EPIGENETICS: THE SCIENCE OF FOOD

By Tina Van Horn, Research and Business Development Coordinator, SL Technology, Inc.

The  right nutrition and lifestyle choices during all stages of life can  have a profound influence on your good health. When it comes to  developing healthy habits, “The sooner the better — but it’s never too  late!”

Have questions about epigenetics? You’re not alone!  Discussions about epigenetics are likely to generate more questions than  answers. In this emerging science researchers are pushing forward to  find answers to the unlimited questions naturally generated by a new  field of study. But while you wait for answers to all the “What ifs,”  you can stay ahead of the curve by getting to know the basic principles  of epigenetics.

The Epigenome: Your Health’s ‘Comfy Sweater’
 Epigenetics  is based on the understanding that the Epigenome is programmed through a  lifetime of experiences. Epigenetic influences have subtle, cumulative  effects that may be difficult to measure in the short term because they  are so understated. The genome (DNA) that you are born with is static,  like a straightjacket that you must conform to.  You can fight it all  you want, but it’s not going to give. Your Epigenome, on the other hand,  is flexible — more like a comfy sweater. You can move around in it,  stretch it, change its shape and… if you damage it, you might be able to  fix it!

Your Epigenome changes as you age and interact with the  environment. These environmental interactions begin prior to conception  and continue through the entire life cycle.

Researchers agree the  Epigenome is most susceptible to environmental influences during  specific developmental periods in life, including the prenatal period,  infancy, puberty and maturity. How and when genes are activated (or  inactivated) can have a profound effect on human development and healthy  aging. If epigenetic modifications occur at crucial stages of life,  they can potentially change behavior, wellness and disease  susceptibility.

Early Influences on Your Lifetime of Wellness
 Exposure  to severe conditions during prenatal development and adolescence can  result in epigenetic changes that persist later in life and increase the  risk for health problems. It is no surprise that a number of  epidemiological studies associate adverse environmental conditions early  in life with risk for developing disease in adulthood. Research links  many chronic health conditions in adulthood with persistent agitations  or influences during early-life nutrition.

Cells divide rapidly  in the early growth stages of prenatal development and infancy. It is  during this cell division that epigenetic changes are applied. Inherent  epigenetic programming instructs stem cells to develop specialized  functions which determine the type of cell it becomes (skin, blood,  muscle, etc.). Maternal nutrition also provides epigenetic instruction  during pregnancy and starts to establish positive and negative marks on  an otherwise relatively blank Epigenome. It is these marks that begin to  “program” how your genes will express themselves as you age.

Physical  growth and sexual maturity during adolescence provide another critical  period for epigenetic influence. The epigenetic inheritance of future  generations may be the most susceptible as eggs and sperm are developing  and may be imprinted by epigenetic events. Trans-generational  epigenetics is a rapidly evolving research area that is reinforcing the  importance of the nutrition and lifestyle choices of teens and young  adults.

Undoing the Damage
 For  those who have reached maturity, there is still good news. Your comfy  sweater of an Epigenome is still pliable, which allows some epigenetic  modifications to be reversed. Meaning, you might be able to undo some of  the damage from poor dietary and lifestyle choices made early in life.

The  potential ability for dietary compounds to reactivate epigenetically  silenced genes in damaged cells may hold the key to disease prevention  and therapy.

Other compounds such as resveratrol, vitamin D and  niacin, among others, have also been recognized for their positive  effects on epigenetic health.

Some epigenetic modifications  appear to be more permanent than others, suggesting that reversing these  marks requires subtle, consistent intervention to promote optimal cell  functioning. But even these stubborn marks may fade over time and be  replaced by healthy gene expression through positive epigenetic  influences.

You Have the Power
 As  the field of Epigenetics matures, research will identify specific  diet-gene interactions that will allow you to combine what you know  about your individual genetic identity and life stage with specific  dietary interventions to reduce susceptibility to age-related health  conditions. Much more research is needed, however, before nutritional  Epigenetics can be positioned for personalized dietary intervention.
 

In  the meantime, a proactive approach to general well-being through proper  nutrition and supplementation, physical activity and stress reduction  are the first steps toward a lifetime of Epigenetic wellness. No matter  what your age, you have the power to influence your body’s Epigenetic  instruction. The sooner, the better — but it’s never too late!