Researchers at the University of Miami medical school are studying the theory that responses to food and exercise can be affected by a person’s individual genetic makeup. Their research initiative, called GEAR (Genes, Exercise, and Research), include studies on exercise and diet and how people respond to these based upon their genetics. The idea is that a food which promotes weight gain in one person won't do so in another, and that an exercise which burns fat in one person may not do so in another. This recognition that people respond to things differently is certainly not new. Even ancient medical systems such as Indian ayurvedic medicine consider that people are of different body and personality types and may require different foods or activities to maintain their health. The modern scientists are examining this concept on a molecular level to see the role that specific genes may play in how people respond to these stimuli.
Modern researchers like Bruce Lipton, Ph.D. and David Wilcock have written about the interplay between consciousness, environment, and DNA genetic codes, often referring to this as epigenetics. Epigenetics challenges many assumptions of traditional genetics theories, and offers great promise in helping us see our potential to overcome any dysfunctional genetic patterns we may carry. DNA functions to transmit programs/responses that arise as consciousness interacts with its environment. Our thoughts and feelings as well as environmental factors such as diet and exercise have been shown to change our genetic expression. Even light and sound frequencies have been demonstrated to alter genetics. If we know what programs we are carrying we can adjust our lifestyle to complement and align with the way we are programmed to respond. We can also consider discovering ways to actually change the underlying programs - essentially to rewrite our own genetic codes. Mind-body and energetic healing methods have shown great promise in the area of actually changing one's genetic expression. DNA activation methods have been developed by leading edge researchers and theorists such as Sol Luckman, whose Potentiate Your DNA describes his Regenetics method of genetic transformation and spiritual growth.
In an interview with Miami Herald reporter Fred Tasker, Sylvia Daunert, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the UM Medical School, says "Certain foods trigger addictive behavior in some individuals. They make you feel like you want more." She adds that "Different people respond differently to different foods... Celiacs can’t have grain; other people can’t break down fat. It has to do with their genetic makeup." Daunert points out the key role that digestion plays in how we respond to foods, reporting that "It’s whether the bacteria in your gut breaks down the food or stores it as fat."
One of the University of Miami studies examines how foods produce negative reactions in the body. "For some reason, the immune system recognizes some things we eat as foreign invaders instead of food," says John E. Lewis, Ph.D., associate professor in UM’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science. Dr. Lewis states that "It creates reactions from congestion to headache, upset stomach, bloating, indigestion". As a consequence, Lewis notes that "It creates chronic systemic inflammation, which can bring on serious problems. If you read the literature in the medical field, you see that inflammation is involved in many processes like diabetes, heart problems, cancer." According to Dr. Lewis "If you can eliminate these foods you calm the immune system and let the body stop reacting."
The researchers have found that better digestion can lead to weight loss: "Subjects who eliminated the foods had reductions in weight, body mass index, waist and hip circumference, blood pressure and quality of life." This was accomplished without greatly cutting calories. Researchers also found genetic differences in studying how people responded to physical exercises. People who greatly benefited from a particular type of exercise appeared to have differences in specific genes as compared to those who showed little or no benefit from the same exercise. The UM researchers hope that their findings can be applied to help people access tests which can predict which diet and exercise protocols will be most effective in helping them reach their health and wellness goals.
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