Abstract
Protecting the human epigenome with nutritional epigenetics intervention programs Dr Renee J. Dufault, Executive Director at the Food Ingredient and Health Research Institute, explains the significance of nutritional epigenetics in understanding the impact of nutrients and dietary chemicals on gene expression patterns, as well as their role in the development of conditions such as autism and ADHD. Rising rates of autism, attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder, and type-2 diabetes are occurring worldwide and can be explained by changes in the human epigenome. Nutrients and dietary chemicals can alter or modify the expression of genes and impact their behavior patterns across generations. (1) Nutritional epigenetics is the field of research where scientists study the effects of nutrients and dietary chemicals on gene expression. (2), (3) The inheritable and reversible patterns of gene expression result from changes in DNA chromatin structure, which occur most commonly through mechanisms of methylation. (2) Genes may be methylated (silenced) or demethylated (turned on) at distinct locations in the human genome, which contains all of the genes. Inheritable DNA methylation patterns are reversible depending on prenatal dietary exposures to nutrients and dietary chemicals. (3), (4)
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