I read an interesting article about GLUT2, a gene that is linked to the habitual consumption of sugar. It gives us permission to blame our parents for our sweet cravings. Now is this a good thing? It's not a bad thing because it does help to understand what goes on in the body and how things work. But I don't think it is an answer to anything, after all it is only giving us an excuse to eat poorly and blame uncontrollable genetics.
While genetics play a role in our health they are not the defining factor. Having diabetes or heart disease or the sugar craving gene does not define our health; it only helps us to know what we need to strengthen. The other thing that our parents pass on to us is habits. Yes diabetes can run in the family and there may be a gene passed on, but the habits that are passed on can make or break that gene. For example I grew up with a girl who had several obese members in her family and they had health problems to go with their extra weight. She knew that she had a tendency to easily gain weight so she focused on the things that kept her in shape. Luckily her parents encouraged her to participate in sports so that helped. She really had to break free from her family cycle to stay fit. Taking a proactive made the difference for her.
So often it is the habits passed on that really create disease. High stress, poor eating and lack of exercise can be defining factors as to whether or not a genetic predisposition will turn into anything. This is especially true when it comes to type 2 diabetes; lifestyle makes all the difference.
If you have genetics in your family and you fear or maybe have already seen within you then take a look at the habits of your family. What habits do you have in common? Are these habits healthy or unhealthy and if they are unhealthy what new healthy habits can you replace them with?
Start with healthy eating. For more info on healthy eating made easy go here.
If you would like to read the news article on GLUT2 you can get it here.
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