Many people assume the diseases that kill us are pre-programmed into our genes. High blood pressure by 55, heart attacks at 60, maybe cancer at 70, and so on... But for most of the leading causes of death, our genes usually account for only 10-20 per cent of risk.
Interpretation
Genetics play a smaller role in our health outcomes than many believe.
Michael Greger emphasizes that while genetic predispositions are often thought to determine our health and longevity, they only account for a small percentage of the risks associated with major diseases. Environment and lifestyle choices significantly impact our health, suggesting that we have more control over our well-being than we might assume.
In practice
In a health seminar discussing the impact of lifestyle on well-being.
Anyone who's promoting the exact diet that they were in previous years probably isn't keeping up with the latest science, though in general, the balance of evidence has remained remarkably consistent - centering one's diet around whole plant foods.
While consumers may be more shocked by pink slime or the feeding of Prozac to poultry, the routine feeding of millions of pounds of human antibiotics to chickens presents a much graver threat.
Quit smoking, and observe posted speed limits. This will improve your odds of getting old enough to be wise.
It is easy to lay the blame on successive governments for failing to address health as a fundamental right for the Indian people. But the real tragedy is that we, the people of India, have not taken our government to task for this catastrophic failure.
Whether you're six or sixty, if you go on a diet and lifestyle program and feel constrained, you're likely to go off it sooner or later. Offering a spectrum of choices is much more effective; then, you feel free and empowered.
I know three people who have got better after a brain tumour. I haven't heard of anyone who's got better from Alzheimer's.
Healthy people are those who live in healthy homes on a healthy diet; in an environment equally fit for birth, growth work, healing, and dying... Healthy people need no bureaucratic interference to mate, give birth, share the human condition and die.
Some people who are obsessed with food become gourmet chefs. Others become eating disorders.
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