In the US, there is generally a fatalistic attitude that presents when we mention heredity. The conventional wisdom is that what we inherit, we inherit from our parents, and that we can’t do anything about our genes. But that perception is being turned on its head in the light of new genetic research. A relatively new field of genetic research called Epigenetics has unearthed new and striking evidence that our genes that we inherit can actually be programmed, and that our lifestyles seem to influence that programming.
The term epigenetics consists of two words: epi, and genetics. Epi from the Greek, means above, and the sense of epigenes is that they sit above the genome if you will, and provide instructions for the “regular” genes that provide the blueprint for protein production, which is the “regular” day to day work of the body. Furthermore, epigenes control genetic expression, which means that they can turn genes on, and turn them off. And the good news is that with a healthful lifestyle, you can actually turn off the expression of “bad” genes, and turn on the expression of “good” genes!
So let’s unpack that a bit and see how that works. First, let’s use some familiar terms to define genetic functions. It’s useful to think of the “regular” genes (the protein makers) as similar to the hard drive on your computer. It does the “grunt work” of the computer. Now think of the software that gives instruction to the hard drive as the epigenes. The epigenes control what the rest of the genome does, and it turns out that there are many more epigenes than there are regular genes! For our purposes, we will refer to regular genes as rgenes.
Epigenes give their instructions to rgenes via a biological mechanism called a methyl group. The methyl groups bind to the rgenes and turn them on or off. Epigenes also control a very important function in human development called differentiation. All of the genes are the same in all of your cells. But epigenes create different kinds of cells for different organ functions. So for instance, epigenes tell stem cells to become skin cells, or liver cells or brain cells! Furthermore, epigenes work via histones or protein spools of DNA that wind around the rgenes, and depending on how tightly or loosely they surround the rgenes, they turn on or off the rgenes. Tight=more expression. Loose=less expression.
Every cell in the body has distinct methylation and histone patterns that give the cell its “marching orders” if you will. In addition, your epigenes change throughout a lifetime, depending on your lifestyle and your environment. If you routinely choose a bad diet, the methyl groups can bind in the wrong place, and the cells become abnormal….a mistake if you will. This is true of the smoking habit, and in that case, some of the methyl group tags can get stuck on the genome and passed on to succeeding generations! That can result in a predisposition to autoimmune disorders, cancers, diabetes in these offspring who did NOT make those lifestyle choices!
Not only that, but in one case that was researched, these faulty lifestyle habits of a grandfather who overate resulted in offspring who died six years sooner on average! But if you choose a diet that is rich in the methyl groups, you can actually affect genetic expression positively. On the other hand, if you expose yourself to environmental toxins via a bad diet, then bad methyl groups are created, and that can affect not only you but your progeny! What is important to remember here is that this environmental information that we provide our genes with (diet etc) actually selects genes and modifies the readout or expression of the genes. Keep in mind also that your emotions affect genetic expression via the brain, which perceives and interprets your emotions (fear, love hate, beauty compassion harmony etc.). Those perceptions and the resulting interpretation by the brain cause the brain to release certain chemicals that match the perception! How important then to fill your life as much as possible with good thoughts, and good deeds toward others! Reminds me of an ancient proverb: “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” Proverbs 23:7 Today, the science of epigenetics is showing us just how that happens in our bodies.
