Quizá lo mejor que he leído de divulgación científica últimamente. Sobre la interacción genes/ambiente y mucho más allá. La "epigenética" es apenas el punto de partida. Este tipo de conocimiento científico debería estar, incluso, en la base de las políticas públicas. La pobreza, el estrés, el aislamiento social, todo eso define cómo se expresan -en el presente y el futuro- nuestros genes, y en consecuencia cómo son nuestras vidas, cuánto y cómo nos enfermamos, etc. No hay ningún determinismo. Algún día la genética, entendida como se entiende en este artículo, será una ciencia social. El artículo es largo, pero vale mucho la pena leerlo completo. Como estímulo, les dejo algunos pasajes: "Inside the new social science of genetics." "This fresh work (...) suggests something more exciting: that our social lives can change our gene expression with a rapidity, breadth, and depth previously overlooked." "...what we’re learning from the molecular processes that actually keep our bodies running is that we’re far more fluid than we realize, and the world passes through us.” "...about one percent of the genome—a considerable portion—was responding differently depending on whether a person felt alone or connected. (...) Whole sectors of genes looked markedly different in the lonely and the socially secure. And many of these genes played roles in inflammatory immune responses." "“We typically think of stress as being a risk factor for disease,” said Cole. “And it is, somewhat. But if you actually measure stress, using our best available instruments, it can’t hold a candle to social isolation. Social isolation is the best-established, most robust social or psychological risk factor for disease out there. Nothing can compete.... This helps explain, for instance, why many people who work in high-stress but rewarding jobs don’t seem to suffer ill effects, while others, particularly those isolated and in poverty, wind up accruing lists of stress-related diagnoses—obesity, Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, atherosclerosis, heart failure, stroke." "...we sometimes conceive of “social support” as a sort of add-on, something extra that might somehow fortify us. Yet this view assumes that humanity’s default state is solitude. It’s not. Our default state is connection." "You can’t change your genes. But if we’re even half right about all this, you can change the way your genes behave—which is almost the same thing. By adjusting your environment you can adjust your gene activity. That’s what we’re doing as we move through life. " “Your experiences today will influence the molecular composition of your body for the next two to three months... or, perhaps, for the rest of your life. Plan your day accordingly.”
Posted on: Tue, 10 Sep 2013 22:59:42 +0000
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