Survival of the Fittest: The Lifestyle-DNA Intersection
Introduction
We have found that the critical weakness with training and nutrition programs today is that everyone is treated as though they were all exactly the same, which quite simply is an oversimplification of complex physiological processes. At any given point in time, two powerful forces intersect to determine who we are and shape our individual differences: our genetics (DNA) and lifestyle. Appreciating the impact these forces have in creating those individual differences will help empower you to build a high performance-fitness lifestyle
Survival of the Fittest
The story of who we are as individuals begins with our ancient ancestors and continues to this day, as we are forever evolving - interacting, responding and adapting daily to the changing forces of life in our personal environment. As the logic goes, in our quest to survive in ever changing and challenging environments, humans experienced specific adaptations which proved valuable. As a result, we have become a surprisingly resilient species – inhabiting the far corners of the earth, exploring the depths of the oceans, scaling the highest mountains, golfing on the moon and even setting our sights on distant planets and galaxies. We have been able to survive in virtually every environment on the planet, dining on cuisine ranging from essentially a high fat and protein diet among Eskimos of the Arctic to primarily starches among the locals of Peru in the high Andes. We are also one of the only species that has figured out how to elude premature death and survive to old age. Unfortunately, there are few among us who have channeled this insight into practice.
Our challenge today is the culture we have created; one that can significantly shorten our lives. Not just the technological advances that have coaxed so many into a sedentary existence but also such innovations as meal replacement powders, energy bars, fast food restaurants, and all you can eat buffets. It is an expansion of a survival mechanism passed on from our ancient ancestors – maximizing ‘calories in’ from our food while minimizing ‘calories out’ from physical activity. In many ways, obesity, diabetes, heart disease and other common maladies today are the product of a survival strategy initiated millions of years ago – energy conservation. We are victims of our own success, having created calorie dense foods (loaded with fat, sugar, sodium and an array of chemicals) while minimizing the amount of energy used through physical activity. Hunting and gathering have taken on new meaning at the drive up window at McDonald’s.
Your Personal Set of Genes
In 1952, scientists cracked the DNA code which led a half century later to completion of the Human Genome Project, one of the most extraordinary scientific accomplishments to date. It details the blueprint for building and running the human machine – from the physical function and composition of our internal and external physiology to our personality with all its idiosyncrasies. Your genetic blueprint defines how you differ from everyone else - muscles, hair, brain, nerves, right down to the molecular function of individual cells. Because of these variations everyone absorbs and uses nutrients, responds to exercise and copes with stress differently. So why is it we would think that generic exercise and nutrition recommendations should be applied to everyone?
Pumping Up Your DNA
As important as they are, genes are not fixed elements handed down by mom and dad (we simply can’t keep blaming them for everything) but rather are actively engaged in our lives, designed to take their signals from everything that happens to us from the moment of conception. Though your DNA remains protected inside its nuclear safe, its working copy RNA ventures out into the cell to do its work - frequently adjusting its directives based on day to day experience: shaped by your thoughts, emotions, actions and daily hits from living itself – free radicals, ultraviolet rays, carcinogens, global warming and pollution; or, in contrast, pumped up through exercise, nutrition, and mental toughness training. For example, stress hormones that play such a critical part in aging are regulated by RNA. When you train to become mentally tough, embrace challenges and reduce stress, the RNA in your cells responds by releasing fewer stress hormones.
When reduced to its most fundamental level, while your genes provide the governing frame of reference, it is your lifestyle that dictates how those genes are expressed – turned on and off. Consider, for example, how skilled you would be at something, anything, had you started training for it virtually from the day you were born. Every developing synapse, neuromuscular pathway and muscle fiber was directed towards your target. Few come even close. Still, many blame their genes for their lot in life. However, even the affect of ‘bad’ genes (mutations) that predispose us to many of the diseases we face today are very mild. It’s only when you severely stress your systems that they are activated and impact your health. Unfortunately, with modern excesses (overwork, alcohol, smoking, junk food and obesity) we are indeed severely stressing our DNA and compromising our health, fitness and performance in the process.
A good example of the impact of such stress on our genes is chromosome 17, for which 7 deadly cancers have already been identified, and protected by the P53 (tumor suppressor) gene. Various carcinogens (e.g., UV rays from the sun, smoking and aflatoxins from beans) affect the p53 gene by inactivating it. It is responsible for about 50% of human cancers! In real life terms, consider a man who, at the relatively young age of 40, weighed over 400 lbs, had high blood pressure, high blood sugars, and couldn’t see (legally blind) because of diabetes. Genetics you think. Not so fast. Within 8 months of initiating an exercise/nutrition program he lost more than 200 lbs, his blood sugars and blood pressure returned to normal, he was off all medications, and his vision returned. Two months later, 10 months after he had started, he ran in a marathon. This example underscores not only the powerful impact positive lifestyle actions have on your DNA but also the dramatic effect of poor choices.
Personalized programs that address your individual genes based on testing should arrive in a decade or two and nutrigenomics, a new discipline describing the interplay between nutrition and genes, is ramping up. We may learn precisely which combination of nutrients, vitamins, minerals, fats, carbohydrates, and proteins has the greatest impact on a specific individual – their waistline, cholesterol, body fat, muscle, and energy. The reality is we already have biomarkers that tell us exactly who we are and what we need to do to maximize health, fitness and performance. Ultimately, isn’t that the bottom line? (See Face the Facts on the United States Sports Academy website).