The Epigenetic System
Hidden Influences on the Genes Can “Switch” Them On or Off
Epigenetics literally means "on top of" or “in addition to” genes. The study of epigenetics delves deeper into the genetic code, involving information stored in the proteins and chemicals that surround and stick to DNA.
These surrounding groups change the appearance and structure of DNA, altering how a gene can interact with important interpreting (transcribing) molecules in the cell’s nucleus.
While every cell in your body has the same genetic code, each cell type performs very unique tasks and maintains different characteristics. This is because of epigenetics. Some epigenetic traits can even be passed on from one generation to another.
In essence, how the genetic recipe in each of your cells is interpreted is epigenetics.
Recent epigenetic research suggests that these additions are part of a control system of “switches” that turn genes on or off, and that things we experience such as nutrition and stress can control these switches. Did you know our genome has developed an effective and simple way to prevent certain recipes from being copied and used? |
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It is called gene silencing. One way cells silence genes is to put a “lock” or a tag on a specific letter of a genetic word, by adding a chemical called a methyl group, so the DNA cannot be read and copied. Although not a hard and fast rule, DNA methylation is generally associated with silencing of gene expression, whereas active genes are usually unmethylated.
Methylation is very important and seems to slow down through natural aging. When methylation becomes abnormal and perhaps silences the wrong gene, serious problems, such as cancer, can occur. Certain nutritional supplements such as folic acid, vitamin B12 and trimethylglycine help to regulate methylation.
Chromatin remodeling is another important epigenetic mechanism. Inside the nucleus, your DNA wraps around proteins called histones, similar to thread being wrapped around a spool. When DNA is wrapped around a histone, it is unavailable and will not be copied. Certain chemicals, such as acetyl, methyl or phosphate groups can alter the wrapping and influence whether your genetic recipe will be copied and read.
Resveratrol, which is found in red wine, works in this way to turn certain genes off. Resveratrol can also activate another protein family called the sirtuins, which assist in cell repair, gene stability, DNA repair and longevity.
A Dangerous Reader
If you experience chronic stress, have been exposed to certain chronic viruses (hepatitis, herpes, Epstein-Barr virus and others that remain in your body) or have been exposed to specific environmental toxins, your cells will receive certain signals (epigenetic factors) and call upon a dangerous DNA reader called NF-KappaB (NFKB) to go into the nucleus, where your recipe book resides.
NFKB is found in all of your cells and involved in your cell’s response to stimuli such as stress, inflammation, free radicals, bacteria and viral exposures, ultraviolet radiation and toxic heavy metals. NFKB can cause cells to proliferate, leading to many cancers, and can cause the genome to be copied, telling the cell to make more chronic inflammation proteins. It is no surprise that NFKB is chronically active in many inflammatory diseases, such as inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis, septic shock, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus and many more chronic diseases.
Many targeted nutritional supplements such as green tea polyphenols and curcumin (the active ingredient in the herb turmeric) will directly stop the dangerous NFKB.
The CENIGENT program is committed to thorough, scientific research that is specific to each individual patient. We evaluate your epigenomic system in order to create a plan that effectively optimizes positive epigenetic factors.
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