Why Epigenetics Are So Important - Part 2

What if I told you that your DNA doesn’t really matter that much. And then I told you that your DNA is only 15% of your total genetic material. And finally, what if I told you that while you can’t change your DNA, you CAN change the other 85% of your genetic material.

If you haven’t clicked away by now, I’m sure you’re at least thinking “This guy must have missed a few lectures in his science classes or has been sniffing chemicals in the lab for WAY too long.”

And you’re right, but that doesn’t mean I’m wrong! Before you dismiss what I’ve said, try figuring this out:

The cells in your eyeball and the cells in your toe have the EXACT same copy of DNA. In fact, every cell in your body has the exact same copy of DNA. So, how does an eyeball know how to be an eyeball, and a toe know how to be a toe? It would be a travesty if they got confused, wouldn’t it? I mean, it would be pretty painful to kick a soccerball. Talk about keeping your eye on the ball!

Here’s the answer: your eyeball knows how to be an eyeball and your toe knows how to be a toe because the cells in your eyeball and the cells in your toe READ YOUR DNA DIFFERENTLY. You should read that sentence one more time before continuing. Your eyeball reads the part of the DNA that tells it how to be an eyeball, and your toe reads the part of your DNA that tells it how to be a toe.

So, what does that have to do with my outrageous claims in my first paragraph? Well, there’s clearly more at work in your cells than merely your DNA. If you were to reach inside one of your cells and pull out the DNA, stuck to it would be millions of proteins and other small molecules that tell your cell how to read the DNA. In fact these proteins and other little molecules make up the other 85% of the weight and are JUST as important, and perhaps even MORE important, than the DNA itself. Just as a newspaper is no good to someone who can’t read it, DNA is no good to a cell unless it knows how to read it properly.

Furthermore, the proteins and other tags on your DNA can be altered or changed entirely by WHAT YOU DO, causing your cells to read your DNA differently. This means you actually have a HUGE degree of CONTROL over many aspects of how your body performs, both physically and mentally.

Wow, that was kind of mind-blowing, huh? I'd take a quick breather and then sit back down when you're ready for more.