Related Episodes for Why the first human genome cost three billion dollars │ Dr. George Church

“Family-controlled research provides another view. A Swedish cohort of 2.48 million children found small associations in conventional models, but the estimates moved to the null when siblings with different prenatal exposure were compared.”

“In this talk, we’ll be exploring the intersection between genetics, nutrition, and environment: how your diet, micronutrients, exercise, heat stress, and sleep can change the expression of your genes and how this has profound effects on the way your body functions and ages.”

“However, a growing body of evidence suggests that pre-pregnancy health of both parents shapes the health of their offspring through epigenetic mechanisms, which are influenced by nutrition, stress, and other environmental factors.”

“Rumination, the practice of dwelling on external stressors to excess, can set in motion a cascade of hormonal and physiological responses that harm mental and physical health. Meditation has been shown to reduce rumination and its negative effects, however, and influences the gene expression of as many as 500 genes, many of which are in the brain.”

“Using a Mendelian randomization analysis, scientists determined that people carrying genetic variants associated with low vitamin D levels have higher mortality from respiratory tract infections and higher all-cause mortality.”

“Gene polymorphisms, small changes in an organism's DNA sequence, can affect the absorption and metabolism of nutrients, including vitamins and minerals. A polymorphism in the MTHFR gene that decreases enzyme activity leads to inefficient folate metabolism.”

“More than a century of research has demonstrated that nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is an indispensable mediator of vital metabolic and physiological processes, including energy production, DNA synthesis and repair, and regulation of gene expression – across multiple species.”

“A few examples of genes with common polymorphism discussed are MTHFR and folate, NBPF3 and vitamin B6, FUT2 and vitamin B12, BCMO1 and beta-carotene, FADS2 and omega-3 fatty acids, CYP2R1 and vitamin D, PEMT and choline as well as APOE4 and FOXO3.”

Dr. Rhonda Patrick answers audience questions on various health, nutrition, and science topics in this Q&A session.