We now know that BOTH nature (your genes) and nurture (your environment) play an important role in health and disease.  Most of the time it is a complex interaction between a person's genes, behaviors and environment that determines health. 

Your genes are with you from the time of conception, but the environment can change, depending on where you live, what you choose to eat, and your exposures, like secondhand smoke.  Some birth defects are caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors.  Many common chronic diseases have an underlying genetic cause, but the likelihood of maintaining good health gets better with healthy lifestyle choices.  Click on the diagram below to learn more.

"My World" is the physical environment in which you live. Examples include the house you live in, the water you drink, the air you breathe or where you work and play.

"My Choices" are the lifestyles and behaviors you choose that contribute to your overall health, including the choice not to smoke, getting plenty of physical activity and the foods you eat.  "Nutrigenomics" is a new field of study aimed at better understanding how individual genetic differences influence nutrition and the way the body uses foods and vitamins.

"My Self" refers to the unique factors - based on your genetic makeup and family health history-that determine your individual predispositions to medical conditions, birth defects or developmental disabilities, chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes or other genetic disorders.  Your own genetic code also influences the way your body may respond to certain medications - a field known as "pharmacogenomics".