DIABETES. IS GENETICS TO BLAME?

As a practicing Naturopath, I am interested to find out why there is a high increase in Diabetes. There are 240 million diabetes sufferers in the world and this has increased seven fold in a 25 year period.

The question that I am seeking an answer to is have our genes changed its genetic code or have they altered from generation to generation?

I believe that genes don’t change but the environment has changed over time. We are seeing that genes are expressed by environmental and lifestyle factors. Poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, stress and exposure to environmental poisons will turn on the genes for DIABETES.

Having parents that suffered with diabetes means that genetically you may be pre-disposed but it’s not a death sentence. How you eat, how much you exercise and other modifiable lifestyle factors drive this inflammation which is the predominant denominator in diabetes and obesity.

External sources that contribute to inflammation include, food, water, air, drugs, pollution, heavy metals, stress and internal sources include oxidative stress, free radical production, allergies, infection and a big consideration………..GUT MICRIOBIOME!

These sources do not change the gene but expresses it or switches them “ON” or “OFF” and is called EPIGENETICS.

In practice, I encourage DNA Epigenetic Testing to my clients as I believe this is the future of  preventative medicine and wellness. The information obtained allows proactively expressing genes through lifestyle changes including diet and supplementation. Using Smart DNA testing, a Genomic wellness test includes:

• Lipid metabolism
• Metabolic syndrome and Diabetes
• Inflammation
• Sodium Sensitivity
• CoQ10
• Omega 3 and Omega 6
• Vitamins
• Methylation, Folate and Cofactors
• Choline
• Caffeine Metabolism
• Coeliac disease
• Lactose Intolerance
• Oxidative stress
• Phase I detoxification
• Phase II detoxification
• Weight management
• HPA axis and Stress response
• Sleep and seasonal variation
• Physiogenomic Integration of Genetic and functional variability

So I therefore believe DIABETES is not a genetic disorder. You may be pre-disposed having inherited genes from your parents, but these genes can be expressed via dietary and lifestyle factors.