The video reflects on the molecular level interactions of genes being dependent on the diet and the environment. The diet we intake decides the nutrients that our body receives and perceives for involvement in metabolic processes as the enzymes and other factors need vitamins, cofactors, minerals as subordinates to play their roles. A bowl of green leafy vegetables, for example, offers many such nutrients to fulfill the needs of the body. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are the difference of a single base in the sequence of a gene that varies in individuals of a population making each one unique but a part of the same population. It can render someone more prone towards a disease and also can offer a distinct phenotype than another. The role of vitamin D in controlling serotonin produced in brain and guts is a exemplary example.
Epigenetics is another environmental impact on genes that can make them more active or repressive than usual and interestingly this becomes inherited to the future generations. Example: obesity is marked by many methyl groups on sex cells (sperms and eggs). Obese people tend to be more sensitive to various diseases as well as aging.
Question & Answer
Q: If SNPs and epigenetic factors vary for each individual and are dependent on diet and environment, can their expression be controlled by each individual?
SNPs are polymorphisms unique for an individual that are present in almost every gene but is fixed for a person. Getting a information regarding the SNPs for a person will aid in deciding on the amount of nutrients required by his/her body to maintain appropriate metabolic activities. On the other hand, epigenetic factors are entirely dependent on the diet and environment and it’s a reflection of the person’s lifestyle. The habits, mood, stress, likes and dislikes get stored on the genes and can be inherited. But, here the genes do not alter, rather there are markers that reduce and increase according to the exposure.
