Quote:
Originally Posted by guidoLaMoto
Read the Wiki article-- no commonality in lifestyle.
In regards no one does well on a western diet-- My maternal grand mother was 5'2" and weighed 350. She finally pooped out at age 92. My paternal grand mother was 5' even and weighed 280. She died in her sleep at age 86..Neither ever took a pill nor spent a day in the hosp in their lives. Between them, they had 14 kids.
Anecdotal, yes, but my professional experience will also bear witness to the fact that genetic factors cannot be superceded by lifestyle choices.
I will concede that, since most of us don't actually know what genes we have, it makes sense to assume they're bad and make the lifestyle choices that will aggravate the bad genes the least.
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You know that this thread is not about longevity, right? Your obese relatives would have been high risk for severe COVID-19 (the thread topic).
The link supports what I've said about epigenetic factors. Look at the 5 epigenetic factors listed for Okinawa. This is a commonality found in other so-called blue zones (areas with low chronic illness and higher life expectancy). These zones have ancestral (or traditional if you prefer) diets and lifestyles.
Epigenetic factors affect gene expressions, switching them on or off. Everything we are exposed to and consume affects genetic expressions; it doesn't change your genes but rather how they are expressed. Some epigenetic changes are not permanent and can be added or removed by changing diet and/or lifestyle. In other words, genetic susceptibility or predisposition to a
chronic illness means nothing if the marker is not switched on by diet, lifestyle or other environmental factors.
Most American adults have control over what they consume (and what they feed their children), and some other lifestyle factors, which is related to the thread topic. Avoiding the Western style diet alone makes a difference. It's also known that it negatively affects immunity.
Western diet is loosely defined as:
Excessive amounts of refined and processed foods, pre-packaged foods, processed meats, simple carbohydrates, salt, alcohol, red meat, sugary beverages and snacks, and
Inadequate amounts of fruits, vegetables and fish.
This is what Western diet means today, and for the purposes of studies, because this is how the majority has been eating for decades. It doesn't mean the Western diet of the 19th century which was probably closer to what your grandparents were raised on. It wasn't that great then but much better than today.
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