Comprehensive lifestyle changes including a better diet and more exercise can lead not only to a better physique, but also to swift and dramatic changes at the genetic level, U.S. researchers said on Monday. In a small study, the researchers tracked 30 men with low-risk prostate cancer who decided against conventional medical treatment such as surgery and radiation or hormone therapy.
The men underwent three months of major lifestyle changes, including eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and soy products, moderate exercise such as walking for half an hour a day, and an hour of daily stress management methods such as meditation. As expected, they lost weight, lowered their blood pressure and saw other health improvements. But the researchers found more profound changes when they compared prostate biopsies taken before and after the lifestyle changes. After the three months, the men had changes in activity in about 500 genes -- including 48 that were turned on and 453 genes that were turned off. The activity of disease-preventing genes increased while a number of disease-promoting genes, including those involved in prostate cancer and breast cancer, shut down, according to the study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The research was led by Dr. Dean Ornish, head of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, California, and a well-known author advocating lifestyle changes to improve health."It's an exciting finding because so often people say, 'Oh, it's all in my genes, what can I do?' Well, it turns out you may be able to do a lot," Ornish, who is also affiliated with the University of California, San Francisco, said in a telephone interview. "'In just three months, I can change hundreds of my genes simply by changing what I eat and how I live?' That's pretty exciting," Ornish said. "The implications of our study are not limited to men with prostate cancer."

Answer these questions (choose the best answer):

1. The article basically states that a healthy lifestyle:
can even alter your genes for the better.
has no effect on your genes.
is good for the environment.

2. Apart from eating healthy food and exercising, the men in the study:
were put under a lot of stress.
were taught stress management methods.
were given a lot of meat.

3. In total, how many genes changed as a result of the healthy lifestyle?
48
453
500

4. What happened to some of the disease-causing genes?
Their activity increased
Their activity decreased
There was very little change in their activity

5. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the article? - The men in the study:
complained about headaches
lost weight
lowered their blood pressure

Last modified: Friday, 14 January 2011, 2:05 PM