This expert article is brought to you by Simone Grove Cancer Wellness.
Working in cancer care, I hear the words genetics, genomes, and genomics almost daily. Many people become fixated on genetics, believing their DNA determines their fate. And the truth is, the real magic lies in epigenetics, because this is where each and every one of us has the power to influence our health and wellbeing.
Your Blueprint for Health
Imagine if you started to see your genetics not as your destiny, as your blueprint. A guide that can be shaped, modified, and improved by you. Yes, you read that correctly!
While genetics play a role in disease, research shows that only 5–10% of cancers are directly linked to inherited genes. The vast majority are influenced by epigenetic factors such as diet, lifestyle, and environmental exposures.
Simone Grove
Your genes are like an instruction manual for your body. And here’s the exciting part, those instructions can be switched on or off depending on how you live, what you eat, how you exercise, how you respond to stress and so much more.
One of the most common things I say in my clinic is this:
“Just because you have a known genetic mutation doesn’t mean that gene will express itself.”
Your environment and your daily choices all play a role in whether a gene is activated or not. Think about how identical twins, who share the same genetic code, can experience very different health outcomes depending on their diet, lifestyle, and environment.
Understanding Epigenetics
Think of it like this:
- The Card Game: Your genes are the cards you’ve been dealt, and how you choose to play them determines the outcome.
- The Gun Analogy: A gun with a bullet won’t fire unless the trigger is pulled. The bullet is the gene, and the trigger is your environment and lifestyle.
- The Fairy Lights: Picture your genome as millions of twinkling fairy lights – think Christmas lights! Epigenetic factors like nutrition and stress can switch a strand of those lights on, dim them, or turn them off completely.
Every thought, every bite of food, every lifestyle choice has an impact on gene expression. And that’s what makes epigenetics so empowering, because it means you have influence over your health story.
Food as Information
Two genes you may have heard of are BRCA1 and BRCA2. These play key roles in DNA repair and mitochondrial function. When they’re missing or mutated, cells can become more sensitive to damage from chemicals found in food or personal care products.
And here’s the positive, many nutrients actually help repair DNA and support healthy cell function. Food truly is medicine. What you eat, and the quality of what you eat, matters deeply.
Enter Nutrigenomics
This is where nutrigenomics comes in – the science of how your genes and diet interact. It explores how specific nutrients can influence gene expression, helping you to make personalised choices that support your unique genetic makeup.
We all have tiny variations in our DNA called SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms). Think of them as little typos in your genetic code, a bit like when you are sending a text and predictive text changes a word, giving it a completely different meaning. Some have no effect, while others can influence how you process hormones, metabolise nutrients, or respond to toxins. The exciting part is that diet is one of the powerful tools we have to influence these variations, and it’s something completely within our control.
Whilst your DNA may be fixed, you have control over your epigenetics, your lifestyle factors.
Your family history might tell you where to pay attention, it certainly doesn’t define your future. You do.
Your Personal Blueprint
A simple nutrition genome test, using a cheek swab, can reveal your unique genetic blueprint. As Nutrition Genome says, “Genes are not your destiny….They are your Blueprint”
It’s a starting point for understanding how your body works and where you can choose to make small, meaningful changes to support your health and vitality.
If you’d like to learn more about nutrigenomics or explore testing for yourself, I’d love to help you discover what’s possible for your body and your wellbeing. Contact me to start your journey.
Simone Grove Cancer Wellness
Supporting women through prevention, treatment and recovery, Simone’s work centres on helping the body function at its best through lifestyle, nutrition and personalised care that nurtures the whole person, physically and emotionally.
With a background in physiotherapy and advanced training across oncology rehabilitation, NLP, reflexology and more, her approach is both clinically informed and deeply supportive.
Explore Simone’s full profile in The Women’s Health Club directory to learn more.
