Dr. Knight is an Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology at the University of Colorado Boulder. She has work in multiple research areas including developmental neuroscience, genetics, and science education.
Interviewer: How would you define “Genetics”?
Dr. Knight: Genetics is the process of inheritance and from the perspective of studying genetics, it is the study of how genes are passed on from long generations and how genes impact how the body functions, how cells work, our phenotypes which is what we look like, how we behave, how we act, how we respond to stress, environment, ect. All of those things are controlled by genes so genetics is the study of all of those factors. Genetics also includes, from a larger perspective, changes in frequencies of alleles over time as a consequence of natural selection, basically environmental impact or pressures on those alleles. What that means is that populations of humans can have different responses to their environment because of their genetics and in certain populations certain genes are expressed differently and have different variations. That makes groups of individuals different from each other. So in the study of genetics or how genetics impacts health, it’s important to know what population you’re looking at.
Interviewer: From the perspective of genetics, what does it mean to be a “healthy” person?
Dr. Knight: Right, so to be a healthy person genetically is an interesting concept. Because you don’t have any control over the genetic makeup of yourself, right? You inherit what you inherit. So “genetically healthy” I suppose would be having inherited the variance of genes that predispose to you towards a healthy heart, healthy blood pressure, healthy lung tissue, a functioning liver – all the organs of your body being highly functional which is going to depend on the variance of genes you inherit. That being said, there are very few health symptoms that are purely genetic. So, being genetically healthy is really only part of the equation. Because your environment then, in terms of where you live, in terms of the quality of the air you breathe, your access to nutrition as a child, whether you smoke or drink or use drugs, all of those things – and also just your general upbringing, like the way in which you are nurtured as a young person – all of those things can affect your health, long term. All of that is outside of the genetic makeup but is going to interact with the genetic makeup to create a healthy individual or an unhealthy individual.
Interviewer: It seems like people now like to say that their health is due to their genetics.
Dr. Knight: Right, I was going to say that it’s a popular misconception, but it’s not really a misconception, it’s just an oversimplification. Because so much of our health, and so much of our behavior in general, is dictated by the interaction of genes with the environment. It’s rare for it to be dictated solely by your genetic makeup, unless we’re talking about a single gene disease. There are diseases, of course, that are caused by mutations in single genes. Those cannot be positively impacted by the environment, they are only dependent on your genetic makeup, your inheritance. But, the most common scenario is that multiple genes and the environment all contribute to your overall picture of who you are and your health.
Interviewer: For you personally, what does it mean for you to be “healthy”?
Dr. Knight: I think there are a lot of different components, just like my definition of how genetics impacts health in general. For me personally, it has to do with nutrition, exercise, and personal mental health. I was going to say personal wellbeing, but personal wellbeing is essentially mental health. What allows you to be mentally healthy very strongly impacts your personal health and vice-versa. Nutrition, obviously, eating healthfully. I’m personally vegetarian so knowing what foods you need as a vegetarian. Exercise, it’s hard to exercise when it’s cold and miserable outside or if you’re injured, but just being active. Even if I can’t exercise, I try to walk or get up and stand during the day and not sit all day long. Little tiny behavioral things are important habits to have- don’t sit around too much, be active! Mental Health is so critical and can feel like it’s outside of your control. But, for me, having things that I enjoy doing outside of my career and being with people that I love. For me, that’s my family, my children and my husband and my friends who are kind of like family. Those relationships are critical to me, and without those I think it’s very hard to be mentally healthy without a support network of people. My hobbies are also very important to me, finding joy in other things. I was never one of those who are totally obsessed with work. I am kind of obsessed, but only during a certain number of hours of the day. I’m very dedicated to my work, and I think my work allows me to be mentally healthy, in feeling like I’m contributing to the world in some way which I feel contributes to feeling healthy. But I make sure that I have time to do the things I love that are not work related.
Thank you, Dr. Knight!
– The Culture + Health Team