Opinion

Sami (Papacek) Mansfield: Your lifestyle choices can rewrite your DNA

Sami (Papacek) Mansfield/LinkedIn

Jan 22, 2025, 10:35

Sami (Papacek) Mansfield: Your lifestyle choices can rewrite your DNA

Sami (Papacek) Mansfield, The founder of Cancer Wellness for Life, shared a post on LinkedIn by Adrian Pogacian, adding:

“Your lifestyle choices don’t just affect your health – they can rewrite your DNA.

Epigenetics proves that our environment, nutrition, and daily habits can turn genes on or off – shaping our long-term health.

These are just a few of the truths we unpacked in my recent interview for the Beyond the Cancer Diagnosis series with Adrian Pogacian on OncoDaily.

One of the biggest takeaways? Only 10-12% of cancers are genetic, but 40% are linked to lifestyle factors like smoking and obesity. That means we have the power to change outcomes.

My journey in this space started in 2003, when I became a cancer exercise specialist. Back then, the idea that cancer patients could (and should) exercise was still being debated. But I saw firsthand how movement helped patients manage fatigue, anxiety, and depression.

Over time, I realized that exercise alone isn’t enough. Clinical care often excels at treating cancer, but it struggles to integrate lifestyle interventions in a meaningful way. That’s why I founded Cancer Wellness for Life—to bridge that gap and empower both patients and clinicians with practical, achievable tools to improve well-being.

We also touched on:

The cultural barriers to wellness (one-size-fits-all doesn’t work)
Why small, sustainable steps matter more than drastic overhauls
How even a 5-minute walk can be a game-changer for mental and physical health

This conversation reinforced what I’ve believed for years: wellness isn’t about perfection – it’s about progress.

Curious to learn more? Check out the full interview.”

Quoting Adrian Pogacian’s post below:

“Cancer is not only about diagnosis and treatment. It is more about building hope and a new lifestyle in order to provide a better QoL. Together with Sami (Papacek) Mansfield we succeeded to approach cancer debate from a different and innovative point of view!”