Brandon Eudy, Author at What is Epigenetics?

About Brandon Eudy

Brandon received his PhD in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Florida and is currently a postdoctoral scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is fascinated with the impact of nutrition on health and physiology and is ever curious about the role of epigenetics in mediating nutrient-gene interactions. Outside of the lab, Brandon provides thought-provoking and informative posts on food, cooking, and nutritional sciences at his blog https://www.realfoodexplored.com.

DNA Methylation at PON3 May Lead to Weight Loss in Humans Following a Hypocaloric Diet.

March 30, 2021 Brandon Eudy

Obesity has become a major pandemic in the United States and other countries and is a major burden to healthcare costs due to its co-morbidities including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. More effective ways to treat and prevent obesity and its related co-morbidities is a dire need currently being addressed by biomedical and nutritional sciences research. Weight gain and obesity are driven by a multitude of factors including diet, toxicant exposure, genetic background, and other lifestyle factors. An [more…]

How a Ketogenic Diet May Change Your Gene Expression

March 2, 2021 Brandon Eudy

Over the past few years, ketogenic diets have become one of the most popular weight loss tools out there. Numerous studies show ketogenic diets are effective for weight loss in obese and overweight individuals and if you do a quick social media search for “Ketogenic diet” or “Keto” you will find countless anecdotes that support these scientific studies (1). The therapeutic benefit of ketogenic diets goes beyond weight loss. These diets have been used for nearly a century for the [more…]

Nut Consumption Improves Sperm Parameters and May Alter Epigenome

January 5, 2021 Brandon Eudy

Male infertility is a huge problem affecting nearly 1 in 10 men of reproductive age. This issue is occurring alongside observed reductions in sperm count in men over the last several decades. Although the reasons for these observations are not yet fully understood, environmental toxicants and poor diet could both be involved by adversely affecting the integrity of sperm DNA. DNA methylation is important not only for proper functioning of sperm but also the development of the fetus. Moreover, methylation [more…]

Epigenetic Regulator TET1 May Prevent Beiging of Fat Cells

December 1, 2020 Brandon Eudy

Obesity is currently a major healthcare concern in the United States, and biomedical researchers are still working to untangle the complexity of the physiological changes that occur as a result of increased fat gain. Human beings have two major types of fat in their bodies which are white and brown adipose tissue (WAT and BAT, respectively). More recently, it was discovered that WAT can undergo a process called “beiging” that results in a darkening of the tissue color and increases [more…]

Histone Deacetylases Play a Role in Health & Renewal of Intestinal Barrier

September 1, 2020 Brandon Eudy

The barrier of the small intestine consists of a thin layer of cells which blocks pathogens from entering the body and has a major role in absorbing nutrients through microvilli. Maintenance of the intestinal barrier is important since these cells are constantly being sloughed off as food passes through and tiny amounts of damage can cause a leaky gut which is now understood to be associated with several chronic diseases (Fasano 2017 and Meddings 2006). The intestinal barrier is normally [more…]

Parenteral Nutrition May Alter Epigenetic Marks in Infant Guinea Pigs

August 4, 2020 Brandon Eudy

Parenteral nutrition (PN) is a means of administering intravenous nutrition to critically ill patients or individuals who cannot otherwise consume food through the normal oral route. Although PN is a critical part of patient care in many clinical situations, it must be carefully administered to avoid harmful side effects. Infants may be especially vulnerable to complications caused by receiving suboptimal PN due to having specific nutrient requirements for growth and development. One other concern with PN mixtures is that they [more…]

Betaine Intake During Pregnancy May Epigenetically Effect Transcription

May 26, 2020 Brandon Eudy

Betaine is a methyl-donor nutrient that can be obtained through the diet and is especially rich in spinach, beets, and whole-wheat foods. Alternatively, betaine can be synthesized from choline obtained through other dietary sources. Methyl donor nutrients provide precursors for methyl groups used in important biological processes including methyltransferase enzymes which regulate DNA methylation. There is currently great interest in better understanding how dietary methyl donors can effect epigenetics, and whether changes in DNA methylation can be carried from generation [more…]

Epigenetic Marks May Regulate Liver Disease

April 21, 2020 Brandon Eudy

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an increasingly alarming health problem in the United States where it is estimated that up to 30% of the population has a fatty liver. Approximately 10% of NAFLD patients will progress in disease severity leading to inflammation and fibrosis and eventually more serious consequences such as cirrhosis or liver cancer. Better understanding the molecular and epigenetic changes in the liver driving disease progression could lead to better treatments. Understanding how DNA methylation is altered [more…]

Articles by Brandon Eudy