In this recent Wall Street Journal article entitled Secrets of the ‘Wellderly’, sixteen of the nineteen paragraphs talk about longevity in terms of genes, and finding the DNA keys that could be modified to help us live longer. To quote Nir Barzilae, head of the Longevity Genes Project at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, “Our hypothesis is that in order to live to 100 or more, you need sets of genes that protect you by delaying aging and preventing age-related diseases.”

One paragraph reports a clear study from U.K’s University of Cambridge and the Medical Research Council that finds that people who exercise regularly, don’t smoke, limit their alcohol intake and eat five servings of fruits and vegetables a day live 14 years longer than people who don’t. Ironically, this statement is followed by a paragraph that observes that in the 95 to 110 year old age group presently being followed, there are no vegetarians, one-third of them were obese in middle-age, and one-third have been smoking tobacco for more than 40 years. It ends with the following comment by Dr. Barzilae: “I have a woman who recently celebrated 91 years of cigarette smoking. She is 106 now.”

We are bombarded by hope of the easy fix—if you can call gene changing easy—with little actual evidence. Even if gene changing is an “easy option,” what is the likelihood that we will see it in our lifetime? Hardly any credence is given in this article to common sense, with firm research, that supports the premise that lifestyle has a tremendous influence on both the quantity and quality of life. If I get blessed or cursed with ‘bad’ genes, do I take a nihilistic attitude, ‘eat, drink, and be merry,’ for I will die soon anyway? NOOOO!!!!

We can all take control of our own destiny of health, by following proven principles. Take into the body those things that are good for it, and avoid and remove from the body those things that are harmful. Start now. Follow the guidelines on this site today.