How Your Choices Can Change Your DNA

I used to think I was stuck with the body instructions I got from my parents. When my doctor told me I had the same health problems in my genes that made my grandfather sick when he was young, I felt scared. It was like having a timer inside me that I couldn't stop. But then I learned something amazing: we can actually turn our genes on and off, just like flipping light switches in our house.

Your Body's Amazing Instruction Book

Imagine your DNA is like a huge recipe book with 20,000 different recipes (these are your genes). Your parents gave you this recipe book when you were born, and you can't change the recipes that are written in it. But here's the cool part: you get to choose which recipes to cook and which ones to skip. You're like the chef who decides what to make for dinner!

This is called epigenetics (ep-ee-jen-et-ics), which is a fancy word that means "above the genes." Scientists found out in 2018 that when people change how they live - like eating better food or exercising more - they can change how 500 different genes work in just three months. That's like changing 500 recipes in your cookbook! You're not rewriting the recipes, but you're choosing which ones to use and which ones to ignore.

Every Choice Leaves a Mark

Every single thing you do leaves tiny marks on your DNA, like putting sticky notes on pages in a book. These sticky notes tell your body which instructions to follow and which ones to skip. Scientists call these marks methylation (meth-ill-ay-shun), but you can just think of them as reminder notes for your cells.

Here's what puts these sticky notes on your genes:

• The food you eat – Eating vegetables and fruits can turn off the genes that make you feel sick

• Moving your body – Just 30 minutes of playing, running, or dancing can change 7,000 genes (that's a lot!)

• Getting enough sleep – When you don't sleep well, it wakes up the genes that make you feel stressed and unwell

• Being calm and happy – Taking deep breaths and relaxing can change your genes in just a few hours

A famous doctor named Dean Ornish found something incredible. He studied people who were sick and helped them eat better, exercise, and relax more. These people actually made their telomeres longer. Telomeres are like the plastic tips on your shoelaces that keep them from coming apart. When they get longer, it means your body is getting younger on the inside!

Your Choices Can Help Your Future Kids

This is the really mind-blowing part: the sticky notes you put on your genes can be passed on to your children and even your grandchildren. It's like giving them a recipe book that already has your favorite recipes bookmarked!

Scientists studied families from a time when there wasn't enough food in Holland during World War 2. The babies born to mothers who didn't have enough to eat had special marks on their genes. These marks changed how their bodies used food. And guess what? Even their children (the grandchildren of the hungry mothers) still had these marks! The hard times those mothers went through actually changed the instruction book for their whole family line.

But here's the good news: A study from 2019 found that when dads exercise before having babies, their children are healthier. So when your parents go for a run or play sports, they might be making your genes work better!

Easy Ways to Help Your Genes

You don't have to change everything about your life to help your genes work better. Even small changes make a big difference. Scientists at Harvard University (a very famous school) found that tiny changes can help:

Simple things you can do:

Sit quietly and breathe deeply for 10 minutes (this helps over 1,000 genes!)

Eat broccoli once a week (it turns on genes that protect you from getting sick)

Go to bed 15 minutes earlier (this helps 700 genes that keep you healthy)

Drink water instead of soda (this helps genes that control your energy)

Play outside in the sunshine (this helps genes that make you feel happy)

Your Body Is Always Listening

I've been following these ideas for three years now. When I went back to the doctor, she couldn't believe how healthy I was. Even though I still have those same genes from my grandfather, my body is working better than when I was much younger. I didn't change my recipe book, but I changed which recipes I'm cooking.

Think about it this way: If your genes are like a music player, you can't change the songs that are loaded on it. But you can choose which songs to play, how loud to play them, and which ones to put on repeat. You're the DJ of your own body!

Here's what I want you to remember: When people say "it's in your genes," they're only telling half the story. Your genes give you possibilities, like having different crayons in a box. But you're the artist who decides which colors to use and what picture to draw.

Every healthy meal you eat, every time you play outside, every good night's sleep, every time you take a deep breath when you're upset – these aren't just good choices. They're like sending messages to your genes, telling them how to work better. And the best part? You're in charge of these messages.

Your DNA isn't a prison – it's a playground. And you get to decide what games to play.