You Really Are What You Eat

A new article in Big Think about how plants affect our gene expression:

Researchers at the Nanjing University of China have found evidence of rice, wheat, potatoes and cabbage in the microRNA of individuals’ blood, confirming that, down to our most basic genetic material, we really are what we eat. Researchers also found that what we eat can influence which genes our body expresses

I remember reading about this sort of research in school. Genes get turned on and off in the presence of certain molecules, and the presence/absence of those molecules is tightly regulated by the types of food you eat.

The chemical composition of highly processed and manufactured food is usually significantly altered, even if its taste and texture are familiar. Over time, the changes in how genes are expressed results in malfunctions in different cellular processes: cell death, cell again, resistance/sensitivity to hormones, etc.

This is one of those reasons people who are always eating fresh/natural food look healthy and vibrant, and other people don’t.