关键词:
diet
disease susceptibility
epigenetics
health
nutrition
摘要:
It is well established that a pattern of healthy eating and lifestyle enhances life expectancy and helps to prevent chronic diseases, such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and mental disorders. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these fundamental biological processes are not fully understood. Recent studies in the field of nutrigenetics have provided evidence on how genetic variations can impact the individuals' response to diet. Epigenetics, a relatively new field of science, involves altered gene expression without any change of nucleotide sequences. Epigenetics has the potential to explain how the environment influence the genes and maintain the cellular homeostasis. Environmental factors with epigenetic effects include nutrients (diet), chemicals, pollutants and behaviors. These factors and their metabolites modify DNA and histones as early as during development, and exert specific effects on cell biology, physiology and pathology. Recent studies have demonstrated that maternal nutrition and environmental exposure early in development modify susceptibility to disease in offspring later in life, highlighting the interaction between nutrition, epigenetics and health. In this Review, we provide a brief overview of epigenetic regulation and discuss how the diets affect the epigenome in health and disease. Understanding the molecular effects of environmental factors might sheds light on the development of preventative strategies and personalized heath programs. © 2022 Nutrition Society in Taiwan. All rights reserved.