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epigenetics, aging, and memory in the elderly

Could Epigenetics Rescue Cognitive Impairment Caused by Getting Old?

May 10, 2016 Bailey Kirkpatrick

As we get older, our cognitive ability declines, especially our memory. Although aging-related cognitive impairment occurs naturally, humans have been fascinated since ancient times with uncovering a “fountain of youth” to ensure that our beauty, minds, and youthful qualities stay with us forever. What if we could stave off or protect our brain function as we age? With new research in epigenetics, we may be closer to finding out what’s behind memory loss and cognitive impairment. A study published in [more…]

Epigenetic Mark Might Make Some People More Prone to Drug Addiction

May 3, 2016 Bailey Kirkpatrick

Why are some people more vulnerable to drug addiction than others? Why is it possible for a person to use a drug once and be able to put it down forever, whereas another person becomes hooked and cannot stay clean, no matter how hard they try? These questions are far from being completely understood, and the answers may lie in several different factors, including environmental, societal, and genetic. Yet, understanding the interplay among these factors is difficult, since they vary [more…]

maternal smoking and epigenetics, dna methylation

Maternal Smoking Epigenetically Harms Child Development

April 26, 2016 Bailey Kirkpatrick

Thankfully, smoking is a habit all pregnant women are advised to break. But, surprisingly, this wasn’t always the case, especially in the 1940s and 1950s when doctors endorsed smoking in tobacco advertisements. Tobacco companies even ran ads hinting that pregnant women could smoke as a way to calm their nerves. With the influx of research on the harms of cigarettes, it now seems absurd to think they were ever recommended. A recent study in American Journal of Human Genetics links [more…]

epigenetics dna methylation green tea and EGCG

Children of Diabetic Moms May Benefit from the Epigenetic Power of Green Tea

April 19, 2016 Bailey Kirkpatrick

If a mother with diabetes drinks green tea during pregnancy, could it improve her child’s development? For years, pregnant women have been advised to take probiotics and antioxidants, such as folic acid, to help improve pregnancy outcomes. However, the precise way these supplements work continues to be up for debate. Now, epigenetic evidence is mounting in regard to the benefits of certain antioxidants and the potential underlying biological mechanisms. New research published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology [more…]

Book Review: Super Genes

April 13, 2016 Natalie Crowley

Change your genes, change your life. Seems like a radical idea, especially since we’ve been taught to believe that our genes are set in stone when we are born. Not so, according to the authors of Super Genes, Deepak Chopra, M.D. and Rudolph Tanzi, Ph.D. It seems that we are not at the mercy of our genes, rather we are the “user and controller” of them. And, through simple lifestyle changes, we may be able to modify our gene activity [more…]

Birth Season Could Epigenetically Determine Your Allergy Risk

April 5, 2016 Bailey Kirkpatrick

It has long been acknowledged that the season during which you were born can influence you throughout your life in many ways – your height, lifespan, and maybe even your temperament. In fact, research has found a strong connection between the season of someone’s birth and their personality. A study in European College of Neuropsychopharmacology found that people born in the summer are more likely to experience mood swings, those born in autumn are less likely to be depressive, and [more…]

Nicotine Could Cause Epigenetic Changes to Testes and Compromise Fertility

March 29, 2016 Bailey Kirkpatrick

Despite the countless destructive health consequences and carcinogenic properties of cigarette smoke, the CDC estimates that 40 million adults in the United States currently smoke cigarettes. The toxic chemicals are capable of causing damage to nearly every organ in the body and can lead to the development of cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and cancer. Researchers continue to add to the large body of evidence of the detrimental effects nicotine exposure has on cellular processes and our health. Now, they’re beginning [more…]

Epigenetics: Feeding the Obesity and Diabetes Epidemic?

March 21, 2016 Bill Sullivan

Every kid reaching for the junk food has heard mom and dad’s warning, “You are what you eat!” But parents should be advised that children can now offer a humbling retort, “No, I’m what YOU ate!” A new study by scientists from the Institute of Experimental Genetics at Helmholtz Zentrum München (Neuherberg, Germany) suggests that the metabolic consequences of mom and dad’s dietary habits can be inherited by their kids via epigenetic mechanisms. So in addition to inheriting a genetic [more…]

Could Broccoli Epigenetically Reduce Your Cancer Risk?

March 15, 2016 Bailey Kirkpatrick

We’ve often heard that certain foods might have the power to reduce our risk of disease. There’s Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a major polyphenol found in green tea, that may help prevent tumor growth, or DHA, one of the major omega-3 fatty acids found in fish and nuts, that could protect neurons and perhaps lower the chances of developing a neurodegenerative disease. Now, even more evidence suggests that cruciferous vegetables may be able to slow the cell growth of one of [more…]

bisulfite conversion epigenetic stress buffered babies motherhood

Affectionate Moms with Depression May Epigenetically Buffer Their Child from Stress

March 8, 2016 Bailey Kirkpatrick

Different environmental factors experienced by a child can undoubtedly impact their life in the long run. Whether they were born into poverty, lack access to education, or are surrounded by violence, these experiences have the ability to dramatically disrupt their lives if they’re without the right support system. But, could a mother’s exposure to stress impact her child even before he or she is born? And could the way a mother treats her child buffer any adverse impact? Research on [more…]

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