PART 2 Angelina Jolie – Cancer: Are We Genetically Pre-programmed or Do We Have Control?

Welcome back to my blog on Genes vs. the Environment, which has been ignited by Angelina’s decision to remove her breasts based on a genetic mutation to BRAC1 gene. This mutation left her susceptible to breast cancer. (See Part I)

I believe that there are a number of choices that you can make to modify the expression of your genes through healthy lifestyle choices such as: Eating the right foods, exercising, breathing and understanding the power of positive thinking, which are effective on a cellular level. The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published an article stating “…some mutations cause an increased risk of illness, but that risk increase is very small in comparison with risks of other factors like diet and exercise.” (Goodman, Denise M., MD, MS “Genomic Medicine”, April 10, 2013). And that is exactly what I am talking about…

This article discusses Genomic Medicine, also called “personalized medicine,” which is a result of the Genome Project completed in 2003. This “personalized medicine” suggests customization to the individual, because every person is biochemically unique. The Genome Project allowed scientists to really begin to understand genes intimately, and amazing findings are still emerging…

This same article goes on to explain how everyone responds to their environment differently, and therefore to diseases as well. Our DNA sequence can have just a 1% variation; however this subtle difference is huge! A 1% difference could increase your “susceptibility” to disease OR, it could “provide protection”. Angelina was definitely more susceptible to breast cancer because of her gene mutation, but the question remains was there anything else that she could have done to support this mutation?

There is more, so let’s go deeper…

http://balance4lifenutrition.com/part-ii-angelina-jolie-cancer-are-we-genetically-pre-programmed-or-...