As scientists continue to study the human genome, it looks more and more like DNA is not destiny.
The "Epigenome" Reacts to the Environment
The "epigenome," a layer of biochemical processes that turn genes on and off, plays an enormous role in heredity and health. Researchers believe that by mapping the epigenome, they can better predict and treat disease.
The epigenome is passed from parents to children, but changes according to environment, and is one reason that "identical" twins can be so different.
Could Advance Knowledge of Diseases
Some human cancers have already been connected with epigenetic changes. The same could be done for other diseases, which would further our understanding of the environmental aspects of health.
More Difficult to Map Than Genes Themselves
Mapping the epigenome will be difficult, since not only does it change over time, but it differs in every major cell type, of which there are several hundred.
"We are well under 1 percent finished; 1 percent would be a massive overstatement," said John Stamatoyannopoulos, who founded the biopharmaceutical company Regulome. "But, ultimately, this type of knowledge will revolutionize the way we diagnose and treat disease."
Genes have been blamed for all sorts of medical difficulties patients face when, in fact, it is the genes' expression that really counts. The study of epigenomes, which regulate your genetic expression, continues to give further support to this.
One of the main reasons scientists search for a genetic basis for disease is so they can develop an expensive drug or therapy to sell you that will generate enormous profits for one of the multi-national drug companies. It is my firm belief that the influence of genes on your health has been exaggerated.
I'm not saying that genetics play no role whatsoever, but our genes are merely dumb storage facilities that do very little to influence our health. Otherwise, you'd be helpless to do anything about your health, which, of course, isn't true at all.
In fact, your environment and your lifestyle choices have great influence on the expression of your genes, which is why healthy choices are the key to a long and satisfying life, rather than just the luck of the draw.