May 15, 2013
“…we need to clean up the chemically-laden world our children live in, both in medicine and the home.”
See: Epigenetics, Autism, Pesticides, and Vaccines: One More Reason to Live Naturally and Avoid Chemicals (published January 18, 2012)
See: Youtube video on Epigenetics
Nature Reviews Genetics 13, 97-109 (February 2012) | doi:10.1038/nrg3142
Epigenetics and the environment: emerging patterns and implications
Robert Feil & Mario F. Fraga
Abstract
Epigenetic phenomena in animals and plants are mediated by DNA methylation and stable chromatin modifications. There has been considerable interest in whether environmental factors modulate the establishment and maintenance of epigenetic modifications, and could thereby influence gene expression and phenotype. Chemical pollutants, dietary components, temperature changes and other external stresses can indeed have long-lasting effects on development, metabolism and health, sometimes even in subsequent generations. Although the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown, particularly in humans, mechanistic insights are emerging from experimental model systems. These have implications for structuring future research and understanding disease and development.