0:00:16.798,0:00:22.718
So the hero's journey[br]is all about transformation, isn't it?

0:00:22.718,0:00:25.987
We're transforming[br]throughout the entire journey,

0:00:25.987,0:00:31.377
whether it's departure,[br]initiation or return.

0:00:32.008,0:00:36.378
You know, it's interesting, in initiation,[br]which is what I'm talking about,

0:00:36.378,0:00:38.647
Joseph Campbell made it very clear:

0:00:39.457,0:00:41.370
It's war out there!

0:00:41.370,0:00:42.616
It's hell.

0:00:42.780,0:00:47.447
And you need to be armed[br]with everything you can possibly find

0:00:47.447,0:00:51.046
to be able to get through it,[br]day by day, minute by minute,

0:00:51.046,0:00:53.457
nanosecond by nanosecond.

0:00:53.818,0:01:00.137
Now, the transformation you've heard about[br]could be mental, psychological, spiritual.

0:01:00.137,0:01:02.246
But I'm going to teach you,

0:01:02.246,0:01:07.306
I'm going to guide you through[br]a brand new kind of transformation

0:01:07.306,0:01:09.838
based upon a science that's so exciting

0:01:09.838,0:01:12.778
that's it's blown the minds[br]of people like myself,

0:01:12.778,0:01:16.048
a physician and a scientist,[br]and all my colleagues.

0:01:16.048,0:01:17.769
And now I'm going to blow your mind.

0:01:17.769,0:01:18.847
Are you ready?

0:01:18.847,0:01:19.878
(Audience) Yeah!

0:01:19.878,0:01:21.996
Have you ever heard of epigenetics?

0:01:22.188,0:01:23.837
Raise your hand.

0:01:24.186,0:01:26.628
Okay, very good. Excellent.

0:01:26.628,0:01:28.797
Have you had your kale today?

0:01:29.257,0:01:34.526
Soon, soon, you'll understand[br]why this is such -

0:01:34.896,0:01:36.176
well -

0:01:36.786,0:01:39.468
an epigenetic transformation.

0:01:39.705,0:01:41.469
A tale of kale.

0:01:41.469,0:01:42.998
(Laughter)

0:01:42.998,0:01:44.299
Ready?

0:01:44.589,0:01:45.588
Okay.

0:01:45.588,0:01:46.591
Well,

0:01:47.021,0:01:48.931
made it very simple.

0:01:48.931,0:01:51.187
First, we start with this:

0:01:51.397,0:01:54.657
I was taught, and I'm going[br]to teach you my journey too,

0:01:54.657,0:01:56.156
share it with you,

0:01:56.156,0:01:58.036
that you are what you eat.

0:01:58.388,0:01:59.688
Have you heard this?

0:01:59.688,0:02:01.407
Of course! You are what you eat.

0:02:01.407,0:02:05.117
So, you know, out there,[br]sometimes it works;

0:02:05.519,0:02:08.338
well, sometimes it doesn't.

0:02:08.338,0:02:09.951
(Laughter)

0:02:10.697,0:02:13.087
I try, and I really do.

0:02:13.087,0:02:16.379
So, I try to live[br]a very healthy lifestyle.

0:02:16.379,0:02:18.660
There's my armpit picture.

0:02:19.072,0:02:20.217
I am a triathlete;

0:02:20.217,0:02:24.467
I like to get out there and, you know,[br]get outdoors at any excuse I can,

0:02:24.629,0:02:26.639
no matter what it looks like when I do it.

0:02:26.639,0:02:29.012
But I do it. I have fun. I show up.

0:02:29.012,0:02:30.736
The same thing goes with the food.

0:02:30.736,0:02:33.197
Lots of colors - check! check! check!

0:02:33.197,0:02:35.073
They tell me what to do - I do it!

0:02:35.073,0:02:37.084
That's exactly what I love to do, right?

0:02:37.084,0:02:38.708
Did you do that too?

0:02:38.708,0:02:40.294
Of course you did.

0:02:40.594,0:02:42.567
Everything was going well,

0:02:43.297,0:02:46.299
until something[br]rather interesting happened.

0:02:47.536,0:02:52.356
Well, you see, the holy grail, all along,[br]was DNA was your destiny,

0:02:52.356,0:02:55.393
and that, quite frankly,[br]genes controlled you.

0:02:55.399,0:02:57.089
So, you are what you are, you know?

0:02:57.089,0:03:00.610
Whatever you got when you were born,[br]you're stuck with!

0:03:00.860,0:03:02.059
And that's it!

0:03:02.059,0:03:06.926
A little proclivity toward obesity,[br]toward diabetes, heart disease,

0:03:06.926,0:03:08.787
ruh roh, you're in trouble.

0:03:08.787,0:03:09.813
Right?

0:03:10.050,0:03:11.355
What could you do about it?

0:03:11.355,0:03:13.262
Well, you kind of just keep remembering,

0:03:13.262,0:03:15.689
"Well, I am what I eat.[br]I try to do the best I can."

0:03:15.689,0:03:18.849
But as scientists, we never knew[br]where any of this was going.

0:03:18.849,0:03:21.656
We had some observational studies,[br]and back and forth.

0:03:21.656,0:03:24.368
What was really happening[br]in that black box?

0:03:24.368,0:03:28.407
And then all hell broke out in 2007.

0:03:28.407,0:03:30.418
That's how recent it was.

0:03:30.418,0:03:31.887
The birth of epigenetics.

0:03:31.887,0:03:33.386
Let me tell you how it happens.

0:03:33.386,0:03:37.526
I'll bet you think that all great science[br]happens with strategy,

0:03:37.526,0:03:41.036
and we sit down with blueprints[br]and figure this out right off the bat.

0:03:41.036,0:03:43.047
Nah. We're just screwing around in the lab

0:03:43.047,0:03:45.610
just trying to figure out[br]fun things to do.

0:03:45.610,0:03:48.629
And then one day,[br]something wild and crazy happens.

0:03:48.629,0:03:52.128
Dr. Randy Jirtle at Duke University

0:03:52.128,0:03:54.788
one day was playing around[br]with some very special mice -

0:03:54.788,0:03:56.737
they're called Agouti mice.

0:03:56.737,0:04:00.840
Now, Agouti mice have[br]the Agouti gene, appropriately so.

0:04:01.116,0:04:03.587
Now, this gene basically condemns them

0:04:03.587,0:04:08.567
to a life of being obese, floppy, yellow -

0:04:08.567,0:04:11.199
very important because[br]that's connected with this gene -

0:04:11.199,0:04:12.255
color of the fur,

0:04:12.262,0:04:15.517
and they die early[br]of all the usual suspects:

0:04:15.517,0:04:17.796
heart diesease, diabetes and cancer.

0:04:17.796,0:04:20.423
Kind of a - not a good life.

0:04:20.423,0:04:21.575
Right?

0:04:21.575,0:04:25.228
So one day, he was saying, "You know,[br]I know where this gene's located.

0:04:25.228,0:04:28.967
And I also know that there are these[br]funny little things called methyl donors -

0:04:28.967,0:04:30.868
CH3, a little side chain -

0:04:30.868,0:04:33.898
that we could, you know,[br]sometimes play with here,

0:04:33.898,0:04:37.166
that might just do something[br]with this gene ...

0:04:37.166,0:04:38.237
I don't know.

0:04:38.237,0:04:40.151
Well, what's the worst that can happen?"

0:04:40.151,0:04:42.263
So how do we give[br]these little happy campers,

0:04:42.263,0:04:45.188
these Agouti mice, methyl donors?

0:04:45.188,0:04:47.528
You guessed it: It's the green stuff.

0:04:48.031,0:04:49.550
Mom was right.

0:04:49.919,0:04:56.417
So, he fed them all the greens he could[br]in the form of folate and B vitamins,

0:04:56.417,0:04:58.679
a little greens, he kind of[br]ground them all up,

0:04:58.679,0:04:59.808
and said, "Here."

0:04:59.808,0:05:02.983
And he fed the mothers[br]who were going to become pregnant.

0:05:03.392,0:05:07.178
And then he sat around, and he thought,[br]"Well, I wonder what's going to happen."

0:05:07.178,0:05:09.317
You see, we scientists[br]have no personal life,

0:05:09.317,0:05:13.409
so we sit around looking at cages,[br]waiting for mice to be born.

0:05:13.409,0:05:15.357
This is what we do on Friday nights.

0:05:15.357,0:05:16.369
Right?

0:05:16.369,0:05:18.798
So he's sitting there like this[br]with the whole team,

0:05:18.798,0:05:21.519
going, "Okay, let's just[br]pop one of those little babes out

0:05:21.519,0:05:22.939
and see what it looks like."

0:05:22.939,0:05:23.980
Son of a gun.

0:05:23.980,0:05:26.214
The birth of epigenetics.

0:05:27.358,0:05:34.308
Only eating greens, that mother[br]produced a baby that was lean, brown

0:05:34.868,0:05:36.778
and lived forever.

0:05:36.778,0:05:38.879
(Laughter)

0:05:40.068,0:05:41.277
How cool is that?

0:05:41.277,0:05:42.278
(Laughter)

0:05:42.278,0:05:43.479
Eating your greens.

0:05:43.479,0:05:45.527
Well, needless to say, this was published,

0:05:45.527,0:05:49.577
and this absolutely ripped apart[br]the entire scientific world.

0:05:49.577,0:05:50.576
What?!

0:05:50.576,0:05:51.967
This is heresy!

0:05:51.967,0:05:54.039
DNA is not destiny?

0:05:54.039,0:05:55.040
No.

0:05:55.040,0:05:59.996
As it turns out, everything you do[br]with your whole life

0:06:00.846,0:06:02.319
is now your destiny.

0:06:02.319,0:06:06.025
Everything from eating[br]to thoughts that you may have

0:06:06.025,0:06:09.371
to every single lifestyle habit

0:06:09.371,0:06:12.549
is messing with one thing in particular.

0:06:12.549,0:06:14.241
And what that is, is

0:06:15.671,0:06:18.677
your very gene expression.

0:06:18.677,0:06:22.107
This is a picture from my laboratory[br]at the National Institutes of Health.

0:06:22.107,0:06:24.466
These are fat cells - "Know thy enemy."

0:06:24.466,0:06:25.476
So -

0:06:25.476,0:06:27.229
(Laughter)

0:06:27.229,0:06:29.499
This is important -[br]it's like a therapy thing.

0:06:29.499,0:06:32.711
Just keep staring at it,[br]and maybe it will just go away after -

0:06:32.711,0:06:33.767
But there it is.

0:06:33.767,0:06:36.162
And you can see[br]all the way into the nucleus.

0:06:36.162,0:06:37.277
Right?

0:06:37.277,0:06:39.418
And one of the things we found out was,

0:06:39.418,0:06:45.479
wow, I can affect everything[br]from my fat cell distribution

0:06:45.479,0:06:47.559
to how many I have.

0:06:47.559,0:06:48.943
I could reverse it.

0:06:48.943,0:06:51.908
So if I got born with something[br]that was a little funky,

0:06:51.908,0:06:53.927
I can dampen that down.

0:06:53.927,0:06:55.559
Did you know that if you were born

0:06:55.559,0:06:59.418
with the most lethal form[br]of the obesity gene, the FTO gene,

0:06:59.418,0:07:03.009
that by doing something[br]as simple as taking a walk every day,

0:07:03.009,0:07:07.327
over the course of six months,[br]you dampen it by 40 percent.

0:07:07.327,0:07:10.227
Add that - add a little kale to it -

0:07:10.227,0:07:11.228
(Laughter)

0:07:11.228,0:07:12.491
and then what happens?

0:07:12.491,0:07:14.640
Wow, you're way over 50 percent.

0:07:14.640,0:07:18.018
We're loving it. This is good![br]We didn't know this!

0:07:18.018,0:07:19.587
Every single thing.

0:07:19.587,0:07:22.428
That means, for instance, addiction.

0:07:22.428,0:07:23.970
Let's look at that for a moment.

0:07:23.970,0:07:26.436
Cigarettes. Like to smoke?

0:07:26.628,0:07:28.508
This is your last day.

0:07:28.747,0:07:29.793
(Laughter)

0:07:29.793,0:07:33.875
Because what happens is[br]over the course of two to three years,

0:07:33.875,0:07:40.332
we have counted over 50,000[br]different genetic mutations

0:07:40.332,0:07:41.962
that come out of this,

0:07:41.962,0:07:44.847
variations on your gene expression,

0:07:45.536,0:07:46.877
because you smoked.

0:07:46.877,0:07:49.106
Your body's saying, "What?[br]What are you doing?!

0:07:49.106,0:07:50.155
Think about this!"

0:07:50.155,0:07:51.785
Well, who's saying that, actually?

0:07:51.785,0:07:53.306
Let's go down to the gene level.

0:07:53.306,0:07:56.114
When you go to the actual[br]gene level, what do you see?

0:07:56.114,0:07:59.166
You see the gene sitting there.[br]Nothing's going on with the gene.

0:07:59.166,0:08:01.656
The gene's just sitting there[br]with lots of potential.

0:08:01.656,0:08:04.151
Little histones hang around,[br]they're little proteins,

0:08:04.151,0:08:06.288
and they basically monitor[br]what's going on.

0:08:06.288,0:08:08.440
They play with the volume[br]on this whole thing.

0:08:08.440,0:08:12.115
And they basically, "What are you doing?![br]You're eating a what?!

0:08:12.115,0:08:13.497
That's a Ho-Ho!

0:08:13.497,0:08:16.588
That's not food.[br]That's a science fair project!

0:08:16.588,0:08:17.771
(Laughter)

0:08:17.771,0:08:20.007
I can't believe you just[br]put that in your mouth!

0:08:20.007,0:08:21.687
Okay, fine! Suffer!"

0:08:21.687,0:08:24.255
And then, all of the sudden,

0:08:24.535,0:08:26.820
the speech to the rest[br]of the body from that gene

0:08:26.820,0:08:29.135
is "Erode immune function."

0:08:29.898,0:08:33.289
Here come some allergens.[br]It's just a mess.

0:08:33.289,0:08:34.489
(Gasp)

0:08:34.489,0:08:36.236
"She ate an apple! Yay!"

0:08:36.236,0:08:38.517
And the histones[br]are all having little orgasms.

0:08:38.517,0:08:40.307
And they're all happy and everything.

0:08:40.307,0:08:42.675
And then they, "Whoa! ..."

0:08:43.128,0:08:45.708
And then you augment immune function.

0:08:45.708,0:08:46.927
You rock and roll.

0:08:46.927,0:08:49.857
You fill your body with phytonutrients.

0:08:49.857,0:08:51.140
Isn't that the way to go?

0:08:51.140,0:08:53.309
What if you were born[br]with the addictive gene?

0:08:53.309,0:08:55.856
You can dampen it; you can quiet it

0:08:55.856,0:08:58.547
by every mouthful that you take,

0:08:58.547,0:09:02.817
every step that you take[br]with physical movement, for instance.

0:09:02.822,0:09:06.112
And also, please, whatever you do,[br]don't forget the brain.

0:09:06.112,0:09:07.587
Every thought you have.

0:09:07.587,0:09:09.341
Right now, every single one of you,

0:09:09.341,0:09:12.467
I'm here as a physician[br]to save your lives.

0:09:12.805,0:09:14.002
Don't you just love that?

0:09:14.002,0:09:15.196
I love saying that.

0:09:15.196,0:09:17.131
Makes me feel so - well, anyway.

0:09:17.487,0:09:18.595
I digress.

0:09:18.595,0:09:22.295
So what I'd like you to do right now[br]is I want to save your life a little bit.

0:09:22.295,0:09:24.431
I want you to turn[br]to the person next to you,

0:09:24.431,0:09:28.142
and I want you to say, "You are so cool!"[br]and give them a high five, right now.

0:09:28.142,0:09:29.137
(Audience responds)

0:09:29.137,0:09:30.386
Alright!

0:09:30.673,0:09:32.217
Okay, we're done.

0:09:32.217,0:09:37.577
Now, in those few seconds,[br]while you were high-fiving somebody -

0:09:38.288,0:09:39.890
get your hands off her! -

0:09:39.890,0:09:41.426
(Laughter)

0:09:42.588,0:09:45.298
what you were doing[br]was actually changing gene expression.

0:09:45.298,0:09:48.683
Because you see you laughing right now?[br]I'm helping save your life. Why?

0:09:48.683,0:09:51.310
Research shows that you have a choice:

0:09:51.310,0:09:53.367
You can either laugh or be in despair.

0:09:53.367,0:09:55.346
You cannot do both at the same time,

0:09:55.346,0:09:57.295
because the brain doesn't work that way.

0:09:57.295,0:09:59.878
So I'm keeping you over here[br]instead of over there.

0:09:59.878,0:10:01.698
Are you enjoying yourselves?

0:10:01.698,0:10:03.423
Wonderful. I'm thrilled.

0:10:03.423,0:10:04.426
Okay.

0:10:04.426,0:10:05.436
(Laughter)

0:10:05.436,0:10:08.797
Now, just want to drill it home again.

0:10:08.797,0:10:10.614
DNA is not destiny.

0:10:10.614,0:10:11.793
This is brand new!

0:10:11.793,0:10:14.077
This is so exciting and so empowering!

0:10:14.077,0:10:15.918
It's kind of scary too, isn't it?

0:10:15.918,0:10:19.541
Because when you think about it,[br]every single thought, every mouthful,

0:10:19.541,0:10:23.836
every single movement that you take[br]changes gene expression.

0:10:23.836,0:10:25.300
Remember those histones -

0:10:25.300,0:10:27.205
they're scoping you right now -

0:10:27.695,0:10:29.060
alters your destiny

0:10:29.060,0:10:31.581
and transforms the mind-body.

0:10:31.581,0:10:33.163
What's not to love?

0:10:33.163,0:10:37.154
So, instead of "You are what you eat,"

0:10:37.154,0:10:39.394
you are what your parents ate?

0:10:39.394,0:10:41.919
Well, that's what this research showed.

0:10:41.919,0:10:43.420
So, hmm, wait a minute now,

0:10:43.420,0:10:46.570
in my journey, I had[br]to think about this for a second.

0:10:46.570,0:10:48.508
No comment about the hair.

0:10:48.508,0:10:49.510
(Laughter)

0:10:49.510,0:10:50.950
I was helpless.

0:10:50.950,0:10:52.250
(Laughter)

0:10:52.250,0:10:55.310
Now, there's my mom and my dad.

0:10:55.949,0:10:58.725
The good news is they ate well.

0:10:58.725,0:11:01.689
So I'm looking pretty good[br]in the neighborhood, right?

0:11:01.689,0:11:04.729
What if they didn't?[br]What if they were, like, trash eaters?

0:11:04.729,0:11:07.670
I mean, you know, welcome to America.

0:11:07.670,0:11:09.668
So here's the deal:

0:11:09.668,0:11:11.697
What if they were eating not so well?

0:11:11.697,0:11:13.688
A lot of science fair projects.

0:11:14.067,0:11:15.288
Hmmm.

0:11:15.494,0:11:17.519
Am I still okay? Yeah. You know why?

0:11:17.519,0:11:19.708
Epigenetics works that way too.

0:11:19.708,0:11:20.929
Here's the way it works.

0:11:20.929,0:11:22.399
Remember this.

0:11:22.399,0:11:28.458
Genetics may load the gun,[br]but epigenetics pulls the trigger.

0:11:29.479,0:11:31.398
Ahhh. I see you're all going, Whew!

0:11:31.398,0:11:34.748
Wow, you can put the Prozac away;[br]you're feeling better.

0:11:34.748,0:11:36.206
It's good. It's good.

0:11:36.206,0:11:38.699
So, I Iucked out.[br]My parents were pretty cool.

0:11:38.699,0:11:39.699
Alright?

0:11:39.699,0:11:40.697
I'm looking good.

0:11:40.697,0:11:43.367
And then all of the sudden,[br]just when I was sitting back,

0:11:43.367,0:11:47.008
thinking, "Yeah,[br]this is feeling real good,"

0:11:47.008,0:11:48.567
new research showed up:

0:11:48.567,0:11:50.836
You are what your grandparents ate?!

0:11:50.836,0:11:51.966
Are you kidding me?!

0:11:51.966,0:11:54.217
That's two generations.

0:11:54.217,0:11:56.918
Look, this is a hero's journey already.

0:11:56.918,0:12:00.065
I'm working as hard as I can;[br]I'm trying to do this right.

0:12:00.065,0:12:03.489
What?! Two generations?![br]You're killing me here.

0:12:03.489,0:12:05.666
So I started thinking[br]about this for a second.

0:12:05.666,0:12:07.637
I know the grandparents[br]on my mom's side.

0:12:07.637,0:12:09.403
They're okay; they're exonerated.

0:12:09.403,0:12:13.267
Ate okay. Musicians. Joyful.[br]Really nice people. Whatever.

0:12:13.267,0:12:14.708
Didn't know my dad's side,

0:12:14.708,0:12:16.473
because they died early.

0:12:16.813,0:12:20.067
And I was wondering, Wow,[br]who are these people and what goes on?

0:12:20.067,0:12:22.666
So this is Grandpa Raymond.

0:12:22.666,0:12:24.018
Right?

0:12:24.018,0:12:28.033
And this is my grandmother[br]on that side, my father's side.

0:12:28.033,0:12:30.527
And that is Grandma Mollnar.

0:12:31.046,0:12:33.749
Hmmm. Elizabeth Mollnar.

0:12:33.749,0:12:35.949
What were you cooking? How did you eat?

0:12:35.949,0:12:37.817
I started getting a little paranoid.

0:12:37.817,0:12:42.558
Why? Because the new science,[br]on top of the Agouti mice,

0:12:42.558,0:12:45.268
there was something[br]incredible that came down

0:12:45.268,0:12:47.208
that you need to understand.

0:12:47.829,0:12:51.218
You know, we look at nature[br]and nurture intertwined.

0:12:51.619,0:12:56.007
A number of studies[br]showed something really mind-blowing

0:12:56.007,0:12:57.998
that I want to share with you.

0:12:58.200,0:13:03.205
And that is, the Swedes[br]were the lead-off on this.

0:13:03.525,0:13:08.253
The Swedes love to count[br]demographics and numbers.

0:13:08.253,0:13:13.957
Indeed, they collected some of the most[br]incredible data I've ever seen.

0:13:13.957,0:13:16.078
And this is in the mid-1880s.

0:13:16.078,0:13:18.927
There's a wonderful[br]little place called Överkalix.

0:13:18.927,0:13:21.969
And in this place -[br]it's fairly remote in Sweden -

0:13:21.969,0:13:23.679
they either had feast or famine.

0:13:23.679,0:13:27.520
And after looking at multiple generations,[br]guess what they found.

0:13:27.520,0:13:31.398
That if you were the child[br]and the grandchild

0:13:31.398,0:13:35.349
of someone who had been in famine,[br]you actually live longer.

0:13:36.008,0:13:39.567
Because what happens is your genes[br]kick in with survival, don't they?

0:13:39.567,0:13:42.878
All of the sudden, you just sort of[br]amp it up with the survival thing.

0:13:42.889,0:13:43.919
That's the good news.

0:13:43.919,0:13:47.767
The funky news is you also end up[br]having other issues like depression.

0:13:48.258,0:13:49.258
Right?

0:13:49.258,0:13:50.957
Well, what about if it was feast?

0:13:50.957,0:13:53.829
You're sitting around there going,[br]yeah, give me that remote.

0:13:53.829,0:13:55.667
And just letting in rip.

0:13:55.667,0:13:56.839
What happens with those?

0:13:56.839,0:13:59.646
You actually die earlier, all cause.

0:14:00.429,0:14:01.989
Hmmm, that's interesting.

0:14:01.989,0:14:05.857
What about the horrific issue[br]of World War II

0:14:05.857,0:14:08.712
with the Dutch Hongerwinter.

0:14:08.712,0:14:10.648
And what they did during that time was

0:14:10.648,0:14:15.396
there were little towns in the Netherlands[br]that were cut off, that were blockaded

0:14:15.396,0:14:17.127
during that terrible war.

0:14:17.127,0:14:21.020
And those people[br]were eating 580 calories a day.

0:14:21.020,0:14:23.308
22,000 people died.

0:14:23.998,0:14:27.037
What happened to their children[br]and their grandchildren?

0:14:27.037,0:14:30.408
They were all very[br]and significantly underweight

0:14:30.408,0:14:32.439
for at least two generations,

0:14:33.168,0:14:35.696
in addition to the psychological prodrom.

0:14:35.696,0:14:38.139
The industrial revolution.[br]Hmm, what's up with that?

0:14:38.139,0:14:39.886
A lot of plastics.

0:14:40.176,0:14:41.837
A lot of science fair projects.

0:14:41.837,0:14:43.297
What do you think that's done?

0:14:43.297,0:14:49.978
Hmmm. Could that have laid the groundwork[br]for a lot of the issues we see today?

0:14:50.227,0:14:51.589
Question mark.

0:14:51.867,0:14:54.272
The epigeneticists are hard at work.

0:14:54.272,0:14:55.320
And then finally,

0:14:55.320,0:14:57.487
the British Avon study of the mid-1990s.

0:14:57.487,0:14:58.994
Guess what they found.

0:14:58.994,0:15:02.136
And this was very important information.

0:15:02.436,0:15:04.147
When you had the feast or famine,

0:15:04.147,0:15:10.188
or when you had, in this case, smoking[br]among men, they looked at specifically.

0:15:10.188,0:15:14.271
And if the smoking started[br]between the ages of 9 and 12,

0:15:14.271,0:15:19.578
during the time when your epigenome[br]was most vulnerable, guess what happened.

0:15:19.578,0:15:24.378
Their sons became overweight and obese[br]and so did their grandchildren.

0:15:26.227,0:15:27.988
There's a crossover.

0:15:28.218,0:15:29.268
Wow.

0:15:29.268,0:15:32.487
Suddenly, I was thinking,[br]grandparents, grandparents. Huh.

0:15:32.487,0:15:34.088
I have to know more about this.

0:15:34.088,0:15:36.108
I really want to understand more about me.

0:15:36.108,0:15:38.990
What happened to that side of the family?

0:15:38.990,0:15:40.770
Because that was a big question mark.

0:15:40.770,0:15:41.973
So I scoped it out.

0:15:41.973,0:15:43.419
Guess what.

0:15:44.809,0:15:47.048
I'm the direct descendant of gypsies!

0:15:47.048,0:15:48.338
It's a trip!

0:15:48.338,0:15:51.778
We have all kinds of Hungarians[br]and gypsies and wild and crazy people

0:15:51.778,0:15:53.078
on that side of the family.

0:15:53.078,0:15:54.287
And that's what they ate.

0:15:54.287,0:15:56.198
What is that yellow stuff, anyway?

0:15:56.198,0:16:00.075
I wanted to understand[br]what kind of life they lived.

0:16:00.075,0:16:03.320
Well, as it turns out, it was a joyful,[br]wild and crazy life too.

0:16:03.320,0:16:04.572
Just different food.

0:16:04.572,0:16:06.399
I was kind of interested in that food.

0:16:06.399,0:16:07.405
Kind of paranoid.

0:16:07.405,0:16:09.564
Where were the greens[br]that I learned to love -

0:16:09.564,0:16:10.966
those little methyl donors?

0:16:10.966,0:16:13.327
Well, here's a recipe I found

0:16:13.327,0:16:16.127
for one of the soups[br]that my grandmother made.

0:16:16.127,0:16:18.656
You see where it says kale, right?

0:16:18.656,0:16:19.798
(Laughter)

0:16:19.798,0:16:21.457
I'm obsessed!

0:16:21.457,0:16:22.577
You noticed that.

0:16:22.577,0:16:24.918
Well, as it turns out,[br]for crying out loud,

0:16:24.918,0:16:26.687
you methylate not just with kale -

0:16:26.687,0:16:28.417
that's nothing more than a metaphor

0:16:28.417,0:16:31.415
for all the great things[br]you're going to be doing for your body,

0:16:31.415,0:16:33.909
epigenetically, with[br]the great thoughts that you had,

0:16:33.909,0:16:35.817
with movement that you have,

0:16:35.817,0:16:36.987
everything.

0:16:36.987,0:16:39.447
And with what you eat,[br]and that's all good stuff.

0:16:39.447,0:16:41.161
But I was still paranoid.

0:16:41.161,0:16:44.478
I was thinking, hmm, I wonder[br]what my genes look like.

0:16:44.478,0:16:46.218
And I don't mean Calvin Klein.

0:16:46.218,0:16:52.587
So, I went ahead and got a BodySync[br]data analysis, a DNA analysis.

0:16:52.587,0:16:53.939
Guess what I got.

0:16:53.939,0:16:57.468
A little swab just like[br]that CSI Miami thing on TV.

0:16:57.468,0:16:59.207
I went for the swab, sent it off,

0:16:59.207,0:17:01.347
and I sat around thinking, oh no.

0:17:01.347,0:17:03.457
And I looked at the whole host of genes.

0:17:03.457,0:17:06.197
I wanted to make sure[br]I was methylating optimally.

0:17:06.197,0:17:07.598
And so would you.

0:17:07.598,0:17:10.706
So, I looked at one particular gene,

0:17:10.706,0:17:13.316
especially - I really wanted[br]to hone in on this one.

0:17:13.316,0:17:16.667
Because this was a gene[br]that was really, really, really important

0:17:16.667,0:17:21.448
to be able to help take methyl donors[br]from folate, like from kale,

0:17:21.448,0:17:25.118
and to be able to do DNA repair.

0:17:25.118,0:17:27.287
With all the crazy things[br]I do all day long,

0:17:27.287,0:17:28.657
and you do all day long,

0:17:28.657,0:17:30.997
I wanted to repair my DNA optimally.

0:17:30.997,0:17:33.619
So, I looked at this one gene:

0:17:33.884,0:17:39.489
methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase.

0:17:39.489,0:17:40.756
That's the name of it.

0:17:40.756,0:17:43.336
Well, I'd never seen it in gene-speak.

0:17:43.636,0:17:45.057
Well, there it is.

0:17:45.057,0:17:47.038
(Laughter)

0:17:47.371,0:17:48.367
Okay.

0:17:48.367,0:17:49.902
I knew you'd get it immediately.

0:17:49.902,0:17:50.919
(Laughter)

0:17:50.919,0:17:52.789
I looked at it and I fell off my chair.

0:17:52.789,0:17:54.598
I said, I can't put that on a slide.

0:17:54.598,0:17:55.818
(Laughter)

0:17:55.818,0:17:57.947
It's the mother (ahem) gene.

0:17:57.947,0:17:58.946
(Laughter)

0:17:58.946,0:18:02.581
And in the case of Grandmother Mollnar,[br]it's a - put a G there -

0:18:02.581,0:18:04.909
it's a grandmother (ahem) gene.

0:18:04.909,0:18:07.498
So there it was.[br]It's an easy one to remember.

0:18:07.498,0:18:10.827
Lo and behold, my gene was normal.

0:18:10.827,0:18:12.638
There it is. I'm methylating like crazy.

0:18:12.638,0:18:14.587
I'm loving every single moment of this.

0:18:14.587,0:18:17.428
And I methylate[br]with everything: mind, body ...

0:18:18.028,0:18:19.998
mind, mouth and muscle.

0:18:19.998,0:18:21.818
All three of them.

0:18:21.818,0:18:24.619
So, I was feeling very, very good.

0:18:24.815,0:18:28.437
So, I'm going to gift you[br]with something special.

0:18:28.688,0:18:31.798
I promised you[br]that on this hero's journey,

0:18:31.798,0:18:34.107
you would be armed with something new.

0:18:34.107,0:18:35.868
Not just what you already know about:

0:18:35.868,0:18:38.918
get in there with perseverance[br]and will power and determination -

0:18:38.918,0:18:40.216
of course that's important.

0:18:40.216,0:18:44.237
But I want to give you epigene-speak.

0:18:44.237,0:18:45.967
So, you know,

0:18:47.287,0:18:48.977
getting your veggies.

0:18:48.977,0:18:50.977
Well, yeah, you already know all that.

0:18:50.977,0:18:53.387
But now when you[br]walk into a grocery store,

0:18:53.387,0:18:55.848
I want you to be highly enlightened.

0:18:55.848,0:18:58.390
I want you to walk up[br]to the produce section and say,

0:18:58.390,0:19:00.708
"I need to score some methyl donors."

0:19:00.708,0:19:02.356
(Laughter)

0:19:02.356,0:19:05.957
I want to be able to find[br]any way I possibly can

0:19:05.957,0:19:09.767
to be able to "do" my methyl donors.

0:19:09.767,0:19:11.928
And you keep saying to yourself,[br]"Everything I do"

0:19:11.928,0:19:14.444
from the moment you leave here,

0:19:14.984,0:19:16.706
what kind of thoughts are you having?

0:19:16.706,0:19:18.518
Positive thoughts?

0:19:18.518,0:19:20.297
Loving thoughts?

0:19:21.074,0:19:23.466
You're changing your very epigenome.

0:19:23.466,0:19:25.907
Positive thoughts. Loving thoughts.

0:19:25.907,0:19:27.624
What are you putting in your mouth?

0:19:27.624,0:19:29.677
Think about it. Be mindful.

0:19:29.677,0:19:33.416
What about that physical[br]movement of yours?

0:19:33.416,0:19:35.158
Do you actually assume the vertical?

0:19:35.158,0:19:38.143
I know it's radical,[br]but do you assume the vertical?

0:19:38.143,0:19:39.628
And move!

0:19:40.039,0:19:42.491
And rejoice that you can do that.

0:19:42.491,0:19:43.827
Ooh, I love that.

0:19:43.827,0:19:46.488
The same time, what are you hooked on?

0:19:46.488,0:19:48.648
What are your genes hooked on?

0:19:48.648,0:19:49.649
Right?

0:19:49.649,0:19:53.499
Are you into kicking the fix? Come on![br]Who needs this nasty thing.

0:19:53.499,0:19:58.248
These tall things you spend[br]$12.50 for at the barista.

0:19:58.248,0:19:59.429
Ew!

0:19:59.429,0:20:00.426
Alright?

0:20:00.426,0:20:02.238
Sugary, fatty, salty, hyperpalatable.

0:20:02.238,0:20:04.728
It's just kicking in[br]with that food addiction, right?

0:20:04.728,0:20:06.869
No. Instead, come on ...

0:20:06.869,0:20:08.148
Do kale.

0:20:08.148,0:20:09.700
(Laughter)

0:20:10.829,0:20:13.188
So, DNA is not destiny!

0:20:13.188,0:20:15.440
It's not destiny at all!

0:20:15.630,0:20:16.779
You are!

0:20:16.779,0:20:19.358
You write the very script of your life!

0:20:19.358,0:20:21.139
Mind, mouth and muscle.

0:20:21.139,0:20:22.338
You're the ones doing it!

0:20:22.338,0:20:24.679
Just sitting here right now.

0:20:24.886,0:20:26.489
You're writing away.

0:20:26.489,0:20:30.778
Your histones are busily[br]monitoring everything in your life.

0:20:30.778,0:20:32.219
You love that.

0:20:32.219,0:20:34.038
At the same time, you treat yourself.

0:20:34.038,0:20:36.358
I always have a cupcake[br]in at least one slide.

0:20:36.358,0:20:38.217
There's always a little treat in there.

0:20:38.217,0:20:39.875
And you're also eating

0:20:39.875,0:20:43.212
and rejoicing with, ahh, whole foods!

0:20:43.212,0:20:44.288
Love it! Love it!

0:20:44.288,0:20:45.886
How about that physical activity?

0:20:45.886,0:20:47.121
We love that too.

0:20:47.121,0:20:49.689
How about mind-body activity?

0:20:49.689,0:20:51.098
How about those greens?

0:20:51.098,0:20:52.647
Ahh ...

0:20:53.342,0:20:55.946
my histones harken.

0:20:55.946,0:20:59.448
It's time to methylate.

0:20:59.448,0:21:00.449
(Laughter)

0:21:00.449,0:21:04.588
I wish you all a very green[br]hero's journey.

0:21:04.588,0:21:06.377
(Applause)