How Health and Lifestyle Choices Can Change Your Genetic Make-Up

How Health and Lifestyle Choices Can Change Your Genetic Make-Up
http://www.theatlantic.com/life/archive/2011/11/how-health-and-lifestyle-choices-can-change-your-genetic-make-up/247808/

"Since researchers cracked the human genome some 10 years ago, we've had a heightened awareness of the importance of genetics in our risk for certain diseases and disorders, both mental and physical. Subsequent studies have continued to find connections between our genetic profiles and our likelihood of developing health problems, from breast cancer and heart attack to depression, obesity, and Alzheimer's disease. Some people choose to undergo genetic tests to determine whether they carry copies of specific genes that put them at higher risk for various diseases. Knowing that one possesses copies of "cancer genes," for example, can lead to some tough decisions about where to go from there."