Stress is part of all of our lives. Where it comes from can be different for each person but the fact of the matter is that it’s something we all have to deal with. That being said, what if there are epigenetic consequences to our stress? Can they hurt, and more interestingly, could they even help?

Negative epigenetic effects of stress

The way in which our bodies respond to stress is a relic of our evolutionary past. In order to survive, we needed to make the most out of our fight or flight response which is determined largely by how our stress hormones function. In situations of increased and regular stress, being able to command these hormones would make us more likely to survive. This is where epigenetics comes in.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have shown that exposure to stress hormones can cause permanent epigentic changes in as little as 4 weeks in animal models. The animals who were exposed to hormones showed a change in the gene Fkbp5, which has been linked to mood disorders like depression and bipolar disorder. Another study measured the effects of stress in rats over several generations. The stressor (in this case a food toxin) created a disturbance in how hormones related to metabolism were expressed, causing weight gain. Furthermore, the effects persisted for up to 4 generations!

Hormesis: the positive effects of stress

Interestingly enough, the effects of stress happen to go both ways. Hormesis is the process by which the body responds to a stressor, making itself less vulnerable it. This is the basic principle to gaining immunity to such things as poisons. Very useful for anyone planning to engage in a duel of wits with a Sicilian. It is also the basic principle by which your muscles adapt to the stress of going to the gym or any other physical activity. Recent research has shown that the lasting effects of hormesis can be linked to epigenetic changes.

The key to eliciting a hormetic response is to use a small dose, to space out enough time for recovery. Unfortunately, exposing oneself to chronic stress would not likely produce a positive response. However, there are a number of instances in which something ‘bad’ can produce a positive epigenetic response. One example is alcohol, which has been shown to have a positive hormetic effect on blood and cardiovascular markers when taken in moderation. Periodically fasting has also been shown to increase longevity through a similar process. The list goes on.

Conclusion

What we can learn from these animal studies is that stress can have very real effects on ourselves and our children. While we’ve been evolved to avoid sabretooth tigers and stampeding mammoths, the threats today are not ones we can get away from. Deadlines, social pressure and financial struggles are not something that can be run away from. Learning to cope with this stress is important if it can’t be avoided.

In addition, the positive effects of stress can be taken advantage of to affect our genetics positively. Any one of these warrants a blog post. Stay tuned for more updates on how to change your genome positively and improve the most important item on your bug out bag list.

Before we get started, this isn’t going to be an extended endorsement of the paleo diet. While the benefits of removing contaminated mass produced modern foods are myriad, they will not be the focus of this post.

Remember when we talked about methylation? It’s the process by which your body modifies portions of your DNA to change how they are expressed. Effectively, it’s the workhorse of how epigenetic effects. Research has shown that lack of methylation can cause a number of problems with health. Animal studies have shown that a lack of the nutrients needed to methylate certain portions of the DNA can cause a lifetime of under methylation. And while the link between cancer and epigenetics is still an emerging field, many tumors have much lower levels of DNA methylation than healthy cells.

In summary, your body needs to be able to methylate to regulate your own DNA properly. And in order to do that, you need to provide the nutrients it needs.

Eating for methylation

source: University of Utah

In order to select which foods to eat, the process of methylation needs to be understood. On the most basic level we are looking for nutrients which act as a methyl donor, able to give a methyl group to DNA that needs to be modified. There are a number of nutrients which can accelerate this basic pathway.

Methionine - Our old friend, the amino acid methionine plays a key process in methylation of DNA. It is the precursor to SAM (s-adenosyl methionine) which transfers methyl groups directly to the DNA. Good sources of methionine include eggs, brazil nuts, sesame seeds, and meat.

B-Vitamins - A number of B vitamins play a key role in transformation of methionine into SAM. B6, B9 and B12 in particular are important. In addition, these vitamins are vital to preventing the potentially harmful rise in homocysteine that might come from eating elevated levels of methionine.

Choline -Choline acts as a methyl donor to SAM which in turn donates methyl groups to DNA. It also happens to be deficient in a number of individual based on the recommendation of mainstream nutritionists. Only 2% of post menopausal women were found to be consuming a sufficient amount of choline in a recent study. The best sources of choline include liver, fatty meats and egg yolks.

Butyrate/Butryic Acid – Taking a slight detour from the methylation pathway, Butryric acid increases epigenetic expression at the histone level. It has been shown to have a positive effect in certain forms of cancer, further supporting the benefits of epigenetic effects. Butyric Acid can either be found in food sources such as butter and fatty meat, or synthesized within the gut. When gut flora comes into contact with fiber from whole fruits and vegetables, it is converted into butyric acid.

It’s a tip that was probably told to you by your mom, but one that could have a serious effect on your health for years to come. We all know that getting enough sleep is important for wellness, but could the effects range beyond feeling groggy the next day? According to scientists at the University of Surrey, the answer is yes.

Epigenetic effects of sleep restriction

The study measured the effects of sleep restriction on how genes were expressed in two groups. Unlike a genome analysis, which examines the DNA, analysis was conducted on the transcriptome, which measures the RNA used by cells to function. For the first time, the effects of sleep deprivation were measured in how genes were actually expressed.

The protocol had two separate groups, one sleeping an average of 5.7 hours per night and the other an average of 8.5 hours. Both groups were then exposed to staying awake for 40 hours continuously.

The results were staggering. Over 711 genes were affected by sleep deprivation, governing everything from metabolism to immune response to mental performance. In addition, the sleep deprived condition made the effect of staying awake for 40 hours even worse. By the numbers, seven times as worse, with the affected genes going from 122 to 856.

What this means for you

The concern of the researchers immediately following the results was that these results were only seen after one week! People (myself included) can often go for months if not years of not catching up with sleep. No research exists onthe epigenetic effects over this sort of timeline but the effects of insufficient sleep are known. All of these have serious implications in a potential survival scenario.

A decrease in vigilance and cognition is one of the most well known association with lack of sleep. Whether on watch or trying to plan your daily activities, any decrease in this could be dangerous. In self-defense situations it can only take one mistake. If there is an epigenetic basis to the effects of sleep deprivation, any lost sleep could be inhibiting your ability to perform in this regard over the long term.

Those of you that have served in the military will no doubt point out that sometimes sleep deprivation is not a choice, especially when it comes to watch. However, the findings of the study that long term sleep deprivation made the affect of continuous deprivation worse  is very important. When the time comes that you may be forced to be on the guard for an extended amount of time, the effects will be less bad if you have been good about your sleep leading up.

General health is also greatly affected by sleep deprivation. From general mortality, to cardiovascular disease, to diabetes and obesity, the way in which the 711 genes can affect your body’s function are widespread. Knowing that the most important item on your bug out bag list is you, sleep needs to become a priority.

Action plans

How do you plan to get more sleep? One thing that helped me was making the decision to wake up at dawn and set hard limits on when to go to bed in the evening. As someone who is very sensitive to light, this ensures that the sleep I have is in darkness. Melatonin, the neurotransmitter that signals tiredness, is also shut off by blue light that is seen at dawn.

Let me know any tips you have in the comments!

Researching the consequences of my own genetic makeup has made me ask some serious questions. Am I condemned to the limits of my traits? Do I have an expiration date attached to the various illnesses I’m susceptible to? When is the last time I watched Gattaca?

With 23andMe, results are given with a very important caveat. Given as a chance of out of 100, the fine print reads that all results are given considering all other things equal. And looking at it, there are a lot of things to consider. What we eat, how much we sleep, what part of the world we live in, what sort of stress we subject ourselves to.

I don’t want to chime in on the nature vs. nuture debate which has been going on for decades. But recent research has brought into light the ability for people to permanently change their genes through a process known as epigenetics.

What is epigenetics?

You probably know a pair of identical twins. At first, you probably couldn’t tell the difference between them but as you got to know them, you probably learned a number of traits that you could use to tell them apart. From anything  from physical traits, to health, to personality, identical twins can be very different.

If genes told the whole story, these differences wouldn’t exist. But through life, an identical genome can be expressed in different ways as certain genes are turned on or off. This is the process of epigenetics, which literally translates to ‘above the genome’.

How it works

The DNA molecule itself is very delicate, and small chemicals binding to it can change whether any portion is expressed or not. Entire genes can be rendered inactive by a process known as methylation. In this process, a methyl group attaches to either a gene or the histone that contains it to render it active.

This is actually how your body’s cells differentiate themselves. All cells have the same DNA, but the genes that are turned on or off determine whether it is a skin cell or a brain cell.

Your lifestyle, your genome

Where it gets interesting is when methylation comes from outside the body. Different environmental factors such as food, sleep and stress. Studies on twins have suggested that these epigentic factors accumulate as we age. As time goes on, genetically identical twins can have totally different genes expressed.

These changes can be positive or negative. While toxins from food or smoking can create cancer, trials for drugs designed to use epigenetics to ‘turn off’ the genes that make cells cancerous have shown promising results.

All about the genes?

So it turns out I might not be doomed to be a Alzheimer’s ridden, Crohn’s disease addled slow twitch marathoner after all. By looking into the epigenetic factors controlling my health, we can make the most out of  the genome we have. Fortunately, some of the recommendations for this are the same things we would be doing for normal health with a few counterintuitive tweaks. Stay tuned for more updates on how you can maximize your genome.

In our last post we introduced the idea of genetic testing for preppers. What could you do with the knowledge of your genetic traits? In this post, I will use my own test results as an example of what you could possibly gain from genetic testing.

Health Risks

Alzheimer’s disease: 1.98x average

This was a locked result due to the potential consequences of aging expectations and those of family members. However forewarned is forearmed and I was not afraid to find out. It turns out I have one copy of the allele that is responsible for increased likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease. This puts me at a 14.2% chance of getting the disease between 50-79.

I have researched the symptoms of Alzheimer’s as recommended. Early detection is important to slowing the effects of the disease, which are irreversible. But I’m also looking into changing my diet in accordance with recent research that the disease might be related to insulin sensitivity of brain cells.

Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s Disease: 1.59x and 1.28x

These are both lumped together under the umbrella of inflammatory bowel diseases and unfortunately I am at a higher risk for both. While the recommendation on the site was to look into genetic counselling and seek out associations, I know from my research in nutrition that inflammatory foods are probably a good thing to avoid.

If there wasn’t enough reason to avoid these foods, I now have serious bowel disease to worry about. Gives me a much better excuse to pass the rolls.

Inherited Conditions

Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency: Carrier

AAT is a protein that protects cells from an enzyme that is released from white blood cells. This comes up particularly in lung and liver cells where environmental toxins can accumulate. People with AAT deficiency are more susceptible to emphysema and liver disease, and lose lung capacity more when smoking. As a carrier, I have one copy of the gene which still can affect AAT although it may or may not be noticeable in my lifetime.

Thankfully I quit smoking a few years ago but I am known to enjoy more than a few beverages on occasion. My mother’s side of the family is French and enjoys wine with every meal, seemingly without consequence. I’m not sure where this gene comes from but now I know to curtail my alcohol consumption if avoidable, sticking to social situations

Hematochromatosis: Carrier 

Hematochromatosis is a condition in which the blood has difficulty removing iron. Eating food rich in iron like red meat and spinach can lead to elevated iron levels, which can lead to problems with the heart, liver and pancreas.

I eat a LOT of red meat, spinach and iron containing foods. This could be a very big problem for me. One of the theories surrounding hematochromatosis is that it was once an evolutionary advantage,   allowing women to survive menstruation and childbirth and men to survive wounds from battle or hunting. Red blood cells contain iron in the hemoglobin and production of them is one of the greatest demands on dietary sources.

Since my modern life doesn’t involve either I’m going to make amends to let blood. I’m scheduled to donate in the next few months and will see how often I can donate without affecting my training.

Wrap up

This is just an example of how you can avoid conditions you are predisposed to in order to optimize your health. In my next post, I’ll go over my action plan for the different traits I found.

So the other day I got the test results back for an innovative new service called 23andme. Founded by the wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Anne Wojcicki, their goal is to bring affordable genetic testing to the masses.

Being a huge geek (which most of you should know by now) I of course sprung to get my genome tested when the price dropped to $99 for the holidays last year. It took some time to get my sample up across the border and covertly beneath it to avoid the international fees, but in the end it was worth it.

In addition to some cool features like finding out the history of your maternal and paternal line throughout history and neanderthal DNA percentage, there are a number of actionable items that can be useful for determining you health.

(For anyone interested, help me keep the lights on by using my affiliate link here)

Health Risks

This section of the test goes over how susceptible you are to various conditions, diseases and things in general that could make your life more difficult. What’s interesting is that it goes down into the percentage of each trait that is determined by genetics, possible action plans for dealing with the condition in question and even includes message boards for people to discuss the trait in general.

Overall very actionable advice that you can work into your life. Stay tuned for a  post on my results and the action plan I’m making to change it.

Drug Response

There is a strong genetic basis towards the use of a number of drugs. Since all people are different, it’s tough to make a one-size fits all solution. Ranging from whether a certain drug will work for you to if you are sensitive to side effects, this section provides the full dirt. Not super actionable for preppers but good to know in the mean time.

Inherited conditions

This is definitely one of the scariest sections and includes your status on the worst genetic diseases such as cystic fibrosis, tay-sachs or sickle cell anemia. While you would probably know whether you had any of these, you will also find out your carrier status, which can sometimes have effects as well. Important for those who are looking to have healthy children.

Traits

This is where it gets fun. Traits range from physical to mental and include a lot of stuff that have to do with everyday life. How do you react to alcohol? Are you likely to respond to diet or exercise? Do you have the muscles of a marathoner or a sprinter?

These are interesting but also could have big consequences in a survival or self-defense scenario – especially pertaining to the physical traits. Knowing whether you’re better off outrunning a pursuer or overwhelming them with a charge could be largely determined by your muscle fiber type.

Verdict: Should you buy?

Genetic testing like this cost $2-300 only a few years ago and still costs over $1000 for the more advanced variety. For $99 you don’t exactly have to mortgage your house to get a 23andme test.  The data is available forever, can be exported (to open source platforms like snpedia), and will continue to become more useful as research continues.

If you’re a geek like me the price of $99 is worth it for the fun factor alone. Being able to rationalize not drinking a post dinner coffee because I’m a slow metabolizer is an interesting way to stave off peer pressure.

For those that are strictly motivated by utility, the price is a steal as well. If you’ve taken the time out of your day to read this blog, it’s fair to say you are interested in your health. The amount of actionable information you will gain from getting your genome tested will avoid you running into health issues that will cost you tens if not hundreds of times more in medical bills, if the world stays together, and could possibly save your life if the SHTF.

So my verdict – go for it! If you’re spending time reading this blog, you’ll appreciate the results and it’s one of the technologies that makes you feel like we’re living in the future.

We have seen many examples of martial arts in preppers, from ex military and law enforcement preppers to those who seek out martial arts to prepare themselves. There are many benefits to training in martial arts when it comes to prepping, which may be different than what is expected. In order to determine whether martial arts are a good investment of your time and money into the most important item on your bug out bag list, you need to know what you might be getting into.

Definition: Live martial arts vs. others

The most important distinction to make when choosing a martial art to study is whether it is a ‘live’ martial art or not. Live martial arts are ones that are practiced live, usually in sparring or some form of competition. Static forms of martial arts are usually practiced using specific routines, often referred to as forms or katas.

1. Physical Preparation

All forms of martial arts will include some form of calisthenics as part of a warm up routine. Most will also include stretching. One of the important things about martial arts is that you will develop sport specific cardio. Running on a treadmill may very well increase your cardiovascular health but will not help you defend yourself. Training in a specific martial art will make you much more efficient at using it to defend yourself.

Compared to a sedentary lifestyle, this can be a fun way to get into shape. The comparison with more traditional forms of exercise such as weight training or running is a bit more tricky. In addition to the specific cardio mentioned above, the strength gained in martial arts will help you move your body and others around much more effectively. From my perspective, this is the most important strength to have in a bug out scenario.

2. Mental Preparation

The distinction between live and static martial arts shines here. One of the most important aspects of martial arts training is mental toughness. Training a live martial art essentially allows yourself to be placed in a simulated life or death situation every time you spar. Dealing with jitters, recovering from bad positions, and being aware of your surroundings are all things that will be heightened by martial arts training.

Competing in particular can become a great way to adapt to stress. Nothing will test your ability to perform like martial arts competitions, which are available in most major cities.

3. Self Defense

This may seem strange as the last item on the list, but it is here because it is the most variable. Different forms of martial arts have different utility. Static martial arts without live training are, by definition, not tested and thus have the least utility. Live martial arts have much more utility but are limited by the rule sets of their competition.

Every martial artist will assert theirs is the best but at the end of the day being armed is the most effective form of defense. You can’t block bullets. Regardless, the physical and mental preparation from martial arts will carry over into every area of your life, including self defense with weapons. For this reason, martial arts are highly recommended.

We all know that the most important item on your bug out bag list is you – and training is a critical part of preparation. Crossfit is a training methodology that has been rapidly gaining popularity since it’s introduction in the year 2000. Designed by a former gymnast, it claims to be the best training for military, police and athletes from a wide variety of sports.

1. Overview

Crossfit relies on the concept of novelty to keep workouts fresh. As those of you who train might know, even the best program will have diminishing returns as the body adapts to the regular pattern. This is not so for Crossfit. The workouts constantly vary, incorporating weight training, calisthenics, running and other forms of exercise in combinations that few have seen before. While there are several staple workouts such as the infamous Fran, these are far between and serve as a benchmark for progress.

Workouts are not planned but rather come in the form of a WOD, or workout of the day. Not having to worry about what the next workout makes it easy for a lot of people to have a fresh training regimen without a personal coach. And it’s all available free on the Crossfit website.

2. Applicability

Because of the extreme variety, crossfit has the effect of training you in novelty itself. The new workouts will have you constantly gassed and pushing against your limits. You will get very well conditioned from a cardio perspective, but even with all of that each workout will become an intense mental challenge. This is compounded by a culture of getting the best score or time on a workout. Mental toughness is applauded, crossfit gyms actually have jokes for puking during a workout and will give out t-shirts for doing so.

In my experience with crossfit, I felt very prepared for the challenges I faced in the sports I was doing at the time. Moving from kickboxing to judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, I felt prepared to go the distance more than I ever had before. What’s more important, I was able to retain strength.

Compared to powerlifting and strongman style training, which had been a mainstay of mine for years I may have had slightly less raw power. But the strength I did have I was able to use for longer. In a survival situation, endurance is key, and actually defending oneself will look a lot more like a crossfit workout than hitting the weights. It’s no surprise that this style of training is popular among military and police forces and combat athletes.

3. Dangers and limits

Crossfit is not all sunshine and rainbows. It has come under fire from a number of people in the fitness world for increasing the chances of injuries. The criticism is that the programming is based more around muscle confusion that balancing out complementary muscle groups. In addition, doing complicated lifts with poor form due to fatigue or focusing on speed can increase the risk of bad things happening. Finally, running the typical 3 days on one day off schedule is considered overtraining by some.

The best advice for someone looking to get into crossfit is to find a gym in your area. Trainers that are comfortable with showing the difficult motions will do a lot to prevent injury and get you started on the right foot. Also, you are definitely going to want a t-shirt when you end up puking.

If you weren’t ready for Hurricane Sandy you aren’t right now. We often talk about grocery stores lasting three days but in the rush to prepare people have stripped them bare all along the East Coast. Chances are if you are living in the midatlantic you aren’t reading this blog post because you have left your house or have lost power. This is one of those days you will either thank yourself for all the prepping you did or curse yourself for not getting started sooner.

Mandatory bugging out

Low lying and coastal townships have already been evacuated. I read a chilling post about advice given to islanders who chose not evacuate during Irene; if you plan not to evacuate, write your social security number on your arm so they can identify the body. Bugging out is not an option and even the greatest city in the US, New York is being forced to evacuate.

Despite the urging of Mayor Bloomberg, many of the people ordered to evacuate the coastal areas of NYC are deciding to stay instead of evacuate to the 76 emergency shelters opened for the storm. According to this article, only 3000 people have taken up the offer. Whether the rest doubt the power of the storm or not, it may very well be too late to evacuate now. With conditions worsening it is almost impossible to travel.

Preparing for evacuations

Many preppers are more than equipped for evacuations such as these. A 72 hour but out bag, or better yet a 7 day bug out bag, is more than enough to survive some time in the shelter. While there are emergency staff and supplies, there are limitations both in response time and overall availability. While taking care of your family, there is no room to take chances.

Unfortunately the situation escalated very quickly. Planes have been grounded and the storm is too large to outrun by car. Those who are caught in the path would have had to make a move out days in advance or else risk getting trapped in a car instead of a hardened shelter.

Hoping for the best

Many people used to watching the chaos of hurricanes in the gulf will now witness the chaos first hand. People will see the inevitable looting in stores they drive by every day. Hurricane Sandy is going to make the reality of nature’s destructive side a bit more salient for all of us. The worst may be yet to come and our prayers should go out to those that are in the path of the hurricane. People will be hurt and property will be damaged.

We all have to look at this as a learning experience. For those who are safe in other parts of the world, let this event remind you of the importance of getting on the ball when it comes to prepping. If you were waiting for a rainy day, this is about as rainy as they come.

Stay safe everyone

Between the premiere of AMC’s The Walking Dead last night, and Halloween coming up, people are sure to be talking about zombies once again. While the undead have been a part of popular culture since George Romero’s Night of The Living Dead, it has only been recently that people have bridged the gap between prepping and a potential zombie apocalpyse.

Are Zombie Preppers Legit?

Due to the fantastical nature of a zombie apocalypse, zombie preppers are looked down upon by many members of the prepper community. PostCollapse, the largest prepper related section on reddit, is strictly anti zombie for example. It’s possible that zombies have become very chic recently with the rise of nerd culture in the mainstream, and are experiencing some push back from more entrenched members of the community. But to dismiss something that would bring more people into a state of being prepared would be nothing short of elitist.

Zombies: The Gateway Drug

Authorities as high up as the US government has gone so far as to endorse zombie survival plans as a great way to prepare, launching a social media campaign earlier this year. Due to the trendy nature of zombie content, it was an easy way to get people to start talking about what they had prepared. Their rationale? Being able to prepare for a zombie apocalypse would translate very well to a more mundane disaster such as a hurricane or earthquake.

The basics on the bug out bag list would be more or less the same: food, water, purification tabs, medicine, and tools to create shelter. If anything, the supplies would be more geared towards dishing out pain on the shambling legions of dead.   But with the reality of the difficult to predict human element of a disaster, being more armed than necessary would translate to more people being prepared to protect themselves and their family from would be looters. In the scenario of little food being available, someone wanting to eat your supplies is just as deadly as a zombie wanting to eat your brains.

Innovation from the Zombie Prepper Scene

Zombie preppers have developed their own set of innovative techniques to meet the particular demands of their apocalypse of choice. Suited to the defense of zombie bites, there have been some interesting developments. One of the interesting preps I found while browsing a zombie survival forum years ago was duct tape armor. Originally created in prisons to protect from shivs and other attacks during riots, duct tape has been used for years to keep people alive. Used by itself or in combination with plating ranging from lunch trays to phone books, it provides a lightweight form of armor than can turn a blade or even stop a bullet if thick enough.

The effect of zombie preppers can be felt on weapons from practical to borderline ridiculous. Some have even taken accessorizing weapons to an almost fetishistic level. Regardless, this sort of experimentation is teaching people around the world skills when it comes to self defense.