Nutrigenomics/Epigenetics
Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2017 5:54 pm
Epigenetics: Fundamentals
https://www.whatisepigenetics.com/fundamentals/
"Epigenetics and the Environment: How Lifestyle Can Influence Epigenetic Change from One Generation to the Next
The field of epigenetics is quickly growing and with it the understanding that both the environment and individual lifestyle can also directly interact with the genome to influence epigenetic change. These changes may be reflected at various stages throughout a person’s life and even in later generations. For example, human epidemiological studies have provided evidence that prenatal and early postnatal environmental factors influence the adult risk of developing various chronic diseases and behavioral disorders.5 Studies have shown that children born during the period of the Dutch famine from 1944-1945 have increased rates of coronary heart disease and obesity after maternal exposure to famine during early pregnancy compared to those not exposed to famine.6 Less DNA methylation of the insulin-like growth factor II (IGF2) gene, a well-characterized epigenetic locus, was found to be associated with this exposure.7 Likewise, adults that were prenatally exposed to famine conditions have also been reported to have significantly higher incidence of schizophrenia.89
Clinical Applications – Epigenetic Diseases
Immunity & Related Disorders. There are several pieces of evidence showing that loss of epigenetic control over complex immune processes contributes to autoimmune disease. Abnormal DNA methylation has been observed in patients with lupus whose T cells exhibit decreased DNA methyltransferase activity and hypomethylated DNA. Disregulation of this pathway apparently leads to overexpression of methylation-sensitive genes such as the leukocyte function-associated factor (LFA1), which causes lupus-like autoimmunity. Interestingly, LFA1 expression is also required for the development of arthritis, which raises the possibility that altered DNA methylation patterns may contribute to other diseases displaying idiopathic autoimmunity."
Nutrigenomics: The Genome–Food Interface (2007)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2137135/
"Efforts to unveil the etiology of human disease often recapitulate the nature versus nurture debate. But today’s biologists concede that neither nature nor nurture alone can explain the molecular processes that ultimately govern human health. The presence of a particular gene or mutation in most cases merely connotes a predisposition to a particular disease process. Whether that genetic potential will eventually manifest as a disease depends on a complex interplay between the human genome and environmental and behavioral factors. This understanding has helped spawn numerous multidisciplinary gene-based approaches to the study of health and disease.
One such endeavor is nutrigenomics, the integration of genomic science with nutrition and, when possible, other lifestyle variables such as cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption. Although genes are critical for determining function, nutrition modifies the extent to which different genes are expressed and thereby modulates whether individuals attain the potential established by their genetic background.
Nutrigenomics therefore initially referred to the study of the effects of nutrients on the expression of an individual’s genetic makeup. More recently, this definition has been broadened to encompass nutritional factors that protect the genome from damage. Ultimately, nutrigenomics is concerned with the impact of dietary components on the genome, the proteome (the sum total of all proteins), and the metabolome (the sum of all metabolites). As in pharmacogenomics, where a drug will have diverse impacts on different segments of the population, researchers recognize that only a portion of the population will respond positively to specific nutritional interventions, while others will be unresponsive, and still other could even be adversely affected."
Genetic and Epigenetic Contributions to Human Nutrition and Health: Managing Genome–Diet Interactions (2008)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/a ... 2308012601
Abstract
The Institute of Medicine recently convened a workshop to review the state of the various domains of nutritional genomics research and policy and to provide guidance for further development and translation of this knowledge into nutrition practice and policy. Nutritional genomics holds the promise to revolutionize both clinical and public health nutrition practice and facilitate the establishment of (a) genome-informed nutrient and food-based dietary guidelines for disease prevention and healthful aging, (b) individualized medical nutrition therapy for disease management, and (c) better targeted public health nutrition interventions (including micronutrient fortification and supplementation) that maximize benefit and minimize adverse outcomes within genetically diverse human populations. As the field of nutritional genomics matures, which will include filling fundamental gaps in knowledge of nutrient–genome interactions in health and disease and demonstrating the potential benefits of customizing nutrition prescriptions based on genetics, registered dietitians will be faced with the opportunity of making genetically driven dietary recommendations aimed at improving human health.
The role of zinc in genomic stability (2012)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/ar ... 0711002284
Zinc (Zn) is an essential trace element required for maintaining both optimal human health and genomic stability. Zn plays a critical role in the regulation of DNA repair mechanisms, cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis involving the action of various transcriptional factors and DNA or RNA polymerases. Zn is an essential cofactor or structural component for important antioxidant defence proteins and DNA repair enzymes such as Cu/Zn SOD, OGG1, APE and PARP and may also affect activities of enzymes such as BHMT and MTR involved in methylation reactions in the folate-methionine cycle. This review focuses on the role of Zn in the maintenance of genome integrity and the effects of deficiency or excess on genomic stability events and cell death.
New criteria for supplementation of selected micronutrients in the era of nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics (2014)
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3 ... 014.898258
Advances in molecular biology, emergence of novel techniques and huge amount of information generated in the post-Human Genome Project era have fostered the emergence of new disciplines in the field of nutritional research: Nutrigenomics deals with the effect of diet on gene expression whereas nutrigenetics refers to the impact of inherited traits on the response to a specific dietary pattern, functional food or supplement. Understanding the role of micronutrient supplementation with specific genetic backgrounds may provide an important contribution to a new optimum health strategy based on individualized nutritional treatment and may provide the strategies for the development of safer and more effective dietary interventions. This overview of the various aspects of supplementation of micronutrients in the era of nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics may provide a better understanding of novel nutritional research approach and provide an additional insight that can be applied to the daily dietary practice.
Ethical considerations in the implementation of nutrigenetics/nutrigenomics (2017)
http://www.futuremedicine.com/doi/abs/1 ... -2016-0035
Awareness of ethical issues that may be raised by the implementation of nutrigenetic/nutrigenomic (NGx) testing and personalized nutrition, at an individual or a public health level, is crucial to ensure the latter's sound and effective implementation. NGx tests that are currently offered or developed have different natures and scopes. We provide an example of NGx testing on the MTHFR gene to illustrate the current challenges when it comes to grasp the meaning of the results of such testing. In addition, NGx testing is developed within an evolving landscape of new genomic technologies and occurs at a time when public health policies mainly focus on preventive and predictive healthcare, with an emphasis on increased individual responsibility. The ethical issues raised by such a context and the genetic nature of NGx testing both should be carefully evaluated.
https://www.whatisepigenetics.com/fundamentals/
"Epigenetics and the Environment: How Lifestyle Can Influence Epigenetic Change from One Generation to the Next
The field of epigenetics is quickly growing and with it the understanding that both the environment and individual lifestyle can also directly interact with the genome to influence epigenetic change. These changes may be reflected at various stages throughout a person’s life and even in later generations. For example, human epidemiological studies have provided evidence that prenatal and early postnatal environmental factors influence the adult risk of developing various chronic diseases and behavioral disorders.5 Studies have shown that children born during the period of the Dutch famine from 1944-1945 have increased rates of coronary heart disease and obesity after maternal exposure to famine during early pregnancy compared to those not exposed to famine.6 Less DNA methylation of the insulin-like growth factor II (IGF2) gene, a well-characterized epigenetic locus, was found to be associated with this exposure.7 Likewise, adults that were prenatally exposed to famine conditions have also been reported to have significantly higher incidence of schizophrenia.89
Clinical Applications – Epigenetic Diseases
Immunity & Related Disorders. There are several pieces of evidence showing that loss of epigenetic control over complex immune processes contributes to autoimmune disease. Abnormal DNA methylation has been observed in patients with lupus whose T cells exhibit decreased DNA methyltransferase activity and hypomethylated DNA. Disregulation of this pathway apparently leads to overexpression of methylation-sensitive genes such as the leukocyte function-associated factor (LFA1), which causes lupus-like autoimmunity. Interestingly, LFA1 expression is also required for the development of arthritis, which raises the possibility that altered DNA methylation patterns may contribute to other diseases displaying idiopathic autoimmunity."
Nutrigenomics: The Genome–Food Interface (2007)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2137135/
"Efforts to unveil the etiology of human disease often recapitulate the nature versus nurture debate. But today’s biologists concede that neither nature nor nurture alone can explain the molecular processes that ultimately govern human health. The presence of a particular gene or mutation in most cases merely connotes a predisposition to a particular disease process. Whether that genetic potential will eventually manifest as a disease depends on a complex interplay between the human genome and environmental and behavioral factors. This understanding has helped spawn numerous multidisciplinary gene-based approaches to the study of health and disease.
One such endeavor is nutrigenomics, the integration of genomic science with nutrition and, when possible, other lifestyle variables such as cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption. Although genes are critical for determining function, nutrition modifies the extent to which different genes are expressed and thereby modulates whether individuals attain the potential established by their genetic background.
Nutrigenomics therefore initially referred to the study of the effects of nutrients on the expression of an individual’s genetic makeup. More recently, this definition has been broadened to encompass nutritional factors that protect the genome from damage. Ultimately, nutrigenomics is concerned with the impact of dietary components on the genome, the proteome (the sum total of all proteins), and the metabolome (the sum of all metabolites). As in pharmacogenomics, where a drug will have diverse impacts on different segments of the population, researchers recognize that only a portion of the population will respond positively to specific nutritional interventions, while others will be unresponsive, and still other could even be adversely affected."
Genetic and Epigenetic Contributions to Human Nutrition and Health: Managing Genome–Diet Interactions (2008)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/a ... 2308012601
Abstract
The Institute of Medicine recently convened a workshop to review the state of the various domains of nutritional genomics research and policy and to provide guidance for further development and translation of this knowledge into nutrition practice and policy. Nutritional genomics holds the promise to revolutionize both clinical and public health nutrition practice and facilitate the establishment of (a) genome-informed nutrient and food-based dietary guidelines for disease prevention and healthful aging, (b) individualized medical nutrition therapy for disease management, and (c) better targeted public health nutrition interventions (including micronutrient fortification and supplementation) that maximize benefit and minimize adverse outcomes within genetically diverse human populations. As the field of nutritional genomics matures, which will include filling fundamental gaps in knowledge of nutrient–genome interactions in health and disease and demonstrating the potential benefits of customizing nutrition prescriptions based on genetics, registered dietitians will be faced with the opportunity of making genetically driven dietary recommendations aimed at improving human health.
The role of zinc in genomic stability (2012)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/ar ... 0711002284
Zinc (Zn) is an essential trace element required for maintaining both optimal human health and genomic stability. Zn plays a critical role in the regulation of DNA repair mechanisms, cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis involving the action of various transcriptional factors and DNA or RNA polymerases. Zn is an essential cofactor or structural component for important antioxidant defence proteins and DNA repair enzymes such as Cu/Zn SOD, OGG1, APE and PARP and may also affect activities of enzymes such as BHMT and MTR involved in methylation reactions in the folate-methionine cycle. This review focuses on the role of Zn in the maintenance of genome integrity and the effects of deficiency or excess on genomic stability events and cell death.
New criteria for supplementation of selected micronutrients in the era of nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics (2014)
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3 ... 014.898258
Advances in molecular biology, emergence of novel techniques and huge amount of information generated in the post-Human Genome Project era have fostered the emergence of new disciplines in the field of nutritional research: Nutrigenomics deals with the effect of diet on gene expression whereas nutrigenetics refers to the impact of inherited traits on the response to a specific dietary pattern, functional food or supplement. Understanding the role of micronutrient supplementation with specific genetic backgrounds may provide an important contribution to a new optimum health strategy based on individualized nutritional treatment and may provide the strategies for the development of safer and more effective dietary interventions. This overview of the various aspects of supplementation of micronutrients in the era of nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics may provide a better understanding of novel nutritional research approach and provide an additional insight that can be applied to the daily dietary practice.
Ethical considerations in the implementation of nutrigenetics/nutrigenomics (2017)
http://www.futuremedicine.com/doi/abs/1 ... -2016-0035
Awareness of ethical issues that may be raised by the implementation of nutrigenetic/nutrigenomic (NGx) testing and personalized nutrition, at an individual or a public health level, is crucial to ensure the latter's sound and effective implementation. NGx tests that are currently offered or developed have different natures and scopes. We provide an example of NGx testing on the MTHFR gene to illustrate the current challenges when it comes to grasp the meaning of the results of such testing. In addition, NGx testing is developed within an evolving landscape of new genomic technologies and occurs at a time when public health policies mainly focus on preventive and predictive healthcare, with an emphasis on increased individual responsibility. The ethical issues raised by such a context and the genetic nature of NGx testing both should be carefully evaluated.