The Power Of Epigenetics To Transform Your Healthspan And Lifespan with Dr. Jeffrey Bland

12 snips

Jan 26, 2022

Dr. Jeffrey Bland, a pioneer in functional medicine, shares his extensive knowledge on epigenetics and its profound impact on health and longevity. He explains how lifestyle factors like diet and social interactions can modify gene expression and possibly reverse biological aging. The discussion dives into the role of trauma on the epigenome and the importance of holistic approaches to mental health. Bland advocates for dietary interventions and innovative nutrition that empower individuals to enhance their healthspan and lifespan.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Genes & Environment

Genes are not fixed, challenging the traditional view.
Gene expression is influenced by environment, offering empowerment.

ANECDOTE

Agouti Mice Study

Dr. Bland recounts the 2006 IFM conference and Randy Jirtle's agouti mice study.
The study showed that nutrients can reprogram gene expression, changing offspring's health and lifespan.

INSIGHT

Epigenome's Role

The agouti mice study's key takeaway is that nutrients can reprogram gene expression.
Later research revealed the epigenome's role: controlling gene expression based on life experiences.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

This episode is brought to you by Rupa Health, Eight Sleep, and ButcherBox.

You might have heard the word “epigenetics” and wondered what the heck it means. Well to sum it up shorthand, epigenetics is how everything you’re exposed to throughout your life—your environment, your social relationships, your diet, etc.—impacts how your genes are expressed. Think of it like this: genes are our hardware and epigenetics are like software. Our software is something that can be changed and upgraded, it doesn’t have to be static. If you want to learn more about understanding, demystifying, and harnessing epigenetics, then this is the podcast episode for you.

Today’s guest on The Doctor’s Farmacy is my good friend and mentor, Dr. Jeffrey Bland. We talk all about epigenetics and unpack what can be a complicated topic in terms you can actually understand. Dr. Bland’s career in health spans more than 40 years. A lifelong educator, Jeff has traveled the world many times over in his role as the “father of Functional Medicine.” In 1991, he and his wife, Susan, founded The Institute for Functional Medicine. In 2012, Jeff founded another educational nonprofit called the Personalized Lifestyle Medicine Institute. He is the author of The Disease Delusion: Conquering the Causes of Chronic Illness for a Healthier, Longer, and Happier Life, as well as countless additional books and research papers.

This episode is brought to you by Rupa Health, Eight Sleep, and ButcherBox.

Rupa Health is a place for Functional Medicine practitioners to access more than 2,000 specialty lab tests from over 20 labs like DUTCH, Vibrant America, Genova, Great Plains, and more. You can check out a free live demo with a Q&A or create an account here.

Eight Sleep’s Pod Pro mattress is so smart that it adjusts your temperature and also gives you individualized recommendations on how to sleep better the next night. Save $150 at checkout and get yours here.

When you sign up today, ButcherBox will send you 2 lbs of 100% grass-fed, grass-finished beef free in every box for the life of your subscription. Just click here.

Here are more of the details from our interview (audio version / Apple Subscriber version):

The paradigm shift away from siloed medicine towards systems biology (7:42 / 4:26)
New understandings about how our genes can be modified to reverse disease and aging (10:02 / 7:24)
Early research that led to our understanding of how epigenetics works (12:02 / 10:00)
Genes that can be imprinted and modified even into adulthood (19:27 / 16:02)
Reversing our biological age (21:35 / 18:18)
The influence of our external environment and experiences over our genes (27:03 / 24:10)
How what we eat, how we love, how much stress we’re under, and more impacts our genes, our health, and the process of aging (35:08 / 30:32)
The amazing benefits of phytochemicals in plants for human health (38:38 / 34:29)
Trauma, PTSD, and our genes (51:05 / 45:45)
Our ability to control the operating system of our biology (56:13 / 48:17)

Learn more about Dr. Bland’s work with Big Bold Health here.