We’re born with a fixed DNA structure, but chemical compounds and proteins in our bodies give instructions and decide how genes express themselves. Epigenetics studies those changes and how long they last.
In other words, your environment impacts the instructions your DNA gets and leaves behind a mark. These instructions cause changes in our bodies, and we can pass these changes to our children.
The environment, directly and indirectly, influences the genes. For instance, if you smoke, it might turn on an unfavorable expression of a particular gene. Biochemicals could cause the gene expressions to be inactive, or it can make the gene excessively present.
Where you grew up can have an impact on more than your preferences and personality.
According to a recent study, your childhood environment affects genes, as well.
Read the original publication of this study here: Association of Neighborhood Disadvantage in Childhood With DNA Methylation in Young Adulthood
This study aimed to ascertain whether childhood neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage is associated with differences in DNA methylation by age 18 years.
Association of Neighborhood Disadvantage in Childhood With DNA Methylation in Young Adulthood
Data was analyzed from the Environmental Risk (E-Risk) Longitudinal Twin Study, a longitudinal cohort study of 2000 children born in England and Wales during 1994 and 1995 and followed up at ages five to 18 years.
Researchers at Duke University performed the analysis from March 15, 2019, to June 30, 2019. Specifically, DNA methylation in whole blood was drawn at age 18 years.
“Associations between neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage and methylation were tested using 3 prespecified approaches:
(1) testing probes annotated to candidate genes involved in biological responses to growing up in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods and investigated in previous epigenetic research (stress reactivity–related and inflammation-related genes),
(2) polyepigenetic scores indexing differential methylation in phenotypes associated with growing up in disadvantaged neighborhoods (obesity, inflammation, and smoking), and
(3) a theory-free epigenome-wide association study.”
“A total of 1619 participants (806 female individuals [50%]) had complete neighborhood and DNA methylation data. Children raised in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods exhibited differential DNA methylation in genes involved in inflammation (β = 0.12; 95% CI, 0.06-0.19; P < .001) and smoking (β = 0.18; 95% CI, 0.11-0.25; P < .001) but not obesity (β = 0.05; 95% CI, −0.01 to 0.11; P = .12). An epigenome-wide association study identified multiple CpG sites at an array wide significance level of P < 1.16 × 10−7 in genes involved in the metabolism of hydrocarbons. Associations between neighborhood disadvantage and methylation were small but robust to family-level socioeconomic factors and to individual-level tobacco smoking.”
Takeaways:
- Children from socioeconomically disadvantaged areas experienced negative gene expression changes and seem to be epigenetically distinct from their more affluent peers. These findings suggest childhood socioeconomic conditions can alter how your genes function. And it may affect your health later in life.
- It’s not the only study highlighting how one’s environment can affect their genes. But it shows how socioeconomic status can have an impact on genes at a cellular level. Therefore, the social determinants of health warrant more focus and better solutions.
You can read the original publication of this study here: Association of Neighborhood Disadvantage in Childhood With DNA Methylation in Young Adulthood
