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Dirty Genes: A Revolutionary Approach to Health and Wellness Through Nutritional Genetics and Personalized Plans for a Happier, Healthier You
Instant National Bestseller After suffering for years with unexplainable health issues, Dr. Ben Lynch discovered the root cause—“dirty” genes. Genes can be “born dirty” or merely “act dirty” in response to your environment, diet, or lifestyle—causing lifelong, life-threatening, and chronic health problems, including cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disorders, anxiety, depression, digestive issues, obesity, cancer, and diabetes. Based on his own experience and successfully helping thousands of clients, Dr. Lynch shows you how to identify and optimize both types of dirty genes by cleaning them up with targeted and personalized plans, including healthy eating, good sleep, stress relief, environmental detox, and other holistic and natural means. Many of us believe our genes doom us to the disorders that run in our families. But Dr. Lynch reveals that with the right plan in place, you can eliminate symptoms, and optimize your physical and mental health—and ultimately rewrite your genetic destiny.
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 30, 2018
2018 people are currently reading
6091 people want to read
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February 4, 2025
It's going to be difficult for me to give much of a glowing review of this book. In fact, it will be impossible.
I’m usually skeptical of 1* reviews, they are generally objectively suspect and much less enlightening than 2* or 3* ratings.
This is often because the reviewer issuing a really low rating often has some weird subjective bias or an axe to grind. Nevertheless, a 1* rating here seems appropriate and if you have the time and patience to slog through this review, I am going to tell you why…and be blunt about it.
If you don’t have the time or inclination to wade through the rest of what I have to say about this book, let me do it do it a little quick justice:
The book is a Mac Quarter-Pounder dressed up as 16 oz Filet Mignon, it is Haggis disguised as Science, it less than honest. A used car salesman who employs circular reasoning, along with nicely scientific sounding catch words, to pile them high and sell ‘em cheap is its author. This is a very great pity, as the subject itself is essentially a high value topic.
Doctor Lynch is a Holistic Practitioner. I have nothing against Holistic Medicine, as long as the techniques available work as well or better than a placebo (the same requirement that I have for mainstream medicine). On the contrary, when mainstream medicine wasn’t helping me solve the problem, I have found a couple holistic technologies very helpful indeed.
Don't misunderstand me, the advice given here in this book is not all bad, nor is it worthless. The book does promote some good nutritional advice. But this advice could have similarly been dispensed in a more straightforward and less pseudo-scientific manner. A simpler, less dogmatic treatment would have been more advantageous. A more honest treatment might have garnered more trust, produced less scepticism and a rosier review than the sort of totalitarian-health-utopia atmosphere provided here in DIRTY GENES
Good con-artistry, an essential tool-of-the-trade that most self-styled experts, snake-oil salesmen and online gurus utilise, will be that much of what is said will appear to be true, indeed may even partially be true.
A good conman seems to be bringing you the "A" game…only doesn't. A good con will really take off and sprout wings once the practitioner of the con has gotten his mark (in this case, the reader) to trust him enough to create a distraction, a suspension of disbelief.
If you can look and talk the part of an expert, figure out how to make the sucker believe that what you’re selling is going to solve his problem and make him happy for ever and ever, then by gosh, you can just start laughing all the way to the bank.
Many years ago, my daughter, who was about 10 years old at the time, informed me (with obvious mixed feelings on the matter): "Dad, you can stop pretending. If people want to believe in Santa Clause, that’s fine, we should let them-because it's nice to believe in him. But it doesn't make him real."
Somewhere in the early chapters of DIRTY GENES, the author offers advice that it's not necessary to test for the genes that are the foundation of his prognosis. He knows it is time consuming, it’s a hassle. So, he will dumb it down, help you out to save some effort, time and money. For expediency's sake, all you have to do is follow his advice with a checklist to determine whether you possess some of these bad boy genes, or not.
Voila! the simplistic concept of a "dirty gene" is born! A clever marketing ploy!
A dirty gene is simply one that requires a good clean & scrub up, utilising of course Dr. Lynch's protocol. No pesky testing or chemical sampling required. We'll just take advantage of our reader’s general ignorance and naivety. For all the simple-minded debutantes attending class today, we just make it trivial, schlep the whole biz into a-priori mode.
This annoying attempt at marketing a point of view by dumbing down the rather complex yet fascinatingly powerful subjects of genetics, epigenetics and nutrigenomics may make it seem like sense to readers who fell asleep in high school during science class. Anyone perhaps a little less gullible may find the author’s simplistic stylistic method rather self-serving, condescending and dogmatic. The author clearly believes his readers are dumb sheep.
Lynch’s style here suggests a less than altruistic attempt at creating the false impression of efficient practicality where there is, in fact none. What there seems to be, though is a disappointingly successful feat of prestidigitation: the act of turning an otherwise valid , fascinating and promising topic into dreck.
Far from empowering readers and providing them with the buoyant hope that he/she has the ability to fix his/her less than optimal DNA strands should he/she find them annoying or bothersome, Lynch employs a rather transparent set of psychological tricks here, compounding the latest scientific jargon to create an alternative reality. One sounding and seeming intuitively plausible, but lacking the practical advantages of being scientifically proven.
This just doesn't work. Not because it isn't possible. Not because I think that the subject matter itself isn’t sound or doesn’t hold real opportunities to improve the lot of most living creatures on this planet, but because the author’s method in DIRTY GENES is simply dishonest. He is a scam artist.
DIRTY GENES smacks of the same intention and artifice that once upon a time was used to sell a fairytale emperor of old a nice new suit of nonexistent clothing, only to catch him out parading around in his birthday suit and quacking like a duck.
I’m usually skeptical of 1* reviews, they are generally objectively suspect and much less enlightening than 2* or 3* ratings.
This is often because the reviewer issuing a really low rating often has some weird subjective bias or an axe to grind. Nevertheless, a 1* rating here seems appropriate and if you have the time and patience to slog through this review, I am going to tell you why…and be blunt about it.
If you don’t have the time or inclination to wade through the rest of what I have to say about this book, let me do it do it a little quick justice:
The book is a Mac Quarter-Pounder dressed up as 16 oz Filet Mignon, it is Haggis disguised as Science, it less than honest. A used car salesman who employs circular reasoning, along with nicely scientific sounding catch words, to pile them high and sell ‘em cheap is its author. This is a very great pity, as the subject itself is essentially a high value topic.
Doctor Lynch is a Holistic Practitioner. I have nothing against Holistic Medicine, as long as the techniques available work as well or better than a placebo (the same requirement that I have for mainstream medicine). On the contrary, when mainstream medicine wasn’t helping me solve the problem, I have found a couple holistic technologies very helpful indeed.
Don't misunderstand me, the advice given here in this book is not all bad, nor is it worthless. The book does promote some good nutritional advice. But this advice could have similarly been dispensed in a more straightforward and less pseudo-scientific manner. A simpler, less dogmatic treatment would have been more advantageous. A more honest treatment might have garnered more trust, produced less scepticism and a rosier review than the sort of totalitarian-health-utopia atmosphere provided here in DIRTY GENES
Good con-artistry, an essential tool-of-the-trade that most self-styled experts, snake-oil salesmen and online gurus utilise, will be that much of what is said will appear to be true, indeed may even partially be true.
A good conman seems to be bringing you the "A" game…only doesn't. A good con will really take off and sprout wings once the practitioner of the con has gotten his mark (in this case, the reader) to trust him enough to create a distraction, a suspension of disbelief.
If you can look and talk the part of an expert, figure out how to make the sucker believe that what you’re selling is going to solve his problem and make him happy for ever and ever, then by gosh, you can just start laughing all the way to the bank.
Many years ago, my daughter, who was about 10 years old at the time, informed me (with obvious mixed feelings on the matter): "Dad, you can stop pretending. If people want to believe in Santa Clause, that’s fine, we should let them-because it's nice to believe in him. But it doesn't make him real."
Somewhere in the early chapters of DIRTY GENES, the author offers advice that it's not necessary to test for the genes that are the foundation of his prognosis. He knows it is time consuming, it’s a hassle. So, he will dumb it down, help you out to save some effort, time and money. For expediency's sake, all you have to do is follow his advice with a checklist to determine whether you possess some of these bad boy genes, or not.
Voila! the simplistic concept of a "dirty gene" is born! A clever marketing ploy!
A dirty gene is simply one that requires a good clean & scrub up, utilising of course Dr. Lynch's protocol. No pesky testing or chemical sampling required. We'll just take advantage of our reader’s general ignorance and naivety. For all the simple-minded debutantes attending class today, we just make it trivial, schlep the whole biz into a-priori mode.
This annoying attempt at marketing a point of view by dumbing down the rather complex yet fascinatingly powerful subjects of genetics, epigenetics and nutrigenomics may make it seem like sense to readers who fell asleep in high school during science class. Anyone perhaps a little less gullible may find the author’s simplistic stylistic method rather self-serving, condescending and dogmatic. The author clearly believes his readers are dumb sheep.
Lynch’s style here suggests a less than altruistic attempt at creating the false impression of efficient practicality where there is, in fact none. What there seems to be, though is a disappointingly successful feat of prestidigitation: the act of turning an otherwise valid , fascinating and promising topic into dreck.
Far from empowering readers and providing them with the buoyant hope that he/she has the ability to fix his/her less than optimal DNA strands should he/she find them annoying or bothersome, Lynch employs a rather transparent set of psychological tricks here, compounding the latest scientific jargon to create an alternative reality. One sounding and seeming intuitively plausible, but lacking the practical advantages of being scientifically proven.
This just doesn't work. Not because it isn't possible. Not because I think that the subject matter itself isn’t sound or doesn’t hold real opportunities to improve the lot of most living creatures on this planet, but because the author’s method in DIRTY GENES is simply dishonest. He is a scam artist.
DIRTY GENES smacks of the same intention and artifice that once upon a time was used to sell a fairytale emperor of old a nice new suit of nonexistent clothing, only to catch him out parading around in his birthday suit and quacking like a duck.
July 11, 2019
An interesting take on epigenetics.
While it still remains to be seen what comes out of all these ideas, whether they are true or pseudo- science and whatnot, some of the stuff is cool.
Another thing is that lots of stuff are regular things we all ought to do not matter what: sleep more, stress less, eat good stuff, exercise, spend less hours motionlessly staring at assorted spaces (books/TV/computers/etc)... Still, it's a good thing to know that these might have some effects other than the things we all readily understand about these platitude resembling wisdoms.
Takeouts:
Matylation.
Genes expression.
SNP (single-nucleotide polymorphism)
While it still remains to be seen what comes out of all these ideas, whether they are true or pseudo- science and whatnot, some of the stuff is cool.
Another thing is that lots of stuff are regular things we all ought to do not matter what: sleep more, stress less, eat good stuff, exercise, spend less hours motionlessly staring at assorted spaces (books/TV/computers/etc)... Still, it's a good thing to know that these might have some effects other than the things we all readily understand about these platitude resembling wisdoms.
Takeouts:
Matylation.
Genes expression.
SNP (single-nucleotide polymorphism)
February 9, 2021
2 Stars. I'm changing my rating. I think this guy is hack and should not be trusted. He is trying to sell you his product. Go to a qualified doctor and not a naturopath who wants to run expensive tests and put you on a ton of unnecessary and potentially dangerous supplements. It is a dangerous game to play with your body.
This was a very informative book however the questionnaires utilized to determine which genes are dirty felt very subjective and open to interpretation. For example, a sign of a dirty MTHFR gene is sweating profusely when exercising- I sweat but what’s considered abnormal?
The last third of the book was dedicated to cleaning up your dirty genes via diet and lifestyle and possible supplements to help support healthy functioning of the dirty genes. I found this confusing since he kept stating that if you take so and so watch out as it may cause x,y, and z. It just seems like an unsafe way to treat oneself without dr supervision.
Another issue I had with the book was he recommends going to a naturopathic or functional medicine doctor to get all these lab tests done and test for genetic SNPs . Now, if I had excess money to throw around I would have no problem doing this but I live in reality and rely on my insurance to help cover costs.
Again I did enjoy reading this despite my gripes and learned some new concepts.
This was a very informative book however the questionnaires utilized to determine which genes are dirty felt very subjective and open to interpretation. For example, a sign of a dirty MTHFR gene is sweating profusely when exercising- I sweat but what’s considered abnormal?
The last third of the book was dedicated to cleaning up your dirty genes via diet and lifestyle and possible supplements to help support healthy functioning of the dirty genes. I found this confusing since he kept stating that if you take so and so watch out as it may cause x,y, and z. It just seems like an unsafe way to treat oneself without dr supervision.
Another issue I had with the book was he recommends going to a naturopathic or functional medicine doctor to get all these lab tests done and test for genetic SNPs . Now, if I had excess money to throw around I would have no problem doing this but I live in reality and rely on my insurance to help cover costs.
Again I did enjoy reading this despite my gripes and learned some new concepts.
October 14, 2018
This was a nope for me. I studied biochemistry and genetics in college so it's not that I don't understand what he is trying to say. I get that epigenetics are everything.
But the things he offers as a fix are at once really extreme and at the same time, plain good sense. *************Reduce stress. Get good sleep. Avoid toxic environments.******************
Well of course, these are obvious and MUCH easier said than done. Especially in our current culture.
His big bullet is about diet.
It is essentially a diet book with an appealing title: Dirty Genes= not your fault.
"Eat Health Food to Perhaps Fix Some of your Health Problems" isn't as catchy. It also implies your bad habits are to blame for your health woes.
The takeaway: Avoid gluten, dairy, sugar, alcohol, soda, processed foods, protein bars, juice, high carbs, fast food etc etc.
Well, OK but that is a very extreme way to eat compared to how most people currently eat.
It is fairly difficult to accomplish. Would most people feel better if they ate almost exclusively eggs, vegetables, nuts, seeds and good meats? Sure. Would they feel so very much better that it is worth the huge shift and sacrifice that type of diet requires... I doubt it. If it were so simple and so helpful, we'd be doing that already. ( I suppose it is realistic for somebody, I just don't know who.) There is little to no evidence that says specific foods (or lack there of) will have epigenetic effects whose consequences will be marked, immediate and noticeable to the average person. Preventive care is always somewhat speculative by nature, anyway. Eat like this and you probably wont get cancer. Well you probably wouldn't have gotten cancer anyway. There is no way to predict if you will or won't and what exactly is to blame. We aren't there yet. His certainty is disturbing.
But the things he offers as a fix are at once really extreme and at the same time, plain good sense. *************Reduce stress. Get good sleep. Avoid toxic environments.******************
Well of course, these are obvious and MUCH easier said than done. Especially in our current culture.
His big bullet is about diet.
It is essentially a diet book with an appealing title: Dirty Genes= not your fault.
"Eat Health Food to Perhaps Fix Some of your Health Problems" isn't as catchy. It also implies your bad habits are to blame for your health woes.
The takeaway: Avoid gluten, dairy, sugar, alcohol, soda, processed foods, protein bars, juice, high carbs, fast food etc etc.
Well, OK but that is a very extreme way to eat compared to how most people currently eat.
It is fairly difficult to accomplish. Would most people feel better if they ate almost exclusively eggs, vegetables, nuts, seeds and good meats? Sure. Would they feel so very much better that it is worth the huge shift and sacrifice that type of diet requires... I doubt it. If it were so simple and so helpful, we'd be doing that already. ( I suppose it is realistic for somebody, I just don't know who.) There is little to no evidence that says specific foods (or lack there of) will have epigenetic effects whose consequences will be marked, immediate and noticeable to the average person. Preventive care is always somewhat speculative by nature, anyway. Eat like this and you probably wont get cancer. Well you probably wouldn't have gotten cancer anyway. There is no way to predict if you will or won't and what exactly is to blame. We aren't there yet. His certainty is disturbing.
June 21, 2019
We all have SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) which can affect our health and personalities. You were either “born dirty” with these genes or sometimes they can be “acting dirty” due to your diet, environment and/or lifestyle. Lynch teaches you how to “clean” these dirty genes in order to optimise your health. It sounds like pseudoscientific quackery, but it’s not.
Due to suffering from a chronic illness myself, I have become interested in my genes and have recently undergone genetic testing. This book accompanies genetic testing very well, although you don’t need to have been tested prior to reading this.
Once you can get past Lynch’s giant ego, this book is super interesting and highly informative. It’s lay-person friendly and encompasses the oftentimes complicated fields of epigenetics and nutrigenomics in a simple way. Lynch is an extremely knowledgable naturopathic doctor full of enthusiasm, passion and a genuine desire to help. This is my first experience of what a naturopath actually does and my attitude towards them has completely changed! They help you get to the route cause of your illness(es) instead of just treating the symptoms with pharmaceuticals (which can have awful side effects).
I’m looking forward to implementing some of his advice to try and improve my health 😊
Some downsides:
- the questionnaires aren’t entirely specific to the SNP in question and there is some overlap between SNPs
- I just wish he’d stop referring to cell membranes as “cell walls” - we are not plants!! 😂
- Occasional use of sweeping statements - I get that he’s trying to keep this complicated area of science simple, but more nuance is needed at times.
Due to suffering from a chronic illness myself, I have become interested in my genes and have recently undergone genetic testing. This book accompanies genetic testing very well, although you don’t need to have been tested prior to reading this.
Once you can get past Lynch’s giant ego, this book is super interesting and highly informative. It’s lay-person friendly and encompasses the oftentimes complicated fields of epigenetics and nutrigenomics in a simple way. Lynch is an extremely knowledgable naturopathic doctor full of enthusiasm, passion and a genuine desire to help. This is my first experience of what a naturopath actually does and my attitude towards them has completely changed! They help you get to the route cause of your illness(es) instead of just treating the symptoms with pharmaceuticals (which can have awful side effects).
I’m looking forward to implementing some of his advice to try and improve my health 😊
Some downsides:
- the questionnaires aren’t entirely specific to the SNP in question and there is some overlap between SNPs
- I just wish he’d stop referring to cell membranes as “cell walls” - we are not plants!! 😂
- Occasional use of sweeping statements - I get that he’s trying to keep this complicated area of science simple, but more nuance is needed at times.
May 16, 2018
Pseudoscientific Woo
See http://www.skepticalraptor.com/skepti...
Also : https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/dubi...
Possibly an area for further research. His undergraduate understanding gives a basic mastery over the nomenclature etc yet the resulting word salad of ideas is effectively useless. The usual anecdotal nonsense included
See http://www.skepticalraptor.com/skepti...
Also : https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/dubi...
Possibly an area for further research. His undergraduate understanding gives a basic mastery over the nomenclature etc yet the resulting word salad of ideas is effectively useless. The usual anecdotal nonsense included
February 9, 2023
This is very badly written and I got tired of reading "dirty genes" over and over. I wished he would say something else or use some other term. It was so tiresome that I could not read it all but read most of it. Don't waste your money as this won't help you even with all his ridiculous little tests in the book.
October 13, 2017
This is the best book about living a healthy life that I have ever read. If you want to understand how your body works together as a whole system and achieve not just good, but your optimal health, this is the book for you.
Dr. Lynch's concept of Dirty Genes is elegant and brilliant. Your genes are either born "dirty" (what you inherited), or your genes get "dirty" through your environment and lifestyle choices.
We are all impacted by the air around us, the water we drink, and chemicals in the food we eat. We are stressed, distracted, and flooded with information. Dr. Lynch breaks down the dirty genes into 7 "super genes" and shows you how to identify which genes are dirty and how to clean them.
You don't need genetic testing to read and benefit from this book. It has an assessment that tells you which genes are acting dirty. I felt like Dr. Lynch was talking directly to me so many times as I read this book.
My eyes have been opened to many possibilities through food, nutrition, and natural remedies, and I'm excited! Dirty Genes doesn't try to scare you into thinking that somehow you are damaged or bad. In fact, he shows you how, when you clean your dirty genes, you can use them like superpowers.
Fantastic book. I highly recommend it to everyone.
Note: I read an advance review copy.
Dr. Lynch's concept of Dirty Genes is elegant and brilliant. Your genes are either born "dirty" (what you inherited), or your genes get "dirty" through your environment and lifestyle choices.
We are all impacted by the air around us, the water we drink, and chemicals in the food we eat. We are stressed, distracted, and flooded with information. Dr. Lynch breaks down the dirty genes into 7 "super genes" and shows you how to identify which genes are dirty and how to clean them.
You don't need genetic testing to read and benefit from this book. It has an assessment that tells you which genes are acting dirty. I felt like Dr. Lynch was talking directly to me so many times as I read this book.
My eyes have been opened to many possibilities through food, nutrition, and natural remedies, and I'm excited! Dirty Genes doesn't try to scare you into thinking that somehow you are damaged or bad. In fact, he shows you how, when you clean your dirty genes, you can use them like superpowers.
Fantastic book. I highly recommend it to everyone.
Note: I read an advance review copy.
August 12, 2021
Some of this book seems to have merit—after all, the main point it tries to drive home is to eat healthy, exercise, and sleep well. However, there are far too many lines like one in the COMT chapter: “I don’t … take any type of medication. None. You won’t need to either.” Are you kidding me? Eating leafy greens is wonderful, but not a substitute for medicine.
It did make me gain appreciation for the holistic view of medicine. A lot of healthcare today is focused on dulling symptoms rather than addressing root causes, and naturopathic medicine deserves credit for its efforts to do the latter. With that being said, preaching and practicing naturopathy comes with great responsibility—some people may come away thinking it’s healthy or responsible to refuse crucial health measures like vaccines.
An okay book if you take the message for what it is: nourish and care for your body, and you’ll see health benefits. The ultimate question, though, is whether the end justifies the means. Although I can’t say I support the potentially pseudoscientific approach of this book, I’ve found myself making more of an effort to eat healthier and sleep better since reading it. I would begrudgingly recommend it to someone—who understands to take it with a grain of salt—who is looking to live a generally healthier lifestyle.
It did make me gain appreciation for the holistic view of medicine. A lot of healthcare today is focused on dulling symptoms rather than addressing root causes, and naturopathic medicine deserves credit for its efforts to do the latter. With that being said, preaching and practicing naturopathy comes with great responsibility—some people may come away thinking it’s healthy or responsible to refuse crucial health measures like vaccines.
An okay book if you take the message for what it is: nourish and care for your body, and you’ll see health benefits. The ultimate question, though, is whether the end justifies the means. Although I can’t say I support the potentially pseudoscientific approach of this book, I’ve found myself making more of an effort to eat healthier and sleep better since reading it. I would begrudgingly recommend it to someone—who understands to take it with a grain of salt—who is looking to live a generally healthier lifestyle.
December 17, 2021
This is Nonfiction/Health. The message here is one that has been gaining traction in the world of health books. Food turns on and turns off certain genes...either causing illness or promoting healing. This one however, was heavy on the supplements.
My dislike wasn't really a deal breaker, just a little annoying. What had me rolling my eyes was the way author talked about himself. He really thought he was the end all be all of health. Sure mention your background, but he went beyond more than a few times. So 3 stars.
My dislike wasn't really a deal breaker, just a little annoying. What had me rolling my eyes was the way author talked about himself. He really thought he was the end all be all of health. Sure mention your background, but he went beyond more than a few times. So 3 stars.
November 10, 2021
I don’t normally write reviews but I had to for this one. This book is plainly pseudoscience. Lynch lends himself early credibility by describing genes that actually exist and the real field of epigenetics - specifically methylation. This is where real science stops and his pseudoscience begins. He misrepresents real scientific concepts and twists them into what I can only describe as genetic astrology. This article did a great job at breaking down my issues with his book: https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/pse...
Just to give you a snippet of how Lynch thinks - he states that you can “detoxify” by sweating… this is a patently false myth, saunas are not a “must buy” and will
not detoxify you, you have kidneys and a liver for that. He isn’t even a doctor in any acredited field.
I read this book initially interested in a deep discussion on epigenetics but it rapidly devolved into naturopathic balogne. All the supplements Lynch mentions to take for your “dirty genes” just happen to be sold by his own supplements company. And no, ingredients that you don’t know how to pronounce are not automatically bad for you. Just try pronouncing all the chemicals that compose an apple which include: p-Coumaroylquinic acid, Dihydrochalcones, and Procyanidins B2.
I can see this book misleading people without a strong scientific background hence why I wrote this review. While there is some generally decent advice here sprinkled in (e.g. get sufficient sleep, exercise, social activities, reduce stress) this is all a flavouring to help give Lynch’s misrepresention of scientific concepts an air of legitimacy. Don’t read this book unless you want an insight into Lynch’s genetic pseudoscience and odd anthropomorphism of our genes (yes our genes can work 24/7 because they are genetic and biochemical processes not desk jockeys).
March 25, 2018
Doctor shares his quick temper. He shares the issues that people come to him for and he shares his solutions, they include eat three meals a day, exercise, get proper amount of sleep, oh, and walk away from tense situations. WOW! MAN! DEEP!
List of ailments and lists of foods to eat to combat issues. Advocates avoiding plastics due to toxins and left overs due to bacteria. Encourage meditation (PRAYER?!) before a meal. As a matter of fact, is not this the idea of another book, 'Eat, Pray, Love'?! WOW! General care/use of a human body.
List of ailments and lists of foods to eat to combat issues. Advocates avoiding plastics due to toxins and left overs due to bacteria. Encourage meditation (PRAYER?!) before a meal. As a matter of fact, is not this the idea of another book, 'Eat, Pray, Love'?! WOW! General care/use of a human body.
February 11, 2021
Biggest takeaway: folic acid is bad for everybody, despite what your doctor may have told you. And it's in almost everything, thanks to a mandate by the FDA 30 years ago. Folate=good. Folic acid=bad because it's fake and it binds to receptors that ought to be getting folate. Also, we need to be eating more (organic) leafy greens, and more vegetables in general. I thought it was a lot of information I'd seen before, just packaged in a new way, from the standpoint of our genes.
December 29, 2018
This book goes to a lot of effort helping you understand some common SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms, i.e. genetic changes), giving you both questionnaires and treatments. The basic theme of Dirty Genes is that, though genetics obviously matter a lot, your lifestyle dramatically influences whether or not ‘dirty’ genes will affect you. This recent field of study, called epigenetics, is carefully explained in this book with respect to some common, important SNPs.
Focused health intervention without a solid reason can be helpful but is just as likely to be harmful, expensive, and discouraging. The questionnaires may be helpful, but they are also rather vague. Thus this aspect of the book may cause trouble if you use it as intended, unless you’ve had genetic testing done. On the other hand, I found Dirty Genes a fascinating addition to my knowledge of functional medicine and there were a few helpful facts, e.g. folic acid supplements are not the same as biologically active folate and block its absorption.
However, as a baseline everyone should follow the same fundamental health protocol which reduces the effect of genetic changes on a person’s health. Chapter 12 is excellent for this. It gives detailed tips, some of which are well-known and others of which have been explained in the previous chapters.
The following chapters are, again, focused on reducing the effects of particular SNPs, but most people who diligently follow chapter 12 will see improvement in their health. However, the more focused recommendations could make all the difference for someone who already has a healthy diet and lifestyle.
This book may be a valuable roundup of research for practitioners, but for most of us the main goal is to learn to live as recommended in chapter 12. Living this way is not a minor project, but the payback for us and our families is huge, especially if there are health issues.
If this is the only health book you plan to read, it may not be the best choice, but if you read several a year Dirty Genes will add a new dimension to your knowledge as well as continued encouragement to improve your diet and lifestyle. I personally find such encouragement invaluable as I keep trying to improve my own health—it helps me stay on this countercultural path.
Focused health intervention without a solid reason can be helpful but is just as likely to be harmful, expensive, and discouraging. The questionnaires may be helpful, but they are also rather vague. Thus this aspect of the book may cause trouble if you use it as intended, unless you’ve had genetic testing done. On the other hand, I found Dirty Genes a fascinating addition to my knowledge of functional medicine and there were a few helpful facts, e.g. folic acid supplements are not the same as biologically active folate and block its absorption.
However, as a baseline everyone should follow the same fundamental health protocol which reduces the effect of genetic changes on a person’s health. Chapter 12 is excellent for this. It gives detailed tips, some of which are well-known and others of which have been explained in the previous chapters.
The following chapters are, again, focused on reducing the effects of particular SNPs, but most people who diligently follow chapter 12 will see improvement in their health. However, the more focused recommendations could make all the difference for someone who already has a healthy diet and lifestyle.
This book may be a valuable roundup of research for practitioners, but for most of us the main goal is to learn to live as recommended in chapter 12. Living this way is not a minor project, but the payback for us and our families is huge, especially if there are health issues.
If this is the only health book you plan to read, it may not be the best choice, but if you read several a year Dirty Genes will add a new dimension to your knowledge as well as continued encouragement to improve your diet and lifestyle. I personally find such encouragement invaluable as I keep trying to improve my own health—it helps me stay on this countercultural path.
February 26, 2018
This is a book for nutrition nerds of all levels. This is not a book that reads like a Novel but more like a self-help or resource text. This isn’t a book you read straight through cover to cover. I found myself skipping around to get the information that I was the most interested in reading.
I don’t know what I was expecting, but what I received with this text fell short of what I thought I was going to get. The concepts and ideas introduced in this text are great, and the author has a great grasp on the information being presented.
A novice nutritionist fanatic may find themselves overwhelmed with acronyms and jargon. The acronyms alone were enough to make me confused. They were not explained clearly and they were used so frequently that the text was difficult to understand at times. However, there are lists and cleanse suggestions made by the author that are easily translated.
If a reader is looking for a way to jump start their nutrition adventure and a guide for supplements and cleanse suggestions this is a text that is worth reading. If a reader is looking for a do and don’t text with nutrition this is not the text for you.
I don’t know what I was expecting, but what I received with this text fell short of what I thought I was going to get. The concepts and ideas introduced in this text are great, and the author has a great grasp on the information being presented.
A novice nutritionist fanatic may find themselves overwhelmed with acronyms and jargon. The acronyms alone were enough to make me confused. They were not explained clearly and they were used so frequently that the text was difficult to understand at times. However, there are lists and cleanse suggestions made by the author that are easily translated.
If a reader is looking for a way to jump start their nutrition adventure and a guide for supplements and cleanse suggestions this is a text that is worth reading. If a reader is looking for a do and don’t text with nutrition this is not the text for you.
May 20, 2018
I get that he needed a catchy title to quickly convey the subject of his book, but he continually uses the term "dirty genes" throughout, which is inaccurate and a gross oversimplification. It seems like underneath the gimmicky language and very dumbed down writing style there is some useful information, but I can't stomach the text any longer. It's a shame he thought he thought he needed to target a 6th grade reading level. I shudder to think of the people that will conceive of his language literally.
January 21, 2018
My friend and colleague Dr. Ben Lynch wrote a great book describing why our genes are important and how our genes impact our health and how environmental factors influence our epigenetic expression of those genes. A clear, concise guide for those who want to understand why our genes matter and how to be proactive in optimizing health.
January 19, 2025
FIN-A-LLY a book that articulates everything I’ve believed and felt about health & wellness with the tangible science to back it up!
1. EVERY body is different and in need of different things even foods!
in the crunchy communities , everyone has a laundry list of supplements you “need” and diet fads that’ll solve all your problems but we all have different genes / dna = different needs
2. Diet , sleep and stress control is the equation for success , it’s how we are created
3. Our bodies really have what it takes to detox on their own, with some needing just a tiny bit of help every now and then , not a laundry list of detox protocols
4. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. Our bodies were fearfully and wonderfully made to signal to us when something is up , even if we feel we are doing all the “right “ things it may not be what’s best for YOUR body.
5. I read so many haters on the reviews of this book lol Dr. Ben isn’t trying to sell anything and the information he gives isn’t anything groundbreaking really , just tangible and organized and encouraging to know your body better
1. EVERY body is different and in need of different things even foods!
in the crunchy communities , everyone has a laundry list of supplements you “need” and diet fads that’ll solve all your problems but we all have different genes / dna = different needs
2. Diet , sleep and stress control is the equation for success , it’s how we are created
3. Our bodies really have what it takes to detox on their own, with some needing just a tiny bit of help every now and then , not a laundry list of detox protocols
4. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. Our bodies were fearfully and wonderfully made to signal to us when something is up , even if we feel we are doing all the “right “ things it may not be what’s best for YOUR body.
5. I read so many haters on the reviews of this book lol Dr. Ben isn’t trying to sell anything and the information he gives isn’t anything groundbreaking really , just tangible and organized and encouraging to know your body better
March 13, 2025
Amazing book on identifying and cleaning dirty genes. It answered so many questions for our family about sleep as inherited genes contribute to the majority of the issues. The book goes into detail how to clean genes with diet, lifestyle and environment. I wish I'd read this book before having a child and been ready for sleep issues based on our genes and how we could have cleaned them up ahead of time.
February 28, 2018
Finally someone is starting to get it! Must read for everyone health conscious or not.
January 17, 2022
When I was younger, I wondered something about antibacterial soap; all antibacterial soaps kill 99.9 percent of germs. What happens to the 0.1 percent of germs remaining? Do they obtain immunity to it and develop into something like MRSA? It doesn't take a genius to know how bacteria reproduce. Wouldn't that new colony be immune to antibacterial soap? I digress, though.
Dr. Benjamin Lynch is a successful, hard-driving man. He writes like an annoying salesman. Furthermore, Lynch likes to talk about himself. The first few chapters are about how he went backpacking across South Asia, worked with Mother Teresa, caught a strange illness, and used natural remedies that worked.
I am wary of things like organic foods, for example, since I feel that is merely a way to overcharge people at the grocery store. On the other hand, Lynch brings forth his voice in the age-old nature vs nurture debate and rises squarely on the nurture side of things. Your genes are not your destiny. So I like the message, but not the method.
Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.
Dr. Benjamin Lynch is a successful, hard-driving man. He writes like an annoying salesman. Furthermore, Lynch likes to talk about himself. The first few chapters are about how he went backpacking across South Asia, worked with Mother Teresa, caught a strange illness, and used natural remedies that worked.
I am wary of things like organic foods, for example, since I feel that is merely a way to overcharge people at the grocery store. On the other hand, Lynch brings forth his voice in the age-old nature vs nurture debate and rises squarely on the nurture side of things. Your genes are not your destiny. So I like the message, but not the method.
Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.
February 21, 2018
Dirty Genes: A Breakthrough Program to Treat the Root Cause of Illness and Optimize Your Health is a great book about getting healthy. Ben Lynch helps the reader figure out which genes might be dirty--either genetics from birth or lifestyle. Then he introduces a "soak and scrub" protocol to generally improve gene function followed by a "spot clean" protocol to focus on problematic genes.
The science is well-explained, and compared to other similar protocols, the suggestions are doable and not overwhelming. I'm planning to recommend this book to people I know who are looking to make healthy changes in their lives.
The science is well-explained, and compared to other similar protocols, the suggestions are doable and not overwhelming. I'm planning to recommend this book to people I know who are looking to make healthy changes in their lives.
May 1, 2020
I don’t understand how this book got such great ratings. It lists all kinds of things that a person should do to be healthy (that we’ve all heard before). It doesn’t really go into genes all that much. I also HATE health books that throw in an alcohol serving size. In one chapter, he says to avoid cold water but a glass of wine is ok. What the hell?
April 21, 2021
Morbidly oversimplification of how human health works. The quiz it starts with contradicts itself. According to the results, I I have both underactive and overactive versions of all the genes mentioned.. Dietary guidelines are basic, well-known health advice. Eat your veggies, move more, take measures to detox. Not helpful at all.
June 27, 2022
This was a very helpful read on the topic of epigenetics - accessible while still very informed. A potentially very complicated subject was broken down to an insightful read that helps pinpoint *what* might be going wrong - granted, some of the symptoms of each "dirty gene" definitely overlap, but also, many of the "dirty genes" will overlap and interact.
I read this digitally, and "highlighted" a TON, but it's totally a book I plan to buy a hard copy of so I can keep it handy as a reference.
I really appreciated the author's moderate approach to health: focusing on general lifestyle changes first, before throwing in a ton of supplements, tests, and treatments. Some if it errs a little idealistic, like for the first phase, he does give a LOT of expectations to follow, which (depending on your health journey) you may or may not already be doing. So if you aren't already eating all organic, filtering all your air and water, etc. etc. be prepared to weigh what you can really do in response. But even though I wasn't already doing some of those things, they were definitely already on my radar of what I should be trying to do, so in that sense, this book seems like a reasonable approach, especially if you already know or suspect a gene variant at play.
I like too that the author focuses on listening and responding to your own body, which is great but always ends up more complicated than it sound, with so many variables at play. And he says the first phase should be sufficient after 2 weeks - which seems rather fast. So maybe that's a bit of a stretch, and it will take a little longer for enough healing to be able to move on to the next phase, but it sounds like the general principals will hold.
Lots of great resources in the appendix too: which tests to run, if you need to, as well as sources to address mold issues.
I read this digitally, and "highlighted" a TON, but it's totally a book I plan to buy a hard copy of so I can keep it handy as a reference.
I really appreciated the author's moderate approach to health: focusing on general lifestyle changes first, before throwing in a ton of supplements, tests, and treatments. Some if it errs a little idealistic, like for the first phase, he does give a LOT of expectations to follow, which (depending on your health journey) you may or may not already be doing. So if you aren't already eating all organic, filtering all your air and water, etc. etc. be prepared to weigh what you can really do in response. But even though I wasn't already doing some of those things, they were definitely already on my radar of what I should be trying to do, so in that sense, this book seems like a reasonable approach, especially if you already know or suspect a gene variant at play.
I like too that the author focuses on listening and responding to your own body, which is great but always ends up more complicated than it sound, with so many variables at play. And he says the first phase should be sufficient after 2 weeks - which seems rather fast. So maybe that's a bit of a stretch, and it will take a little longer for enough healing to be able to move on to the next phase, but it sounds like the general principals will hold.
Lots of great resources in the appendix too: which tests to run, if you need to, as well as sources to address mold issues.
June 12, 2021
Quyển sách giúp người đọc có thêm 1 góc nhìn mới về sức khỏe và cải thiện sức khỏe thông qua việc thay đổi lối sống, ăn uống và các chất bổ sung để giúp "sạch gen".
Lý thuyết ở đây chính là quá trình methyl hóa trong các phân tử ADN, tác giả đề cập đến 7 loại gen "có thể làm sạch", các loại gen có vai trò quan trọng trong việc điều khiển và tạo ra các hợp chất sinh hóa của cơ thể. Ngay phần dầu sách, các đơn vị xuất bản và phát hành đã lưu ý người đọc ở tính "ứng dụng" của lý thuyết này, nên tham khảo ở các chuyên gia và các bác sĩ khi muốn "can thiệp sâu" vào sứ c khỏe và bệnh tật cá nhân. Vì mỗi người mỗi khác...Nhưng chủ yếu các khuyến cáo của tác giả về lối sống, về lựa chọn thực phẩm phù hợp và tập luyện thể thao v.v...theo mình là phù hợp nhưng không có gì mới lắm.
Nội dung sách hơi mang tính chuyên ngành, nhiều tên gọi khoa học, nhiều hợp chất, tên riêng khoa học và bị lặp lại nội dung khá nhiều nhưng dù sao cũng có tính cởi mở, giúp người đọc và các nhà khoa học, các bác sĩ tiếp cận sứ c khỏe ở góc độ "gốc" hơn là các phương pháp điều trị, chữa bệnh triệu chứng bên ngoài...
Lý thuyết ở đây chính là quá trình methyl hóa trong các phân tử ADN, tác giả đề cập đến 7 loại gen "có thể làm sạch", các loại gen có vai trò quan trọng trong việc điều khiển và tạo ra các hợp chất sinh hóa của cơ thể. Ngay phần dầu sách, các đơn vị xuất bản và phát hành đã lưu ý người đọc ở tính "ứng dụng" của lý thuyết này, nên tham khảo ở các chuyên gia và các bác sĩ khi muốn "can thiệp sâu" vào sứ c khỏe và bệnh tật cá nhân. Vì mỗi người mỗi khác...Nhưng chủ yếu các khuyến cáo của tác giả về lối sống, về lựa chọn thực phẩm phù hợp và tập luyện thể thao v.v...theo mình là phù hợp nhưng không có gì mới lắm.
Nội dung sách hơi mang tính chuyên ngành, nhiều tên gọi khoa học, nhiều hợp chất, tên riêng khoa học và bị lặp lại nội dung khá nhiều nhưng dù sao cũng có tính cởi mở, giúp người đọc và các nhà khoa học, các bác sĩ tiếp cận sứ c khỏe ở góc độ "gốc" hơn là các phương pháp điều trị, chữa bệnh triệu chứng bên ngoài...
November 7, 2025
I am fascinated by epigenetics. The fact that we can be born with problematic genes or that they can act “dirty” depending on our environmental exposures poses an issue that should be addressed. I appreciated that this author repeatedly recommended NOT just starting supplements, but going through the basic two week protocol to address the basic issues. Part two of this book can be pretty overwhelming. I would recommend looking through the questionnaires about each dirty gene and then reading just the applicable sections to you. I will be revisiting certain sections to this book as I look into more of the specific symptoms I have been experiencing. Overall a helpful and interesting read!
January 18, 2024
Actually read this 💁♀️
June 30, 2024
Good introduction into some of the most common gene mutations, it's a light read, sort of pop science but for me it was useful to better understand the mutations of Mthfr gene
March 13, 2025
I didn't think this book was going to be this easy to read. It's AMAZING. I learned so much and this book will be on my shelf to be continuously reached for.
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