Abstract
BackgroundBody size, nutrition and socioeconomic position (SEP) in early life have been associated with a range of later life health outcomes. Epigenetic regulation is one mechanism through which these early life factors may impact later life health. The aim of this review protocol is to outline procedures to document the influence of body size, nutrition and SEP in early life on the epigenome.MethodsMEDLINE, Embase and BIOSIS will be systematically searched using pre-defined keywords. Additional studies will be identified through manual searching of reference lists. Two independent researchers will assess the eligibility and quality of each study, with disagreements being resolved through discussion or a third reviewer. Studies will be included if they have epigenetic markers measured either at the same time as, or after, the early life exposure and, have a measure of body size, nutrition or SEP in early life (up to 12 years), are in the English language and are from a sample of community-dwelling participants.DiscussionThis protocol will be used to collate the evidence for the effect of early life factors on the epigenome. Findings will form a component of a wider research study examining epigenetic responses to exposures in early life and over the life course and its impact on healthy ageing using data from population-based cohort studies.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42016050193
Highlights
Body size, nutrition and socioeconomic position (SEP) in early life have been associated with a range of later life health outcomes
Nutrition and socioeconomic position (SEP) at birth and during childhood are commonly studied characteristics which have been strongly linked with later life health [4,5,6,7,8,9]
Epigenetic modifications do not alter the sequence of DNA, but can regulate how that DNA is expressed and
Summary
Nutrition and socioeconomic position (SEP) in early life have been associated with a range of later life health outcomes. Epigenetic regulation is one mechanism through which these early life factors may impact later life health. Nutrition and socioeconomic position (SEP) at birth and during childhood are commonly studied characteristics which have been strongly linked with later life health [4,5,6,7,8,9]. Epigenetic modifications include histone modifications and DNA methylation amongst others [12] These malleable epigenetic signals are essential for development and cell proliferation but can occur in response to environmental stimuli [13]. Evidence from animal studies and a limited number of human studies suggests that early life exposures can modify several epigenetic signatures in a multitude of genes [11, 14]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
