In the next article, I will present my new book (Epigenetics nutritional): release date, what is, a summary of what you will find in him and who is the scientist (in my opinion, the greatest world’s expert on genes and longevity) that has helped me improve its content and has written the foreword.
However, today I give you some clues about all of the above. Below, I share an excerpt from the beginning of chapter 1, where I explain what is epigenetics, how it differs from genetics and how both impact on our health and longevity.
All people know that the genetic influences in our lives, but what not everyone knows is that this relationship is two-way: our life (habits), through the epigenetic, also affects the genetics. We’re going to explain it.
Here’s the excerpt.
What is epigenetics?
Let’s start with a technical definition: epigenetics is the study of the changes that regulate the expression of our DNA without altering its sequence. This field focuses mainly on two processes: 1) DNA methylation and (2) the modification of histones. In other words, epigenetics studies how the habits and the environment can cause changes that affect the manner in which the information of our DNA is being interpreted, but without changing the DNA itself. Let’s dig into this.
In our biology, there are two types of information:
- Genetics: it is the information stored in our DNA. This is the information we inherit from our parents and not altered, and with it we are born and we die. It is a set of ‘instructions’ hard-coded that guide our development and functioning; it is, in essence, our ‘manual of instructions of birth’.
- Epigenetics– has the ability to change and regulate how to use the genetic information above. Epigenetics shows how to express the information of the DNA in each cell, for example, which genes should be silenced, and which should be activated. This allows, among other things, cell differentiation, that is to say, that every one of our cells (which are genetically identical to take on thousands of different functions. For example, a cell of the eye has the same genetic information as a liver cell, but it is the epigenome that, by activating some genes and silencing others, makes these cells to differentiate and meet different functions. The epigenome mark and unmark our DNA with ‘tags’ chemical such as methyl (that silences the genes and areas of the DNA), and acetyl (the trigger), but without altering the DNA itself. Imagine a vase to which you will put a post-it note with a message that says ‘fragile, do not touch’, the vase is still exactly the same, but it contains an important information that helps preserve your integrity and reduces the chances of breakage.
As mentioned by Carlos López-Otín in his book life in four letters: ‘The genome stores information, while the epigenome is organized by […] the epigenome would be something like the grammar or the spelling of the genome-wide […] epigenetic changes act as accent marks, commas, umlauts or points that make sense of grammar in the genetic message and reflect the dialogue of the genome with the environment in which life develops […]. So, depending on the power, temperature, physical activity, or of the emotions that we experience, it will be generated by these epigenetic changes in the form of methylations in DNA or modifications in histones that determine that the information contained in the genome is expressed or not, that the genes are activated or inactiven, speak or remain silent.’
That is to say, epigenetics is the way in which the information of our DNA is interpreted according to the changes experienced under the influence of environmental factors. This process, as we will see, it controls a large part of our life.
Genetic vs. epigenetics: what is more important?
Now that we understand what is epigenetics, there arises a natural question: what is more important to our health, genetics or epigenetics? The answer is not simple and, as always, depends on the context. Both play crucial roles, but in complementary ways and different.
Our genetics provides the point of departure, the ‘instructions’ with which we are born, determining factors such as the predisposition to certain diseases. These aspects are fixed and do not change throughout the life, but influence many aspects of our health and development.
On the other hand, the epigenetic modulates how to express that genetic, which allows it to adapt to our environment and the changes that we experience. Is influenced by habits and environmental factors, such as nutrition, exercise, stress, sleep, age and exposure to toxins. This means that, although we cannot change our genetics, but we can influence its expression through our life choices.
To better understand how you interact with the habits, genetics and epigenetics, let’s consider an analogy with two new cars. One is a luxury automobile like a Ferrari, while the other is more modest. Both leave new factory with its own characteristics. The luxury car has a powerful engine and advanced technology. The car easier also fulfils its function, although with less opulences.
In this analogy, the genetics would be the initial quality of the car. The Ferrari represents a genetic ‘favorable’, with genes that offer benefits, such as less susceptible to illness, or a better physical ability. The car more modest, however, symbolizes a genetic less advantageous, with a greater predisposition to illnesses or physical limitations.
But here comes into play the epigenetic, that would be the way in which the care and maintenance of those vehicles influences its functioning. If the car of luxury (our good genetics) is not receiving a good maintenance (we do not take them for revision, are exposed to adverse conditions, or what we collide without repair), their lifespan will be much shorter and its performance is much worse. In contrast, if we take care of the car modesto with care ‘ (we all reviews, store it in a garage and keep it in perfect condition), although it is simpler may work better than we expected and even last more years than the luxurious car. The care and maintenance that will affect the operation of the car, can make a difference even greater than the features that came from the factory.
In the same way, although a good genetics can give us advantages, our habits and the environment that determine how it is expressed. A person with a genetic favorable could develop diseases if you do not take care of your body through nutrition, exercise, relaxation and stress management. Meanwhile, someone with a genetic less favorable, but who takes care of your health in a diligent manner, you can live a long and healthy life. As well as a luxury automobile does not guarantee a long service life if you don’t care for it, having good genes is not enough if we do not make the right choices to optimize its performance.
In summary, both of these factors are essential to health:
- The genetic defines our range of possibilities, the limits within which we are born. If, for example, someone has genes that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, those genes can’t be changed.
- The epigenetics, however, offers us an opportunity to influence the expression of those genes. With healthy choices, such as a good diet and exercise, we can ‘touch the right keys’ to minimize the impact of genes and detrimental to maximize the benefits of other protectors.
There is a simple answer to what is more important, but epigenetics has an advantage: it is changeable and responsive to our decisions. Although the genetics gives us a starting point, epigenetics allows us to maximize or to waste that potential. It gives us some control over our health. It is the bridge between our genes and the environment.
