When heart disease, cancer or diabetes runs in your family, it can feel like your health story is already written — but it doesn't have to be. In this episode of Next Level Health, Dr. Melinda Ring talks with integrative and culinary medicine physician Dr. Shad Marvasti, author of Longevity Made Simple, about how everyday habits can shape long-term health. Dr. Marvasti explains his DRESS Code framework — Diet, Relationships, Exercise, Stress, and Sleep — and how these five lifestyle factors influence how our genes behave and how we age.

https://youtu.be/VtlfKtfpq0o

00:00 Lifestyle vs genetics: What really determines health

00:56 The DRESS Code for longevity

02:07 Epigenetics explained simply

05:34 Can lifestyle increase longevity?

09:11 The role of diet in aging well

10:17 Real food vs processed food

16:44 Resetting your taste buds in 28 days

20:29 Easy cooking strategies for better health

22:23 Why relationships affect longevity

26:35 Exercise, stress, and sleep explained

27:34 Healthy stress vs chronic stress

32:31 The future of whole health medicine

36:49 Final advice for living longer