In terms of my personal food choices and preferences, I usually prefer sweet snacks over salty snacks. I am a sucker for ice cream, and I love homemade cookies too. In terms of cravings, I often crave bread or carbohydrates, which explains why my favorite food is pasta. My sister loves to cook, and she wants to be a chef when she is older, which means my family and I are always surrounded by delicious homecooked meals and baked goods. One good thing about this quarantine is she is home and always cooking! My dad doesn’t really have any specific food cravings or addictions, but my mom has a big sweet tooth. My sister and I always grew up eating sweets. While not in an excess amount, I definitely think this had something to do with our sweet cravings now.
I think it’s widely known that a person’s diet has a heavy influence on their overall health and well-being, including their likelihood for certain diseases in the future. However, all of the biological processes behind this are still not well understood. It is known that diet as an effect on the body’s epigenome. Epigenetics are changes to the DNA that do change the DNA sequence but alter gene expression (U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2020). Two common types of epigenetic modifications are DNA methylation and histone acetylation (U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2020). It has been found that environmental factors such as nutrients and toxins can affect epigenetic markers, whether it be for better or worse (Zhang, Kutateladze, 2018). Furthermore, these changes in DNA are heritable. So, your parents health and diet can affect your epigenome, and your epigenome can affect your future children’s (What is Epigenetics?, n.d.)
It is somewhat concerning to think that my parent’s diet, something I didn’t have control over, can affect my epigenome and predisposition to certain diseases and health issues. However, research has shown that physical activity has epigenetic effects that can help combat some diseases (Graziolo, Dimauro, Mercatelli et al., (2017). Another study highlighted the importance of consuming foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, choline, betaine, folic acid, and vitamin B12 can have positive effects on the epigenome of both parents and their children (Wanjek, 2012). So, in terms of my health and my future children’s health, I will do my best to maintain a balanced diet and exercise.
Alcohol is another major influence on the body’s epigenetics. When alcohol is processed by the liver, it releases a significant amount of acetate that is then released into the blood. The acetate can cause acetylation of the histones of neurons and affect behavior (Mews, Egervari, Nativio, et al., 2019). Acetylation of neural histones can affect certain areas of the brain involved in forming spatial memories (Mews, Egervari, Nativio, et al., 2019). Another study also researched the effect of alcohol consumption on fetal mice, and as expected, found that acetate was delivered through the placenta to the fetus (University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine). The results of this study can be used in the future for further research on alcohol-use disorder and fetal alcohol syndrome (University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine). After learning this information, I will definitely monitor the amount of alcohol I consume in the future, and of course, if I am pregnant, I will not drink any alcohol.
References:
Grazioli, E., Dimauro, I., Mercatelli, N., Wang, G., Pitsiladis, Y., Di Luigi, L., & Caporossi, D. (2017, November 14). Physical activity in the prevention of human diseases: role of epigenetic modifications. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5688489/
Mews, P., Egervari, G., Nativio, R., Sidoli, S., Donahue, G., Lombroso, S. I., … Berger, S. L. (2019, October 23). Alcohol metabolism contributes to brain histone acetylation. Retrieved April 10, 2020, from https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1700-7
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Consuming alcohol leads to epigenetic changes in brain memory centers. (2019, October 23). Retrieved from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191023132254.htm
Wanjek, C. (2012, July 27). Your Diet Affects Your Grandchildren's DNA, Scientists Say. Retrieved from https://www.livescience.com/21902-diet-epigenetics-grandchildren.html
What is epigenetics? - Genetics Home Reference - NIH. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/primer/howgeneswork/epigenome
Zhang, Y., & Kutateladze, T. G. (2018, August 28). Diet and the epigenome. Retrieved from https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-05778-1#citeas