes. Food is fuel that propels you through your day. However, so many of the patients at Live Healthy MD view food as the "enemy". They see food as the one that made them "get to this point" or, on the other hand, the one thing that can make them feel better in times of extreme emotions. What these patients fail to recognize is that food and proper nutrition, just like oil in a car, is the driver of all bodily functions. Without the nutrients obtained from the food consumed throughout your day, the human body would not be able to function at its peak, leading to a decline in health.

Food and Your body

Nutrigenomics

Nutrigenomics is the scientific study of the interaction of nutrition and genes, especially with regard to the prevention or treatment of disease. Science is discovering the multidimensional role of food in health. Food is information that instructs body functions that control all aspects of your health and disease risk. We have co-evolved with the food in our environment and use it to regulate every single bodily process including our gene expression, inflammation, oxidation, hormonal function, immune function, and gut flora balance.

Epigenetics

Epigenetics is the study of biological mechanisms that will switch genes on and off. In simple terms, epigenetics is how your environment affects your gene expression. What you eat, where you live, who you interact with, when you sleep, how you exercise, even aging – all of these can eventually cause chemical modifications around the genes that will turn those genes on or off over time. Additionally, in certain diseases such as cancer or Alzheimer’s, various genes can be switched into the opposite state, away from the normal/healthy state.

"Chronic inflammation causes and advances many common diseases." - Hunter

People in North America die more from inflammatory disease than they do from infectious disease. Most chronic diseases including obesity, type II diabetes, heart disease, dementia and cancer, all have roots in inflammation. I see inflammatory diseases every day in my practice. These diseases are so prevalent that most people consider them normal. It never fails to amaze me how most patients accept their disease as inevitable. The attitude is, "both my parents had this disease so it is only natural that I now have it".

However, it doesn't have to be that way! 

What is the biggest cause of inflammation in the body?

Sugar! And where do we get sugar? From our diet. It is everywhere. The average American consumes 150 pounds of sugar a year. That's right, 150 pounds. Two hundred years ago the average yearly consumption was 20 teaspoons. Most of you have heard me say, "cholesterol is not the problem; oxidized cholesterol is the problem". What causes oxidation and oxidative stress? Inflammation. Get the picture?

As you can see, your environment and the food you eat is important in gene expression. Just because your parents had a particular disease or health problem does not mean you have to have it as well.

What can you do to reverse the family curse of disease?

Hormone optimization, proper nutrition, exercise, and nutraceuticals.

Nutrition to reverse disease

Let's look at diet. It is a confusing topic. This expert says to eat this and another one says to eat that and on and on it goes. Who is right and how do you know who to listen to?

I attend lectures. I read multiple diet books and articles from many leading authorities. They all do a great job of making their case backed by good research.The truth is, they are all right in some form or another. We are all individuals and no one size fits all. If you look at the research on native diets around the world, you will see that some people thrive off acorns and cactus. Other cultures survive on yak meat and horse blood. Some live on high fat diets, while others exist on high carbohydrate plant-based diets. How is that possible? Genetics and gut microbiome, that's how.

My advice is to eat real, nature made food that is not processed or covered in pesticides. 

Live Well.....Longer
Charlie

*This blog post was written by Charles Wispert, a certified Physicians Assistant who works with our practice. Charlie is trained in advanced bio-identical hormone replacement and age management medicine. To learn more about what Charlie does, visit his website.