Epigenetic Mark Found in Microbiome Could Help Prevent Digestive Disorders

September 25, 2018 Tim Barry

Maintaining a healthy diet can be incredibly difficult to do, especially with the temptations of junk food, alcohol, and sweets. Often times we are in a rush to get to plans that we’ve made, or go grab a drink after work, and we forget to prioritize putting nutritious foods in our bodies. As a result, most of us follow a western diet in our everyday lives, because the foods are more readily available (and seem to taste better). This diet [more…]

Epigenetics and Diet May Determine Who Becomes Queen Bee

September 18, 2018 Lisa Fox

Swords and stones might determine royalty in England, but scientists discovered that in honeybees, the deciding factor may be epigenetics. A recent study suggests that histone modifications, including histone methylation and histone acetylation, could determine whether bee larvae develop into workers or a queen. Interestingly, the bees’ diet was found to influence these epigenetic marks. Diet can have a significant impact in human epigenetics, and could influence a person’s disease risk and mental ability. “Think of the genome as the [more…]

Epigenetics Provides Insight on Potential Relief for Memory Disorders

September 11, 2018 Tim Barry

The formation of memories has been a popular research topic among the science community.  They occur by a familiar stimulus reactivating a specific group of neurons, but not much else is known about the exact logistics involved in how a memory is created and retained. Many memory-related disorders like Alzheimer’s and PTSD directly affect a person’s brain chemistry and are undoubtedly detrimental to their character and mental health. In a recent study published in the Journal of Neuroscience, researchers from the [more…]

One Night Without Sleep Could Trigger Epigenetic Changes and Weight Gain

September 4, 2018 Bailey Kirkpatrick

Even just one night of sleep loss could lead to epigenetic changes that tweak our metabolism and regulation of gene expression, a new study suggests. Researchers at Uppsala University found that one night without sleep was linked to alteration of the human epigenome, weight gain, and the loss of lean muscle mass. Previous research has shown that skipping sleep lowers the body’s protective antioxidant levels and leads to epigenetic changes. Sleep deprivation can also impact histone modifications and impair memory. [more…]

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