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These days, it seems like half the studies popping up are looking for the “genetic cause” of something. They’ve found genetic causes for ADHD, autism, diabetes, and even obesity. If it’s epidemic in our society today, you better believe they’ve either found or are searching for the “genetic cause” of that disease.
But this idea is flawed. Not everything is caused by genetics. And just because something is in our genes, does not mean it has to happen! My parents are both overweight — my brother and I are not. Are we “genetically predisposed?” Sure. Was I, at one point, heavier than I am now and struggling? Yes. But since genetics are not the whole story, I’m now at a normal weight and I don’t struggle.
The real reason that people want to blame genetics, I believe, is so that they are not responsible for their own health. “There’s nothing I can do,” they explain, “it’s genetic.”
Do Genetics Play a Role?
Nobody is denying that some things are genetic. For example, my father is colorblind. I carry the gene for it. Any son of mine has a 50/50 chance of being colorblind, too. There’s nothing I can do about that. Or how tall my kids are, or what color their hair is…. It’s all genetic.
And yes, there are genes that play in disease, too. Huntington’s is genetic. Diabetes (type I) is genetic. There’s even a gene for breast cancer, BRCA-1 or BRCA-2. Having these genes does increase your susceptibility to developing these illnesses.
But do you have to, in all cases? No.
The choices that we make in life affect how our genes are expressed. We’re not born with pre-programmed genes that just “do” stuff to us, regardless of our choices. Choosing to eat a poor diet, get no exercise, drink and smoke heavily, etc. is going to seriously increase your chances of experiencing disease, genetic or otherwise. Most people realize that.
But a lot of people don’t believe that they can really do anything about their disease, whatever it is. Most people aren’t extreme enough to *only* eat junk food, and drink and smoke heavily. Most people attempt to eat what is considered a ‘balanced’ diet in this country, not smoke, and drink only in moderation. So they don’t see any connection between their lifestyle and what happens to them. “I was only following the usual advice, and I got sick anyway.” (Never mind that between 50 and 80% of the population now suffer from some serious illness; clearly ‘the usual advice’ isn’t working!)
Why is Blaming Genetics Bad?
There is a two-fold answer here: part one is a total lack of responsibility for one’s choices, and part two is over reliance on the medical system.
The lack of responsibility is really astounding to me: “I can’t help that I’m overweight, I’m just destined to be because my whole family is.” Might that be because your whole family chooses a similar lifestyle? And might you be able to change that?
Or, “Autism is only genetic and has nothing to do with environment at all.” Okay, I know that no parent wants to think that any choice s/he made in good faith could be partially responsible for their child’s disorder, but it might be. Whether that’s poor food (gut damage), vaccines, environmental pollution, etc. those things could be partly responsible!
The thing is, people don’t really want to be responsible for their own health. They don’t want to acknowledge that some choice they’ve made could be seriously responsible for any issues they’re facing. They don’t want to change. And if the root or primary cause of their problems is genetic, well…there was nothing they could have done, anyway. Right?
It pains me to see people blame uncontrollable factors for their illness when I know that probably a large part could be eliminated or at least controlled better by making different choices. I don’t want people to be sick. I want them to feel well and have energy and enjoy life!
But it’s harder to change than it is to stay the same. It’s harder to sort through all the conflicting information out there than to just believe whatever your doctor says. I think that most people do mean well, but they do not know who to believe or what will really help. It’s confusing to them. And most changes advocated are fairly dramatic, and often leave people feeling deprived and unhappy. It’s easier to throw up your hands and say, “I give up. This isn’t helping anyway. There’s nothing I can do.”
Over Reliance on Medicine
If you don’t know the answer, and you aren’t feeling well, your doctor is the place to turn. But doctors are there to treat disease. They are there to manage disease, look for signs of disease and generally “handle disease.” They are sick care. Their usual solution to keeping people healthy is to screen them regularly for disease (annual physicals, perhaps with additional screening tests depending on concerns).
But there’s controversy in this approach. Sometimes people have very normal variations in their bodies (we’re not all the same) that can lead to additional tests and worry. Sometimes tests come back with a false result — positive or negative. There are huge concerns about exposure to radiation via mammograms or CT scans! In fact, some studies have even shown that in patients who carry the BRCA-1 gene (who are recommended to get at least annual mammograms from their early 20s, possibly more frequent if anything ‘unusual’ is detected), those who follow the recommendations are more likely to develop breast cancer than those who are screened less frequently!
It becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy: “Thank goodness I had all those screenings and took all that preventative medication, or I’d be worse off than I am now!” — But no one can possibly know that. Perhaps an illness would have gone undetected and untreated. But perhaps the ‘prevention’ contributed to the development of said illness. There is no way to tell which is the case for any particular individual. Some feel more comfortable having the screenings, because “at least I’m doing something,” but all they’re really doing is searching for disease. They’re not doing anything to actively prevent disease.
(Which is why I hate the message that major cancer organizations spread: “Awareness!” Thanks, but we are all aware of cancer in various forms, especially the ones that one-third to one-half of the population will develop in their life time. What we need is a message of prevention. All that ‘awareness’ really does is create fundraising opportunities, and most of that money goes to conventional treatments, not research into prevention, which is what we all need.
(I also super hate the language “___ lowers your risk of cancer!” No, “Not _____ increases your risk of cancer!” Smoking increases your risk of cancer. Not eating broccoli or other fresh vegetables increases your risk of cancer. Not exercising increases your risk of cancer. Not breastfeeding increases your risk of cancer. And so on. Saying that something ‘decreases your risk’ supposes that cancer is generally normal and unavoidable and lets us psychologically believe that in doing that thing, you are doing a good job and being healthy — ‘decreasing’ your risk. When in reality, not doing all these things is causing you harm and increasing your risk. That is psychologically uncomfortable to people so they don’t phrase it that way. But that is the truth. I could write an entire post just about the language we use in order to be PC and make people feel good about living less-than-ideal lives, but I won’t; at least not now. And no, I don’t think we can actually live ‘ideal’ lives, but if we realized the true risk of our behaviors we could choose which risks to take more carefully.)
What Do We Do About Genetics VS. Lifestyle?
There is just not “one” reason why we experience disease. It is possibly to be genetically predisposed towards a disease, and in that case, one must be a lot more careful not to do anything that could increase the risks of developing that disease. But even in this case, one is not guaranteed to develop the disease.
Take, for example, someone I know. For quite awhile in her adult life, she felt that she was potentially at risk for breast cancer because her aunt had suffered from it (so did mine, actually). Her mother, though — now in her late 70s — has not had any issues. I once asked her what their lifestyles and diets were like. In describing her mother: “Oh, she lived on a farm and cooked everything from scratch, we never had processed foods.” In describing her aunt, “She never cooked, she lived on processed foods and rarely exercised.” The real answer there wasn’t genetic, but lifestyle. I tried to explain that if she chose a healthy lifestyle that she need not worry so much about her own risk!
It’s not easy to choose to take care of your health — to read the research, make sense of the information, make the ‘best’ choices (for your situation) even if they are not easy. It’s not easy to cook from scratch all the time. It’s not easy to choose your own health care or look for alternative doctors. It’s not easy to try special diets to improve your health! But is it worth it? Absolutely.
While genetics can play a role, we need to stop blaming them as ‘the answer’ to our problems. They are not. We are not helpless to just play the hand we’ve been dealt. We can do something about it! And I know this from personal experience. I’ve spoken about our story a bit before, but here’s the thing: we once thought that digestive issues were just “the hand we’d been dealt” and that there was nothing we could do but endure and treat the symptoms. It was genetic, and that was that. Our children would suffer too and hate us for it.
But that’s not how it turned out. We don’t suffer anymore and our children don’t either. We know it’s not “just genetic;” it was something that we could help, and we did! Not easily, and we’re still not done “fixing” it, but we are a world away from where we were five years ago. And although it hasn’t been an easy road, I’m glad we did not blame it on genetics and just accept that we were meant to deal with those issues forever!
What do you think? Do people blame “genetics” too much?
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TESTING!
I see and agree with your point. But as a biological scientists I see that your understanding of genetics is greatly misunderstood and would not get you very far in the scientific community.
Fantastic post! Thank you. So true. People tend to blame anything but themselves / their own choices. This is really sad that in majority people do not tend to research stuff and just blindly trust doctors. If you do not have an MD you can not form an informed opinion about any disease. This is so short sighted.
Did you hear about this: "A new study of twins suggests that environmental factors, including conditions in the womb, may be at least as important as genes in causing autism." It just came out this Monday. The "conditions in the womb" they refer to are certain medications the women were taking. I read it in the New York Times Health section: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/05/health/research/05autism.html?_r=1&ref=health
see what you are saying but do you suffer from any major genetic disease? I do. Recently found out that I suffer from two major clotting disorders which makes me more likely to die during surgery/child birth etc. I have another genetic disorder in which I gain weight at a rapid pace. In order to maintain my weight I must work out 4 hours a day. I've eaten whole foods diet for a while but I remember when I was eating incredibly clean and exercising 2 hours a day and I GAINED weight. My point is that it is so easy to judge someone from the outside but you have no idea what they truly face. For some people it really is genetics
That’s not true.. It’s not genetics, even in your case. Stop eating so much and you won’t gain weight. Period. Why believe the daily recommended calorie requirements because they’re on a label.. Cut that by 15%, you’ll be just as healthy and won’t gain weight.
There are two issues: 1. people use genetics as an excuse way too often. 2. people don’t really understand how much food they really need (rather eat when they want).
Bob,
I agree that people blame genetics too much…hence the point of the article.
However, weight loss isn’t as simple as calories in –> calories out. There are a lot of factors that influence how your body processes food and whether or not it stores it as fat. This includes hormone balance, metabolism, etc. These factors CAN be changed if you are aware of what is going on, they are not genetic (entirely). So I get your point but it doesn’t look at all the complex issues surrounding body weight.
I think for our family, finding out that through genetic testing that my daughter was gluten intolerant (and that we as her parents were as well, since she had 3 out of 4 markers) was the key to HOW to change her life and our lives to stop certain diseases! It was a blessing which led us down a much more difficult path of changing our eating permanently. It certainly wasn't an excuse for how she/we lived before or would live in the future – it was an answer on HOW to stop the health problems that plagued her for years and to look forward to a future of health! We are so thankful for the answers that give us guidelines that help us to avoid disease and health problems through new lifestyle changes.
Missy,
I'm sorry that has been your experience. I did acknowledge in this post that some things ARE genetic. But I think our culture is looking at genetics TOO often. Perhaps there is 0.1% of people for whom any of these things — obesity, etc. — are just genetic. But not nearly as often as people think. Certainly not in the 60% of the population that is currently overweight! More people do need to take responsibility for their own health, because the epidemics of health problems that have ravaged us over the last 20 – 30 years just aren't genetic, because people didn't suddenly become genetically different and therefore sick!
Julie,
Yes, you're right, sometimes testing can help us figure out what to do next. But using that testing responsibly, to know what and how to change, is totally different than some people, who just assume "It's genetic…and so I can't do anything about it."
This is a topic that I have been wanting to write about as well. I am tired of genetics being blamed for everything. A gene will not express itself at all unless the environment surrounding it becomes favorable to that expression. Nutrients matter, therefore what we eat can dictate A LOT!!!
I really appreciate this post. I'll try to be brief, but my guess is that I won't.
For years (since junior high and I am 28 yrs this weekend) I have assumed that being 'fat' was just the way of life. My grandfather is a binge eater and so is my mother. I have an aunt who has struggled with anorexia her entire adult life. Eating issues seemed to just go hand in hand with our family. Then, trying to help me, my mother took me to the doctor for acne issues. The doctor prescribed hormonal birth control. Within one year I gained over 50 pounds. I was in college and really not too aware of myself. I knew it was happening, but I didn't know why. I got married that same year and after a couple years decided that the birth control was part of the problem, but that being 'fat' was inevitable.
I have, for the last 4 years, been reading more and more about real food and have made small changes. But the weight is still this huge issue for me. I cognitively know what needs to change, but honestly, it feels insurmountable. Digestive/gut issues are an issue for me. GAPS would probably be a good idea…but I'm afraid of my own self control.
Through it all, however, I have realized that this doesn't have to be a family forever thing. Cognitively, I know I can change. I think a lot of people know they can change. But like you said, change is really hard. Knowing who to talk to and where to turn is extremely difficult. My friend said it best 'shut your mouth and exercise' is probably the way I'm going to have to go to get the initial extra 100 pounds I am carrying off of my body. But it doesn't have to be this way – you're right. But it isn't easy. The journey is really, really, really long.
@Alaina – I'm sorry to hear about your struggles. Given your probable genetic predisposition towards food and weight issues, this must be a bit hard to hear. And if you are carrying 100 extra pounds, I'm glad to say that you should be able to start losing it fairly easily and it shouldn't be that hard (depending on your own eating habits). My recommendation would be to get out and walk. Start by going around the block, or up the street and back. Go to where you feel like you've had enough, then go slightly farther before you're done. After walking, give yourself a 'treat'…but a real food healthy one. Maybe make a fruit smoothie (add some peanut butter and it will be WAY richer and smoother…like silk) with yogurt and fruit and juice, or eat some fruit with REAL whipped cream (cream, a sprinkling of powdered sugar or a little bit of maple syrup, and a touch of vanilla)…it's decadent. Numerous studies have shown that exercising can actually kill your willpower to resist temptation later on. So if you exercise, you've exerted your willpower and then will indulge later. Instead of indulging later when you can barely hold on and then end up gorging on the indulgence, do it immediately to kill that desire.
As you get better at walking and can go farther, go to that same point you walked to before – to where you think you can't go farther, and then go a little farther. If you focus on how you feel as opposed to how far you've gone, you'll find that you can go farther than you expected and you won't get yourself down (I know that I can run much farther than 2 miles in one stretch, but if I decide I'll do 2 miles I'll feel like there's NO way I can go farther). Focus on your feelings instead of going a certain distance and, for instance, I spent half an hour running this morning (between 3 and 4 miles, I think…not sure) and felt better when I got back than if I just do 2 miles. So push yourself, reward yourself with real food, and try to cook and eat to heal your gut…I have a feeling that you can do great things and lose that weight easier than you thought! Plus you should save money in the process! And maybe you could even give us an update every so often…guest post or the like.
Sorry that went so long…I'm in a funky mood tonight (leaving for somewhere up to a week tomorrow morning) and don't feel like doing much else. But I hope this helps!
One of my favorite quotes is "genetics is your tendency not your destiny." I used to think my struggle with weight was genetic and there was nothing I could do about it. As I've discovered the best way of eating for me I've found there actually is hope and I can feel good and lose weight.
@Emma,
Not to be rude, but I exercise a lot. I can do a lot more than walking. I run, I bike 5 miles to work 4 times a week, and I hike at least 5 miles most weekends. Sorry, but it offends me that people assume that I can lose weight fairly easily.
Because I can't. Yes, I am exceedingly honest that a lot of it has to do with not always good food choices. I would never say that isn't true. But some of it is un-learning what I spent 28 years learning from this culture. For some people this is easy and for others it is really difficult. For me, exercise isn't the issue. I eat green smoothies almost every day, have a salad with dinner every night and I live in Alaska, so we have fresh salmon twice a week. Normal meals are rice and beans, salads, fish and whatever veggies are in season. All our meat is grass fed, and we eat mostly real food. There is no current raw milk source for us. I've looked. We use coconut oil and butter. We make yogurt and kombucha.
For me, the weight is related to emotional issues and naturopaths have told me that for my particular body make-up, lots of it has to do with the hormonal birth control. Apparently it is taking an exceedingly long time to get out of my system. Overall, my biggest enemy is sugar, not laziness. But I want people to understand that it isn't 'easy' to lose weight sometimes. Sometimes, it doesn't come off quickly. This can have to do with genetic factors, but I think people do blame genetics too much. In my case, I'm trying everything I know – and it has been 3 years – and I am just NOW starting to see results. That's a long time to wait, but I pray the payoff will be worth it at some point.
So, I do appreciate your advice, but honestly, that advice doesn't really apply to my situation.
I think that more things also tend to be blamed on genetics because of the fact that gut flora is passed down through the generations. Conditions like asthma and allergies are often said to have a genetic link because you're more likely to get them if someone in your family also has asthma or allergies. Now that I know about GAPS, though, I'm sure that this is mostly because poor gut flora is passed from mother to child so you can easily have a whole family of people suffering from the same poor gut flora.