Madison, Within the last century, there has been a profound change in researchers' understanding of genetics.
Genes, the regions of DNA that are largely responsible for our physical characteristics, were thought to be immutable under the original model of genetics introduced by biologist Gregor Mendel in 1865. That is, genes were thought to be largely unaffected by a person's environment.
The emergence of the field of epigenetics in 1942 shattered this notion. Epigenetics refers to changes in gene expression that occur without changes in the DNA sequence.Some epigenetic changes are an aspect of cell function, such as those associated with aging.
However, environmental factors also influence the functions of genes, meaning that people's behavior influences their genetics. For example, identical twins develop from the same fertilized egg, and as a result, they have identical genetic makeup.
However, as twins age, their appearance may differ due to different environmental exposures. One twin may eat a healthy balanced diet, while the other may eat an unhealthy diet, resulting in differences in the expression of genes that play a role in obesity, helping the former twin to have a lower body fat percentage.Some of these factors people do not have much control over, such as air quality, other factors, however, are more within a person's control: physical activity, smoking, stress, drug use and exposure to pollution, such as plastic. , pollution from pesticides and burning fossil fuels, including car exhaust.
Another factor is nutrition, which has given rise to the subfield of nutritional epigenetics. This discipline is related to the notion that “you are what you eat” – and “you are what your grandmother ate.” In short, nutrition epigenetics is the study of how your diet, and the diet of your parents and grandparents, affects your genes. Since the dietary choices an individual makes to children affect the genetics of their future children, epigenetics may provide inspiration for making better dietary choices.Two of us work in the epigenetics field. Others study how diet and lifestyle choices can help keep people healthy. Our research team includes fathers, so our work in this area adds to our already intimate familiarity with the transformative power of fatherhood. A Story of Famine
The roots of nutritional epigenetics research can be traced to a poignant chapter in history – the Dutch Hunger Winter in the final stages of World War II.
During the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, the population was forced to live on a ration of 400 to 800 kilocalories per day, a far cry from the typical 2,000-kilocalorie diet used as a standard by the Food and Drug Administration As a result, about 20,000 people died and 45 lakh people became malnourished.Studies found that famine caused epigenetic changes in a gene called IGF, which is related to growth and development. Those changes suppressed muscle growth in both the children and grandchildren of pregnant women who suffered famine. For subsequent generations, that suppression led to an increased risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and low birth weight.
These findings marked a significant moment in epigenetics research – and clearly demonstrated that environmental factors, such as famine, can cause epigenetic changes in offspring that can have serious effects on their health.
Role of mother's diet Before this groundbreaking work, most researchers believed that epigenetic changes could not be passed from one generation to the next.Rather, the researchers thought epigenetic changes might occur with early-life exposures, such as during gestation – a highly sensitive period of development. Early nutrition-epigenetic research therefore focused on dietary intake during pregnancy.
The findings of the Dutch Hunger Winter were later supported by enema studies, which allow researchers to control how animals are reproduced, which can help control background variables. Another advantage for researchers is that the rats and sheep used in these studies reproduce more rapidly than others, yielding rapid results.
Furthermore, researchers can completely control the animals' diet throughout their lifetime, allowing specific aspects of the diet to be manipulated in the investigation.Together, these factors allow researchers to better examine epigenetic changes in animals than in people. In one study, researchers exposed pregnant female mice to a commonly used fungicide called vinclozolin. In response to this exposure, the first generation of births showed a reduced ability to produce sperm, leading to increased male infertility. Crucially, these effects, like the famine, carried over to later generations.
As important as these functions are for shaping nutritional epigenetics, other periods of development have been neglected and the role of fathers in the epigenetic inheritance of their offspring has been completely ignored.However, a recent study in sheep showed that parental diet supplemented with the amino acid methionine, given from birth to weaning, affects the growth and reproductive characteristics of the next three generations. Methionine is an essential amino acid involved in DNA methylation, an example of epigenetic change.
Healthy Choices for Future GenerationsThese studies highlight the lasting impact that parents' diets can have on their children and grandchildren. They also serve as a powerful motivator for prospective parents and current parents to choose more healthy dietary choices, as the dietary choices made by parents influence their children's diets.
Meeting with a nutrition professional, such as a registered dietitian, can provide evidence-based recommendations for making practical dietary changes for individuals and families.There are still many unknowns about how diet affects and affects our genes. What research about nutritional epigenetics is beginning to show is a powerful and compelling reason to consider making lifestyle changes. Researchers already know a lot of things about the Western diet, which many Americans eat. The Western diet is high in saturated fat, sodium, and added sugar, but low in fiber; Not surprisingly, the Western diet is associated with negative health outcomes, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers.
A good place to start is to eat more whole, unprocessed foods, especially fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and less processed or convenience foods including fast food, chips, cookies and candy, ready-to-cook meals, Includes frozen pizza, canned.Soups and sweet beverages.
These dietary changes are known for their health benefits and are described in the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the American Heart Association. Many people have difficulty adopting lifestyle changes, especially when they involve food. yes. Motivation is an important factor in making these changes. Luckily this is where family and friends can help – they have a profound influence on lifestyle decisions.However, at a broader, societal level, food security – meaning people's ability to access and afford healthy food – should be a key priority for governments, food producers and distributors, and non-profit groups. Lack of FU protection is associated with epigenetic changes that have been linked to negative health outcomes such as diabetes, obesity, and depression. Through relatively simple lifestyle modifications, people can significantly influence the genes of their children and grandchildren. . So when you toss a bag of chips – and choose a fruit or vegetable instead – remember that it's not just for you, but for future generations.(talk) AMS
Genes, the regions of DNA that are largely responsible for our physical characteristics, were thought to be immutable under the original model of genetics introduced by biologist Gregor Mendel in 1865. That is, genes were thought to be largely unaffected by a person's environment.
The emergence of the field of epigenetics in 1942 shattered this notion. Epigenetics refers to changes in gene expression that occur without changes in the DNA sequence.Some epigenetic changes are an aspect of cell function, such as those associated with aging.
However, environmental factors also influence the functions of genes, meaning that people's behavior influences their genetics. For example, identical twins develop from the same fertilized egg, and as a result, they have identical genetic makeup.
However, as twins age, their appearance may differ due to different environmental exposures. One twin may eat a healthy balanced diet, while the other may eat an unhealthy diet, resulting in differences in the expression of genes that play a role in obesity, helping the former twin to have a lower body fat percentage.Some of these factors people do not have much control over, such as air quality, other factors, however, are more within a person's control: physical activity, smoking, stress, drug use and exposure to pollution, such as plastic. , pollution from pesticides and burning fossil fuels, including car exhaust.
Another factor is nutrition, which has given rise to the subfield of nutritional epigenetics. This discipline is related to the notion that “you are what you eat” – and “you are what your grandmother ate.” In short, nutrition epigenetics is the study of how your diet, and the diet of your parents and grandparents, affects your genes. Since the dietary choices an individual makes to children affect the genetics of their future children, epigenetics may provide inspiration for making better dietary choices.Two of us work in the epigenetics field. Others study how diet and lifestyle choices can help keep people healthy. Our research team includes fathers, so our work in this area adds to our already intimate familiarity with the transformative power of fatherhood. A Story of Famine
The roots of nutritional epigenetics research can be traced to a poignant chapter in history – the Dutch Hunger Winter in the final stages of World War II.
During the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, the population was forced to live on a ration of 400 to 800 kilocalories per day, a far cry from the typical 2,000-kilocalorie diet used as a standard by the Food and Drug Administration As a result, about 20,000 people died and 45 lakh people became malnourished.Studies found that famine caused epigenetic changes in a gene called IGF, which is related to growth and development. Those changes suppressed muscle growth in both the children and grandchildren of pregnant women who suffered famine. For subsequent generations, that suppression led to an increased risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and low birth weight.
These findings marked a significant moment in epigenetics research – and clearly demonstrated that environmental factors, such as famine, can cause epigenetic changes in offspring that can have serious effects on their health.
Role of mother's diet Before this groundbreaking work, most researchers believed that epigenetic changes could not be passed from one generation to the next.Rather, the researchers thought epigenetic changes might occur with early-life exposures, such as during gestation – a highly sensitive period of development. Early nutrition-epigenetic research therefore focused on dietary intake during pregnancy.
The findings of the Dutch Hunger Winter were later supported by enema studies, which allow researchers to control how animals are reproduced, which can help control background variables. Another advantage for researchers is that the rats and sheep used in these studies reproduce more rapidly than others, yielding rapid results.
Furthermore, researchers can completely control the animals' diet throughout their lifetime, allowing specific aspects of the diet to be manipulated in the investigation.Together, these factors allow researchers to better examine epigenetic changes in animals than in people. In one study, researchers exposed pregnant female mice to a commonly used fungicide called vinclozolin. In response to this exposure, the first generation of births showed a reduced ability to produce sperm, leading to increased male infertility. Crucially, these effects, like the famine, carried over to later generations.
As important as these functions are for shaping nutritional epigenetics, other periods of development have been neglected and the role of fathers in the epigenetic inheritance of their offspring has been completely ignored.However, a recent study in sheep showed that parental diet supplemented with the amino acid methionine, given from birth to weaning, affects the growth and reproductive characteristics of the next three generations. Methionine is an essential amino acid involved in DNA methylation, an example of epigenetic change.
Healthy Choices for Future GenerationsThese studies highlight the lasting impact that parents' diets can have on their children and grandchildren. They also serve as a powerful motivator for prospective parents and current parents to choose more healthy dietary choices, as the dietary choices made by parents influence their children's diets.
Meeting with a nutrition professional, such as a registered dietitian, can provide evidence-based recommendations for making practical dietary changes for individuals and families.There are still many unknowns about how diet affects and affects our genes. What research about nutritional epigenetics is beginning to show is a powerful and compelling reason to consider making lifestyle changes. Researchers already know a lot of things about the Western diet, which many Americans eat. The Western diet is high in saturated fat, sodium, and added sugar, but low in fiber; Not surprisingly, the Western diet is associated with negative health outcomes, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers.
A good place to start is to eat more whole, unprocessed foods, especially fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and less processed or convenience foods including fast food, chips, cookies and candy, ready-to-cook meals, Includes frozen pizza, canned.Soups and sweet beverages.
These dietary changes are known for their health benefits and are described in the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the American Heart Association. Many people have difficulty adopting lifestyle changes, especially when they involve food. yes. Motivation is an important factor in making these changes. Luckily this is where family and friends can help – they have a profound influence on lifestyle decisions.However, at a broader, societal level, food security – meaning people's ability to access and afford healthy food – should be a key priority for governments, food producers and distributors, and non-profit groups. Lack of FU protection is associated with epigenetic changes that have been linked to negative health outcomes such as diabetes, obesity, and depression. Through relatively simple lifestyle modifications, people can significantly influence the genes of their children and grandchildren. . So when you toss a bag of chips – and choose a fruit or vegetable instead – remember that it's not just for you, but for future generations.(talk) AMS
