quote:
What is DNA methylation?
-------------------------------------DNA methylation is an example of one of the many mechanisms of epigenetics. Epigenetics refers to inheritable changes in your DNA that don’t change the actual DNA sequence. That means these changes are potentially reversible.
Your DNA consists of four bases, called cytosine, guanine, adenine, and thymine. A chemical unit called a methyl group, which contains one carbon and three hydrogen atoms, can be added to cytosine. When this happens, that area of the DNA is methylated. When you lose that methyl group, the area becomes demethylated.
DNA methylation often inhibits the expression of certain genes. For example, the methylation process might stop a tumor-causing gene from “turning on,” preventing cancer.
Experts are currently working to better understand the factors that affect DNA methylation. Based on their early findings, there’s some evidence that diet plays a role. This opens up the potential to reduce genetic risk of developing certain conditions, such as breast cancer or heart disease, through simple lifestyle changes.
Read on to learn more about DNA methylation, including how to support you own methylation cycle through your diet.
What does the research say?
Research looking at the extent to which DNA methylation affects gene expression is ongoing. Most of these studies have involved animal models or cell samples. However, a few initial studies involving humans have promising results.
DNA methylation status throughout life
The patterns of DNA methylation change throughout your life. The process occurs the most during the stages of early development and later life.
A 2015 reviewTrusted Source found that DNA methylation patterns are constantly changing during fetal development. This allows all of the body’s organs and tissue to form properly.
A 2012 studyTrusted Source further broke down the relationship between DNA methylation and age. People over the age of 100 had less methylated DNA than newborns. People around the age of 26 had methylated DNA levels between those of newborns and centenarians, suggesting that DNA methylation slows down as you age. As a result, genes that were once repressed by methylated DNA start to become active, possible resulting in a variety of diseases.
DNA methylation and diet
The process DNA methylation partly relies on several nutrients.
For example, a 2014 study looked at DNA methylation of tumor cells in women with breast cancer. The study’s investigators found that participants who consumed more alcohol were more likely to have decreased DNA methylation. In contrast, those who consumed a lot of folate were more likely to have increased methylation. These results support the idea that consuming certain nutrients affects DNA methylation.
Some other nutrients that may influence DNA methylation include:
folate
vitamin B-12
vitamin B-6
choline
methionine
polyphenols
genistein, which is found in soy
How can I learn about my own methylation cycle?
Experts use several methods to analyze DNA methylation, depending on the type of information they’re looking for. However, a 2016 reviewTrusted Source of all the potential methods suggests that next-generation sequencing will likely become the standard method in the future. This method is generally more affordable and requires less complex equipment.
Some clinics do offer DNA methylation profile testing. The results of these tests are difficult to interpret, especially in a way that would be meaningful to you. In addition, several online retailers offer kits you can use to collect a sample of your own DNA to send off for analysis. However, they still won’t be able to tell you much about your own methylation cycle.
In the future, analyzing your own DNA methylation profile might be a routine method for preventing certain diseases. But experts still need to figure out how to effectively interpret the results of these tests in a way that’s useful to the general public.