| Popis: |
From conception, to gestation, birth, and throughout the life course maternal behaviors (e.g. nutrition, exercise, social interactions), and exposure to pathogens, define how the body responds to stimuli and the susceptibility to complex diseases like asthma, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. This chapter summarizes the relationship between the environment, epigenetics and disease. In the last 20 years, this relationship has been the focus of intense research. Epigenetic alterations due to environmental insult may be reversible through novel treatment options. By changing the epigenetic “landscape” through simple lifestyle modification, disease risk may be ameliorated, thus improving healthspan. As we advance our understanding of the “epigenome”, the portion of human genome that is either expressed or repressed in disease based on epigenetic status, we may be able to modify this profile to reduce potential sequelae. New technologies have become available allowing scientists to study epigenetic processes targeting specific genes, genomic regions, and even entire genomes. Further advances in this field are crucial to understanding the role of epigenetic modifications in normal biological functions and disease states. Because epigenetics is implicated in growth and development, cell differentiation, tumorigenesis, and many other important cellular processes involved in both normal function and disease states, the need to understand and measure epigenetic changes is becoming increasingly important. |
