December 27, 2012
georgefebish
diet, eating well epigenetics, Epigenetics, Nutrigenomics, vegan diet
Biology, DNA, epigenetic, Gene, Gene expression, Methyl group, Tumor suppressor gene
English: This image shows a DNA molecule that is methylated on both strands on the center cytosine. DNA methylation plays an important role for epigenetic gene regulation in development and cancer. The picture shows the crystal structure of a short DNA helix with sequence “accgcCGgcgcc”, which is methylated on both strands at the center cytosine. The structure was taken from the Protein Data Bank (accession number 329D), rendering was performed with VMD and post-processing was done in Photoshop. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The turning of a gene ON or OFF is called epigenetics. Many environmental changes can cause these subtle switches on our DNA. The results of having a gene turned on can for example be cancer or a gene being turned off like our tumor suppressor genes. Genes control us and make us who we are. Our liver cells differ from our heart cells due to epigenetic switches. Mammals differ from one another because of epigenetic switches. Learn.genetics says: “Nutrients from our food are turned into methyl groups along a pathway: the pathway is made up of many players that manipulate molecules into methyl groups and ultimately put them on our DNA”. Diet is so important to our health and well-being but is not considered by most Americans when dealing with health issues.
June 21, 2012
georgefebish
diet, eating well epigenetics, Epigenetics, Nutrigenomics, stress, vegan diet
cancer, DNA, epigenetic, epigenetics diet belief thinking social, epigenome, Gene, Health, Healthcare, Medical News Today, Tumor, Tumor suppressor gene, well being
Diagram showing upregulation of antisense transcripts and cancer progression (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Medical News Today (MNT) says scientists are hard at work developing new drugs to turn tumor suppressor genes back on. Although this work is important we should be looking at what environmental conditions are causing the body to turn these genes off in the first place. This is like replacing your car brakes often because to drive hard on the brakes. It would be better to learn how to drive with less brake usage and save your brakes for an emergency. Drugs are useful for extreme cases but we need to understand the causes and help teach people to live healthier. Learning to stop smoking is far better than continuing to smoke and taking a drug to prevent cancer.
June 18, 2012
georgefebish
diet, eating well epigenetics, Epigenetics, Nutrigenomics, stress, vegan diet
Biology, cancer, Conditions and Diseases, DNA, epigenetic, Epigenetics, epigenome, Gene, Health, Healthcare, Heart disease, Humans, Life, Methylation, Nutrigenomics, Tumor, Tumor suppressor gene, well being
Granular cell tumor (Photo credit: Pulmonary Pathology)
Pharmaceutical Intelligence says if DNA is our alphabet, epigenetics is our spelling, language and grammar. Dr. Esteller, who did this study, has been crucial to show that all human tumors have in common a specific chemical alteration: the hypermethylation of tumor suppressor genes. Remember methylation causes genes to be silenced (turned off). Turning off tumor suppressor genes disables our bodies abilities to fight tumors.
June 8, 2012
georgefebish
diet, eating well epigenetics, Epigenetics, Nutrigenomics, stress, vegan diet
Biology, cancer, Conditions and Diseases, DNA, Environmental health, epigenetic, epigenetics diet belief thinking social, epigenome, Gene, Gene expression, Health, Healthcare, Heart disease, Nutrigenomics, Society, stress, Tumor suppressor gene, well being
Figure I. Tissue stain (immunohistochemistry) for the PTEN tumor suppressor gene showing loss of the PTEN protein in the round and tubular glands which are clustered tightly within an EIN lesion. Brown color indicates the PTEN protein is present. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Environmental Health Prospectives (EHP) says epigenetics is in forefront of research today. Epigenetics is not easy because it manifests itself through many mechanisms. It can turn genes ON or OFF. What the gene does determines the significance of activating or deactivating it. For example turning a cancer gene on is a bad thing but turning a tumor suppressor gene on is a good thing. One problem is investment in this critical area is relatively small. Hugh profits can be made with the correct investments in this relatively new field. Biology has never had such an important area of study.
June 5, 2012
georgefebish
diet, eating well epigenetics, Epigenetics, Nutrigenomics, stress, vegan diet
Biology, cancer, Conditions and Diseases, DNA, epigenetic, Epigenetics, epigenome, Gene, Gene expression, Health, Healthcare, Tumor suppressor gene
Health (Photo credit: 401K)
An article on Epigenetics and Health in Natures Remedy says our lifestyle and diet can affect our genes. These effects can either be turning a particular gene ON or turning it OFF (silencing it). We have tumor suppressor genes that fight tumors and can prevent cancers from taking hold. When these genes get silenced it usually results in cancer being allowed to grow. We are in tune or out of tune with nature, our environment and our food. If we stay in tune (much like being toned in a gym) we remain healthy. If we allow ourselves to get out of tune, we allow sickness to take control. We are what we eat and how we live. Choose wisely!
April 12, 2012
georgefebish
diet, eating well epigenetics, Epigenetics, Nutrigenomics, stress, vegan diet
Biology, cancer, Conditions and Diseases, DNA, DNA methylation, epigenetic, Epigenetics, epigenome, Gene, Health, Methylation, Nutrigenomics, Plant Based Foods, Pregnancy, Tumor suppressor gene, vegetable, well being
The human genome, categorized by function of each gene product, given both as number of genes and as percentage of all genes. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Epigenetics is not just the turning ON and OFF of genes but also how much they are turned ON/OFF. This is similar to a stereo were we can turn it ON and OFF but we can also adjust the volume. The volume of methylation in our genes is significant and a new area of study. It is not so simple. “An epigenetics BLOG, says “Experiments with agouti mice have shown that feeding methyl-supplements to pregnant mothers can affect the volume settings of genes in their offspring.” What was eaten during pregnancy can have a profound influence on your babies health just like smoking and drinking does.
March 29, 2012
georgefebish
diet, eating well epigenetics, Epigenetics, Nutrigenomics, stress, vegan diet
Colorectal Cancer, Disease, DNA, DNA methylation, epigenetic, epigenetics diet belief thinking social, epigenome, Gene, Gene expression, Methylation, Tumor suppressor gene
This image shows a DNA molecule that is methylated on both strands on the center cytosine. DNA methylation plays an important role for epigenetic gene regulation in development and cancer. The picture shows the crystal structure of a short DNA helix with sequence "accgcCGgcgcc", which is methylated on both strands at the center cytosine. The structure was taken from the Protein Data Bank (accession number 329D), rendering was performed with VMD and post-processing was done in Photoshop. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The first human disease linked to epigenetics was cancer in 1863 says Scitable a collaborative learning space for science. The study found: “Researchers found that diseased tissue from patients with colorectal cancer had less DNA methylation than normal tissue from the same patients (Feinberg & Vogelstein, 1983). Because methylated genes are typically turned off, loss of DNA methylation can cause abnormally high gene activation by altering the arrangement of chromatin. On the other hand, too much methylation can undo the work of protective tumor suppressor genes.” So once again we see that too little of something or too much of it can be bad. Finding the right balance is what health is all about.
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Buy The Book – Food For Thought – An Epigenetic Guide to Wellness, online at Amazon.com.
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