For most of us, avoiding these is just as important as the genes we inherit.

As someone who studies genes, I tend to give the environment short shrift. I have to watch out for that because it can cause a blind spot in how I think about biology. And how I live my life.

As readers of this blog might remember, I was recently diagnosed with metabolic syndrome just as I was undergoing DNA testing. This was a wake up call in a couple of different ways.

First off, it confirmed my belief that we can’t get a lot out of genetic testing for complicated diseases right now. I couldn’t look at my DNA and predict that I would end up with high cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose levels. We just don’t know enough yet about our genes to be able to figure this out from any available DNA test.

But I could have guessed this might be a problem from my lifestyle and family history. All four of my grandparents developed Type 2 diabetes which put me at a pretty high risk. Of course I thought I could beat the odds and so lived a life filled with couch sitting, Haagen Dazs, and Double Western Bacon Cheeseburgers (cue Homer Simpson drool). Until my diagnosis.

Then I decided to see if all this talk of diet and exercise actually can have a significant impact on me. Or was I destined to high cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose levels because of the genes I got from my parents.

The doctor told me to lose weight, exercise more and eat better. So I did.

I lost 30 pounds by changing my diet and walking 30 minutes a day. This dropped my body mass index (BMI) from overweight (27.8) to normal (23.5).

I also stopped eating most sweets, and cut my saturated fats down to 15 grams per day. And the effects on my blood work have been amazing.

Here are a few of the stats:

As you can see, everything is now in the normal range except for glucose which is still a bit worrisome. Now I just need to maintain this regimen which, in America, won’t be easy.

I probably panicked and went overboard anyway. I should have tried to just add exercise and see if that was good enough. If not, then cut back on sweets and saturated fats. I did bad science on myself by changing too many variables at once.

I think what I can conclude is that my set of genes makes me particularly susceptible to my lifestyle choices. Some lucky people are born with genes that let them get away with poor diet and no exercise.

I am not one of those lucky ones. Although perhaps more lucky than those people who make these changes and still have these health issues.

Bring it on! A healthy dose of epicatechin, serotonin, caffeine, theobromine, phenylethylamine, and polyphenols

As seen in our QUEST story, "The Sweet Science of Chocolate," UCSF’s Mary Engler conducted a clinical trial that showed that a plant-based flavonoid, epicatechin, helped to promote healthy blood flow in healthy patients.

Other researchers in the late ‘90’s, such as Adam Drenowski at the University of Washington, found that chocolate helps trigger the release of endorphins, while Daniele Piomelli of UC Irvine, conducted research on cannabinoids found in chocolate.

And recent research suggested that chocolate could even be good for your memory. There are other compounds present in chocolate which may have beneficial effects on your mind and body, such as serotonin, caffeine, theobromine, phenylethylamine, and polyphenols. Who knows what future chocolate research may yield, but in the meantime– no joke here– you might even be pumping chocolate-based fuels into your gas tank!

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