Garey speaks with Brian and Randi on Your Prescription for Health about Epigenetics.
The word 'Epigenome' and epigenetics was first introduced to me by Vaughn Gray, my nutritional guru. Basically, the concept is simple. It was thought for decades that DNA was hard-coded. Vaughn explained to me since he was an early follower of this research, that even exercise and body movement can rewrite encoding in the DNA. The effects of exercise last a lot longer than once thought. Now, EpiGenetics has made the cover of Time magazine in January 18, 2010. I received this email from Dr. Sears who explains the Time article and then discerns for you and me, how we can use this information on a daily basis. After Dr. Sears lays it out, I will introduce how to implement a regimen based on this science in your own life. -Garey
From Dr. Al Sears:
You’re Not Stuck
With Your Family’s Genes
Have you seen the January 18th, 2010, issue of TIME magazine?
The cover story presents some exciting new research. It’s putting to rest the long-held belief that you’re stuck with what you got at birth.
If you think there’s nothing you can do to prevent getting a disease that runs in your family, think again.
As it turns out, you can literally reprogram your DNA – telling your body to slow aging, live longer, and prevent diseases.
Emerging New Science Puts You in the Driver’s Seat
This new branch of science is called epigenetics. Much to the surprise of the old way of thinking, your fate isn’t sealed by your DNA.
The evidence is startling: A study I read in Genome Research shows how one twin avoided disease while the other didn’t.
Identical twins share 100% of the same DNA. Not only do they share the same looks, they also usually share the same disorders and ailments.
For the study, researchers wanted to figure out why one twin had an autoimmune disease like lupus, and the other one didn’t, despite sharing identical genes.
The answer was found in their DNA. The twin that didn’t get lupus had genes that were programmed to keep the disease at bay. The one that did have it had that particular gene expression turned “on.”1
How was this possible? The choices each twin made had literally reprogrammed their DNA.
Change Your Children’s Genes
Did you know that any changes in your genetic expression made during your lifetime may get passed on to your children?
A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences studied two groups of genetically identical pregnant mice.
Both groups were fed a normal diet. The only exception was that the second group received supplements that positively affect gene expression (B12, folate, zinc, and choline).
Both groups of mice gave birth to female mice. Those mice then gave birth as well.
The end result? The original “grandparent” group that received supplements passed on the changes in gene expression to the children and grandchildren.2
If you’re planning on having kids, this is huge. The actions you take today will most likely affect them and their own children.
One of the easiest ways to affect your gene expression in this lifetime is to live in a healthy environment. Take personal responsibility and eat right and exercise.
Avoid bad habits like smoking, excess drinking, and eating chemical-laden junk foods. All these negatively affect your genes and predispose you to disease.
Express the Genes
That Fight Disease…
The impact of this study is far reaching.
Just because a disease like cancer runs in your family doesn’t mean you’re helpless. You don’t have to sit and wait to get sick.
You have some control over whether or not a disease catches up with you.
The “epigenome” makes this possible.
Simply put, the epigenome is a complex network of chemical switches. These switches surround your DNA and turn genes “on” and “off.”
But here’s where it gets interesting.
Your epigenome interacts every day with your environment. That means everything you come into contact with and everything you put into your body has the power to turn genes on or off via different chemical pathways.
The end result is the ability to change the way your body expresses your genetic coding.
Live Longer, Beat Disease
Today’s modern world is already predisposing your genes toward negative “expressions” that include disease.
That’s because your body is constantly absorbing toxins like heavy metals and harmful chemicals. Everything from the detergent you use to clean your clothes to the plastic bottles you drink from are to blame.
Smoking, excess alcohol, and poor diets also interact with the epigenome, telling it to switch on the “disease” genes.
The good news is, taking control of your genetic code is simpler that you might think.
It’s just a matter of developing good habits that promote positive gene expression. By doing so, you’ll boost your chances of living a longer, healthier, disease-free life.
For starters, keep your heart and lungs in good shape. Exercise as I describe in my PACE program. Not only will this prevent a slew of diseases on its own, it’ll also make your body better able to respond to negative environmental factors.
Next, eat whole, unprocessed foods. That means eating a similar diet to that of our ancestors.
Choose healthy proteins like grass-fed beef or free-range chicken. Wild-caught fish is good as well.
Eat plenty of vegetables and some fruits (preferably berries, as they’re high in protective antioxidants). They contain critical methyl-precursors. These are compounds that play an important role in the chemical process that actually changes gene expression.
Finally, there are a few supplements you can take that are proven to positively affect gene expression:
Omega-3 Fatty Acids – One study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that taking omega-3 daily tells your genes to prevent inflammation and hardening of the arteries.3 After just six months, the participants in the study had experienced a positive change in 1,040 of their genes. The best way to get your omega-3s is with a quality fish oil supplement. Aim for 1,000 to 2,000 mg per day.
Resveratrol – This powerful antioxidant found in red wine has recently been found to counteract age-related genetic change 92 percent of the time.4 That means it prevents your DNA strands from deteriorating, letting them live longer. Ultimately, this keeps you vibrant and healthy. You can find resveratrol as a supplement at your local health-food store. I suggest 200 mg per day.
SAMe (s-adenosylmethionine) – SAMe is a power methyl-donor. Simply put, it provides your epigenome with the critical building blocks it needs to switch your “good” genes on. It also prevents harmful substances in the environment from blocking vital chemical processes your DNA goes through to stay healthy and intact. Take 200 mg of SAMe per day for maximum benefit.
Vitamin B12 – This natural and inexpensive vitamin affects how long your DNA strands live. It does this by lengthening your DNA’s telomeres. Telomeres are a “tail” end to all your strands of DNA. Think of them as the biological countdown clock that tells your cells how long they have to live. As your cells divide, the telomeres become shorter. Once there’s no more telomere left, the cell dies. One of the best food sources are egg yolks and grass-fed beef. Otherwise you can supplement. Take anywhere from 100 to 500 mcg every day.
Javierre BM, Fernandez AF, Richter J, et al. “Changes in the pattern of DNA methylation associate with twin discordance in systemic lupus erythematosus.” Genome Res. 2009 Dec 22. [Epub ahead of print]
David I. K. Martin, M.D., Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute, Oakland, Calif; Marcus Pembrey, M.D., emeritus professor, pediatric genetics, Institute of Child Health, University College London, U.K.; Nov. 13-18, 2006, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
M. Bouwens, O. et al. “Fish-oil supplementation induces anti-inflammatory gene expression profiles in human blood mononuclear cells” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Volume 90, pages 415-424. June 2009
University of Wisconsin-Madison (2008, June 8). Substance In Red Wine, Resveratrol, Found To Keep Hearts Young. ScienceDaily.
How to Implement this emerging science: Message from Garey Simmons
I am truly grateful to Vaughn and Dr Sears for helping me to understand the absoluted and undeniable benefit of not only eating well but also for calling attention to the need to boost our health through supplementation of the right sort.
Fortunately for me and for you, I already carry all four of these recommended products.
Your Genetic Make Up Is No Longer an Excuse! Your DNA Does Not Have to be Your Destiny!
Omega-3 Fish Oil: As you know, Omega-3 fish oil as contained in Res-Q 1250 is the cornerstone of my health and the cornerstone product of my website.
SAMe: Thanks to research I did for my own kids, I added SAMe (we call it Mood Enhance) to our inventory and several members of my family take it. As the name implies, SAMe, Gaba and St. John's Wort makes it easier for the brain to make the right connections enhancing the neural pathways to the regions of the brain enhance mood.
Resveratrol: Resveratrol has been in the news for about two years now related to what is know as the French Paradox. Basically this extract, while called the anti-aging discovery of the decade, really helps with several aspects of health and heart health with its antioxidant properties.
Vitamin B-12: in the old days came in the form of an injection. It is called the "Feel Good Shot." The reason it was given by injection was that it needed to bypass the stomach in order to make it to the blood stream. We have a better delivery system now: Sublingual B-12. You just let the tablet dissolve under the tongue, bingo. Straight to the blood stream. While not only giving you more energy, B-12 also helps to control homocysteine levels. Homocysteine is a toxic amino acid that causes inflammation in the cardiovascular system.
Now add to these benefits the fact that these four supplements also aid your genetic expression and resist disease!
So the benefits of these four supplements are worth considering.
The full retail price for a month's supply would be $186.50. But we never sell at full retail.
The discount retail price that we sell these products at everyday is $130.95. (29% discount off retail)
But still, this is a lot of money to spend on a monthly basis.
Personally, I would rather see you healthy and changing your genetic expression than to hear someone say to me, "Oh, it's in my genetic code, I am doomed." "It's in my genes." "It's my heredity." No longer acceptable.
My dad suffered his first heart attack at age 55 and died at 65 from congestive heart failure. My mom had angioplasty at age 59. If I were to resign myself to these facts and accept that I will also suffer the same outcome, I would feel hopeless. Anyone who knows me knows that this is not the case. I hope this makes sense to you.
Value and Guarantee: How can you put a dollar value on a health benefit?
Here is the way I look at it: In the past, I have been accused of being penny-wise and pound foolish. As human beings we usually make decisions and especially buying decisions for "emotional" or "experiential" reasons. That Starbucks $4 coffee tastes good, but its an experience thing that people are looking for when they go to Starbucks. Dunkin Donuts has a good coffee but a totally different environment. It's more of a get in, get out type of place, unless you are retired and you hang out their with your chat buddies. If I wanted to do some work on my laptop while out and about, then Starbucks or Panera's would be my choice. I might spend $2 at Dunkin Donuts, $5 at Starbucks and $12 at Panera's.
We don't usually think about the cost/benefit ratio in a intellectual manner. But, if you do stop and "think" about it, which I did in 2005: I thought long and hard about the cost/benefit ratios in taking aggressive prevention measures concerning my heart health vs. doing nothing and possibly suffering a stroke, ensuing hospitalizations, possible early "retirement." (death).
It became clear that a few hundred dollars in prevention was chump change compared to tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars in hospitalization costs, risk of future handicaps and severe shifts in limiting lifestyle.
So when I make an offer and try to get it as cheap as possible, I am appealing to the wallet trigger wanting to make it as easy as possible for you to make a yes decision, just attempting to give a better value in capsules to cents.
Yet, I want to appeal to another part of your brain and remind you of something you intrinsically already know. There is a 10 X to 100 X or maybe even a 1000 X value benefit you can receive from investing in a little prevention work. That is what this is really all about!
My Wallet Trigger Offer: There is a lot of capsule/cents value here. Yet, more than that, there is a clear 10X to 1000X health benefit to be accrued over time. "Live long, live strong" to quote a well known cancer survivor!
Here is what you get:
Res-Q 1250: 200 Softgel Capsules of premium Omega-3 oils (take 3 twice a day.)
Resveratol: 60 capsules of 250mg of trans-resveratrol (take two a day)
SAMe: 30 capsules of SAMe 200 mg (take one45 minutes before food in the morning.)
Sublingual Vitamin B-12: 100 tablets of (take 3 a day under the tongue.)
Pick Your Price: Added to the Cart Individually the price is $130.95
Try for $109 One Time shipment plus $6.95 shipping
Monthly VIP
Auto Ship Shipping Included
"In case you have some of the products already on your shelf and need to just add one or two, here are the individual links to use."
In today's world, it is no longer possible to derive all needed nutrition from the foods we eat. There just isn't much 'ripe off the vine' goodness around any more. Especially in the arena of busy day workers and the fast food industry. Supplementation becomes key.
All leading doctors schooled in nutrition recommend a hearty, potent three a day multivitamin to cover all the basic vitamin, mineral and trace element needs.
Getting all the nutrition you need from your diet is downright difficult these days. You're making a conscious effort to do better and take care of that body of yours. So how to get the nutrients needed that just are in the food supply anymore?
A superior top quality multivitamin will help your body get the added nutrents you need. Many multi-vitamins on the market today just can't measure up to Life's Vitality. Check it out.
Omega-3 Fish Oil: As you know, Omega-3 fish oil as contained in Res-Q 1250 is the cornerstone of my health and the cornerstone product of my website. 
