What is your epigenome? You are born with genes that you inherit and
can’t change, which is your genome. But you can readily influence what
was once called “junk DNA” and molecular substances around the DNA,
which is part of the epigenome.
This complex set of molecular level processes and compounds are closely
inter-related to the DNA and act like switches that turn genes on or
off in specific areas and under specific circumstances. If you
visualize your genes as ballet dancers that are ready to perform and
your cell nucleus as a stage, the epigenome represents the
choreography. You can imagine how the performance can vary from cell to
cell, or imaginary stage to stage, despite the fact that the genes or
imaginary dancers are exactly the same.
Modifications within the epigenome take a number of forms, and we are
discovering more. The most well known of these is “methylation”,
whereby methyl groups, small biochemical "particles" made up carbon and
hydrogen, are added to DNA. These gene areas are generally correlated
with low activity. Also, special proteins, called histones, are the
molecular glue which holds the long DNA strands within the nucleus.
These are also affected by methylation and by other biochemicals. These
are simple examples of a very complex set of processes which it turns
out can apparently be influenced by environment, particularly what you
breath or ingest.
The relationship between epigenetics and cancer is far from clear in
general, and certainly for any specific cancers like ovarian. However,
we know that cancer cells have relatively low levels of DNA
methylation, which is known to switch off tumor suppressor genes.
Studies have been conflicting, but it is clear that many biochemicals
affect methylation. The idea is that what you ingest affects the level
of biochemicals which then affect methylation and gene expression.
Although diet is hard to study on a large population basis, there are a
number of well designed studies published in both alternative and well
respected mainstream medical journals which show diet modification to
be effective in disease prevention and management. Some of the effects
might be direct, such as sugars affecting blood glucose levels, but
some are likely to be epigenome modification phenomena. A large study
spanning decades called the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) is underway which will shed some more light on this relationship.
So, even though the medical evidence is still developing, this may
certainly point to the reason that well nourished people on known
“healthy diets” develop less cancer or other chronic illnesses common
in the West. The good news is that finding a diet that fits this theory
and holding to it is not a dangerous fad or high dose supplement
adventure which may help, but can also harm you. It is simply looking
at the science as it develops and picking food groups that are balanced
but generally support the scientific evidence.
Epigenome Methylation Foods
The league leading foods and herbs that support prevention by the
epigenome methylation theory are green tea, cruciferous vegetables,
foods laden with folic acid (leafy vegetables, beans, peas, sunflower
seeds and liver), fortified whole grain breads, and non-sugar
supplemented breakfast cereals.
A good source that boosts methylation is the essential amino acid
methionine, which is called essential because the human body does not
synthesize it. Foods that are rich in methionine are spinach, garlic,
brazil nuts, kidney beans or tofu, chicken, beef and fish. For many
reasons, chicken and fish are preferable to a lot of red meat.
Choline, which is an essential nutrient that is grouped within the B
Vitamin complex, is another great source for methylation processes.
Foods rich in choline are eggs, lettuce, peanuts and liver.
Zinc helps properly regulate the methylation process, so either
supplementation (not mega doses) or eating some oysters will fit the
bill here.
Enjoy a Glass of Wine
Wine contains alcohol, which can interfere with folate metabolism and
therefore interfere with methylation, when taken in larger quantities.
But with moderate consumption, such as a glass per day, there are
health benefits from resveratrol (powerful anti-oxidant from red grape
skin), including cancer prevention. This benefit is complex but partly
related to switching on specific DNA-repair genes, which are part of
the epigenome. In fact even two buck chuck (cheap wine) can be
beneficial due to the presence of betaine, which may explain how the
French are healthier than they should be given a high cholesterol diet.
If any of this sounds familiar, a lot of the components mentioned above
are part of the Mediterranean Diet , which is widely regarded to be one
of the healthiest diets in the world.
Natural Integrative Therapies 
DNA
