Intro to Epigenetics
I recently gave a talk at the Eating Disorder Coalition of Iowa’s Fall Conference titled “Beyond DNA: Epigenetics, Eating Disorders, and Making a Complex Topic More Approachable for Clinicians.” While I won’t go as in depth here as I did in my oral presentation, I figured it would be a nice place to summarize this buzz-worthy topic for those intrigued.
So, What IS Epigenetics, anyway?
From most sources I found in my research, including the Center for Disease Control (CDC), epigenetics is defined as “How lifestyle and environment can change how your genes work without altering the underlying DNA sequence.” Which, if you break down the word itself, it makes sense: In medical terminology, the prefix “epi-” means “on or above” in Greek; while genetics is defined as “the study of genes, genetic variation, & heredity in organisms.” (Think of it as an extra layer of biological information that adds to your uniqueness). Because of this, epigenetics differs from a genetic mutation, in that mutations actually change the chemical base of a gene; whereas epigenetics impacts how a gene is expressed. (Slightly confusing, I know, but bear with me).
The Renfrew Center even published an amazing article educating how epigenetics may explain the way intergenerational trauma in passed down through generations. They used a creative analogy to explain what epigenetics is: “Think of your DNA as a set of piano keys: there are many keys (aka your DNA), but each key has to be pressed down to express a note (or a gene).”
So putting it all together: a person may be genetically predisposed to a number of things - height, weight, hair or eye color; even medical diagnoses such as diabetes, heart disease, or cancer risk...but as far as an official diagnosis is concerned, sometimes just having a specific gene doesn’t always mean that particular gene will be expressed. Epigenetics, then, comes into play by studying what factors (such as aging, dietary intake, smoking status, and many other variables) turn that gene “on” or “off.” There’s lots of organic chemistry equations happening here, so if words like ‘DNA Methylation’ or ‘Histone Modifcation’ make your brain hurt, I won’t bore you with those details :)
What I will say is that the study of epigenetics is definitely still in its infancy, and there are many studies out there seeing how eating disorders, dietary intake, even mental health co-morbities, (etc). might impact a person’s gene expression or their future offspring’s health status. Unfortunately, most of the literature/studies contain very small sample sizes, and inconclusive evidence means that only hypotheses of correlations can be made (aka: more studies are needed to understand these possible links more).
Epigenetics in Healthcare
Some of the reason epigenetics is an up-and-coming field for scientific researchers is that in other realms of healthcare, epigenetics is utilized to assist in determining treatment options. Take for example the commercial colerectal cancer screening tool, Cologuard(Registered Trademark). This at-home screening tool allows a person to privately collect a stool sample, and once mailed into a laboratory….that stool is then tested for any abnormal DNA methylation! (Which has been linked to increase colon cancer risk). Now, imagine the possibilities if someone’s DNA methylation could be used to identify or treat other health concerns early?! There’s even a term Nutrigenomics, which hypothesizes there could be personalized nutrition recommendations based on someone’s DNA. But currently (at the time of this writing), there is not sufficient evidence for me to adjust my nutrition education approaches at this time.
If this topic interests you or you want to learn more, I’d highly recommend visiting the CDC website linked above, or any other reputable research entities such as the National Human Genome Research Institute Home | NHGRI . I will also add that the reason science feels like it’s constantly changing is because we humans are constantly learning and evolving the best practices when it comes to research. And while I have not physically stepped into a lab since my undergraduate years, I sometimes like to nerd out on these types of things.
If you’ve made it this far: welcome to the nerdy side, friends!