Epigenetics: Heritable changes in gene expression

I awoke this morning to an article that spun my curiosity into high-gear dealing with a subject that has long interested me from a lay-persons perspective: DNA.

Everyone knows what DNA is but as a refresher: it is essentially a road map to how your, my, physical and by association, mental and emotional life will unfold. Though all humans have essentially the same DNA strand established or programmed over eons of evolutionary transacting in response to the environment we find ourselves as a populace, as we as individuals traverse through time up to including the present, subtle changes due to specific affects imposed by our individual environment experience is what makes us all individually different. The study of this experience is the science of Epigenetics.

Epigenetics is the study of heritable changes in gene expression or cellular phenotype caused by mechanisms other than changes in the underlying DNA sequence (Source: Wikipedia)

The article “Poverty leaves its mark on DNA, researchers find” [http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2011/10/28/technology-dna-epigenetics-poverty.html] spurred my curiosity on the subject for as I often do when delving into such material is to relate it to my own living experience. To clarify, I come from a family of seven siblings; four sisters, three brothers. Our family immigrated to Canada just post World War II and were immersed in the heart of that theatre of war during which time two of each my sisters and brothers were conceived and born. I, myself, was conceived and born in 1948 when, though conditions were likely not as harsh and impoverished as that of when and during, my older siblings were born and raised, I had just been born and being breast-fed during our migration to Canada that could be likened to ‘cattle-cart conditions’ as we crossed the Atlantic.

In reference to the matter of the article; that impoverishment imposed upon the birth-mother prior, during or even post conception and subsequent birth of the child, appears to have an affect on the DNA strand of the child born impacting it and potentially, future lineage derived from that child that appears to be gender specific which will be elaborated upon later in this article.

It is not suggested that the DNA strand itself is modified but it is the genetic markers within the strand that direct or orchestrate what will `materialized’, are changed. This process is called: methylation; the process whereby the gene marker(s) is/are made inactive or essentially turned off. An interesting analogy to better comprehend this process is that of a Book. The book representing the entire DNA strand story that is present in all humans; when methylation occurs, specific pages, chapter or potentially, sections of the book have been stapled shut thus having specific implications on the story from the original, that develops.

As eluded to earlier, examination of this science in reference to my own life-experience, on a general level I can identify with some of the conclusions drawn by the research and findings of epigenetics in humans but, in when applying them to my family experience I am left somewhat in doubt as to the absoluteness of the findings conclusions.

To elaborate, based on a study of famine victims during the Dutch hunger winter (November 1944 to April 1945) it was concluded that ‘people that the short-term environmental conditions at time of conception affects people’s epigenetics’, And further, ‘scientists found that whether or not your paternal grandfather had enough food as a teenager would change how long you lived, but only if you were male.’. [Source: Epigenetics: Feast, Famine, and Fatness http://www.precisionnutrition.com/epigenetics-feast-famine-and-fatness]

Essentially what the science of epigenetics is suggesting for my and my older siblings is that we should be suffering genetically from the affects of hardship and starvation our parents are known to have suffered and endured throughout the several years of their war experience. But, fortunately I would have to say that is not proving to be the case. I and my older siblings, male and female, being over six and seven decades old now are essentially in good health. In fact by comparison to our peers, we could be seen as above average in terms of our weight, cardiovascular and metabolic health and have robust auto-immunity. We have the fortune of a more youthful vitality and appearance then that for our general age group so obviously, something does not correspond to the science proposed by epigenetics for my and my siblings.

So to conclude, as much as I am intrigued by science and accept full well that we are a product of our environment genetically and, the implications that has for our future generations of lineage, it would appear that each human case need be examined on a case by case basis and scientific research of any discipline not be applied or interpreted generally. In fact, I would go so far as to suggest that it be common procedure with the birth of a child, a complete DNA mapping be performed and elaborated providing an informed birth-family the best opportunity for their child to develop enjoying as progressive and opportune a life Nature’s road map has given them to experience.