Mr. JoMo just got back from Tahiti where over lunch of Poisson Cru one day we started debating the relative value of good genes versus lifestyle and what matters most in terms of living a long and healthy life.

Of course the debate started when I questioned the amount of French fries that were arriving at the table as well as the butter that was being spread on some great French baguettes (we were, after all, in France technically).

On the one side there were the Gene-ists; those that believed that genes trump all and that you can lead whatever lifestyle and nothing matters as its “written in stone” as to whether you will get whatever disease you are genetically coded for. These are the groups that point to people like Jim Fixx, author of “The Complete Book of Running”, who died at 52 after his daily run and whose Father had a heart attack at 35 and another, which eventually killed him at 42. And there are always endless stories of “Aunt Mary” who smoked until she was 95 and “Uncle John” who drank and ate what he wanted into his 90’s. And then there is the obese, unhealthy but happy person that lives way longer than the skinny, fit and depressed one. We have all heard these stories right! Why even bother when there is nothing you can do about it; enjoy the Mac and Fries!

On the other side there are the Nutrition-ists. As it implies of course, nutrition and lifestyle are fundamental to good health and that longevity, health and wellness are driven by what you eat, think, your environment and your overall lifestyle. That there are ample documented cases of nutrition and lifestyle changes curing multiple forms of disease and that its mostly how you live your life, not what you were served up with at birth, that is a major determinant of your future health, wellness and longevity.

To me, I am in the middle, call me a “Nutri-Genist”. My view, more and more, is that we are all dealt a pack of cards at birth in the form of a pre-determined disposition to good, bad or questionable health but its up to us as individuals as to how the deck is dealt and how the game is played out. Of course, there are obviously clear genetic dispositions to certain disease and disorders that are (currently) irreversible but I also think we control in many instances particularly of modern day disease, the ability to influence and direct whatever our future is despite the cards we are dealt. Put another way, yes, we may have genetic disposition towards certain diseases but lifestyle, exercise, diet, nutrition and environment plays a significant role in whether any genetic disorder is actually ultimately triggered or not. So it’s not completely out of our control. And given the state of our environment, the air we breathe (here in Los Angeles!), the toxins, additives and artificial ingredients in our foods, the hormones and nitrates in meat and their estrogenic and hormonal effect, BPA in plastics, water quality, and the mis-information from drug companies as to potential side effects, I think we are in a constant battle to protect the delicate nature of whatever health we have been dealt at birth.

So in the case of Aunt Mary, she may just be a case of having a really strong resistance to the lung cancer gene however that works. And the obese, happy guy may actually be living in a state of less inflammation than the skinny depressed guy and the overall hormonal impact on the skinny guy as a result of the adrenal and cortisol floods may be what is actually killing him by triggering an immune response or cancerous cell mutation. And in Jim Fixx’s case, and many others like him, the genetic disposition to a heart attack was just too strong no matter what he did, what he ate and how hard he trained. That in some instances, no matter what you do, how you eat and how hard you try, there may be nothing you can do because the genetic coding is just too strong (such as in family histories of certain disorders and cancers; many which result in individuals taking pre-emptive action as in breast removals in anticipation of breast cancer). And in other cases, you may be always in a state of “potential” disease (sort of like a “genetic tightrope”!) and its how you live your life, your diet, your environment, your exposure to toxins and state of mind that determines whether disease is actually triggered or not.

Cancer is a classic example. We all have cells that are mutating everyday that are either cancerous or potentially cancerous. Its part of a cycle of cell destruction that happens constantly. We also have a built in defense to those cells mutating and invading the body and the stronger our defenses and immunity, the less chance the cancer cells have to survive and wreak the destruction that they do. This is obviously an oversimplification of an incredibly complex disease but the bottom line is that we can either provide ourselves with the best defenses and immune support as possible or we can just leave it to the natural order to determine whether that microscopic single cell has the opportunity to mutate. Me, I am all in favor of giving as much ammunition as possible to the bodies own natural defenses despite my genetic coding whatever that might be.

Also just look at the incidence of ADHD in children and the explosion in diabetes and other autoimmune disease including many related to joint pain and arthritis, heart disease and cancer. Is it possible that we may just harbor the genetic code for many of these disorders that are triggered in some people and not in others? And that diet, lifestyle and environment may be the trigger? Take diabetes, especially adult onset or Type 2 that is epidemic in the US. There is a lot of growing medical and scientific support for the view that type 2 diabetes is triggered by environment and is clearly associated with nutritional and exercise habits. In this case, yes, genetics may have dealt the potential for diabetes but you may have activated it through lifestyle, environment or exposure to certain toxins or, as recent research suggests, too much soda! The same with ADHD in children and the link to additives in food and soda consumption, which are so prevalent in today’s diets. And look also at the scary research that is growing surrounding BPA in plastics and other everyday items that, in microscopic levels, is now being linked to all forms of hormonal disorders including various forms of cancers due to the estrogenic effect. Those microwave dinners in plastic containers over the years could have triggered any number of diseases including prostate cancer in men and breast cancer in women (and some men).

So for me, here is my history, encephalitis and in a coma for nearly a month at age 9, osteomyelitis at 11 and nearly lost my leg, multiple instances of viral pericarditis at 18 and osteopenia at current age 46. What’s up with that! Those that know me know I live a life of dedication to fitness and wellness and maximum nutrition since as long as I can remember. So what’s up with me? Doctors just shake their head at me and how many times have I heard “this shouldn’t happen to a guy like you!” Could it be a genetic trait that I am coded for in terms of inflammatory disorders? Probably. Maybe. All I know is that I am going to continue to push back at whatever I have been dealt by maximizing my defenses and counterattacks every moment of the day through diet, nutrition, exercise and a positive state of mind. And that’s my formula for living as long and as healthy as I can. And genetics be dammed!!

Mr. JoMo