Genetics / Epigenetics

Genetics. According to the CDC, “If you have a family health history of disease, you may have the most to gain from lifestyle changes and screening tests. In many cases, healthy habits can reduce your risk for diseases that run in your family.”

An article from University of Alberta, using data from a genome meta-study, states that “[d]iseases including many cancers, diabetes and Alzheimer’s have a genetic contribution of five to 10 per cent at most…”

Not only that but other studies have also found that you can genetically pass on an unhealthy lifestyle. For example, being obese while pregnant increses the odds of having obese childern by more than 50%.

Here’s the compelling science-backed health data that I’ve found so far. Please let me know if I’ve made any mistakes so I can remove or correct the incorrect sections.

Genetics

Key Takeaways

Epigenetics & Lifestyle vs Genes

• Diet & Lifestle vs Genes [2019, Dec]
  A Meta-Analysis of: 569 genome-wide association studies (GWAS), well over a million, minimum, individual DNA profiles.
  “The vast majority of diseases-including many cancers, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease-have a genetic contribution of five to 10 per cent at best.”
  “The study also highlights some notable exceptions, including Crohn’s disease, celiac disease and macular degeneration, which have a genetic contribution of about 40 to 50 per cent.”
  “Despite these rare exceptions, it is becoming increasingly clear that the risks for getting most diseases arise from your metabolism, your environment, your lifestyle or your exposure to various kinds of nutrients, chemicals, bacteria or viruses, explained Wishart.” 
  https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0220215
  https://www.ualberta.ca/en/folio/2019/12/dna-is-not-your-destiny-genetics-a-poor-predictor-of-risk-for-most-diseases-study-suggests.html

Passing on Epigenetics – Hereditary Genetics

• Passing on Genes from Lifestyle [2016, Nov]
  A Review Article of: over 100 peer-reviewed resources.
  “Several studies have confirmed the role of epigenetics in allergic conditions, and asthma is considered as one of the most complicated diseases in this category. Evidence suggests that both asthma and epigenetic mechanisms are heritable, and 36–79% of heritable, familial asthma cases have non-Mendelian inheritance pattern in more than 100 genes, which covers only a small portion of the disease etiology. Interestingly, asthma and epigenetic modifications have been shown to be transferred from affected mother more than affected father in parental origin features, which can be a result of immune interactions between the fetus and the mother. Utero exposures can affect asthma as well as epigenetic modifications, and both features can be influenced by environmental factors.“
  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5075137/

• Passing on Obesity to Offspring [2021, Jan]
  Comparative Observational Study of: 217 subjects with an 88% follow-up rate.
  This article cites “[…] comparisons of siblings before and after maternal bariatric surgery showed that maternal obesity before and during pregnancy promotes obesity in offspring.“
  The cited article states that “[a]fter maternal surgery, the prevalence of obesity in the offspring decreased by 52% and severe obesity by 45.1%, with no increase in the prevalence of underweight,” and that “[t]he results demonstrate the importance of potentially modifiable epigenetic factors in the cause of obesity.”
  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7816219/

• Passing on Obesity to Offspring [2024, Jul]
  A Review Study of: over 180 peer-reviewed studies.
  “Current research unequivocally illustrates the transgenerational transmission of obesity. Recent studies in both mice and humans have revealed that both undernutrition and overnutrition contribute to metabolic disorders in offspring, shedding light on some of the underlying mechanisms.”
  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11263020/#s8