Stress As an Epigenetic Factor: Traumatizing your DNA

American Friends of Tel Aviv University
Wed, 23 Mar 2011 12:20 UTC

© Unknown

Tel Aviv University researcher warns that it isn't 'all in the genes'.

When the Human Genome Project ended a decade ago, scientists thought that they'd closed the lid on all that's to be known about our genes. But what they really did was open a Pandora's Box, says theoretical evolutionary biologist Prof. Eva Jablonka of Tel Aviv University's Cohn Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Ideas.

After sifting through hundreds of scientific studies concerned with epigenetics, Prof. Jablonka concludes that some of the effects of stress, cancer, and other chronic diseases we suffer from may be passed on to our offspring through deep and complicated underlying cellular mechanisms that we are just now beginning to understand.

Comment: Add to the list the influence of parents' diet. From You are what your father ate: Genetic predisposition, or how diet defines who we are as species:

Environmental cues - in this case, diet - influence genes in mammals from one generation to the next, evidence that until now has been sparse. These insights, coupled with previous human epidemiological studies, suggest that paternal environmental effects may play a more important role in complex diseases such as diabetes and heart disease than previously believed.

Prof. Jablonka will discuss her findings at an epigenetics conference in North Carolina later this month.

The invisible threat

Epigenetic research suggests that the effects of stress and environmental pollution can be passed on to future generations without any obvious change or mutation in our DNA. The problem, Prof. Jablonka points out, is that we have no idea of the extent these effects will have on the human genome of the future.

"I am a story teller. I read a lot of information and develop theories about evolution. For the last 25 years, before it became a fad, I was interested in the transmission of information not dependent on DNA variations," Dr. Jablonka says. "Epigenetic inheritance is information about us that is not explicitly encoded in our genes. Two individuals may have identical genes, but the genes present very different characteristics. They can be genetically identical but different epigenetically."

In a 2009 paper for the Quarterly Review of Biology, Prof. Jablonka wrote about cellular epigenetic inheritance and explored some of the consequences of such inheritance for the study of evolution, also pointing to the importance of recognizing and understanding epigenetic inheritance for practical and theoretical issues in biology. She has since concluded that individuals can influence their heredity.

Comment: In this case, consider the following: Up to this point, there is enough collected evidence that there is a clear connection between emotional trauma or distress and chronic diseases. Add to this the hypothesis that our reality isn't linear, that our actions have an effect in the past, present and future. There is a saying that 'sons bear the sins of their fathers', but perhaps there is a possibility or an opportunity to rise up above the constraints of the generational spirits of trauma and heal not only our wounds, but those of our ancestors and successors as well.

© AFTAU

Professor Eva Jablonka of Tel Aviv University

After reviewing the literature, she has found more than 100 examples of living organisms, from bacteria to human beings, demonstrating how our genes' expression can be altered and inherited.

"Stress is enormously important," Prof. Jablonka says. "It can affect the development of cancer and other chronic diseases, and may also have long term impacts on ecology." At the conclusion of the Human Genome Project, researchers hoped that the findings would provide relief from several diseases. "What they weren't prepared for," she continues, "is that genes really do so many things, and that gene expression patterns can be heritable. We can learn some things about diseases from our DNA, but it doesn't tell the whole story."

Is environmental pollution irreversible?

Stress can create near invisible effects on gene expression, effects that can be passed from mother or father to child. Some of this operates through microRNA, tiny RNA discovered about a decade ago which work as cellular "micro-managers." In addition, a process called DNA methylation alters gene function. Various processes "hidden" in chromosomes within the cells appear to be influenced by lifestyle and disease.

As a result, Prof. Jablonka advises that it might be prudent to reconsider all the environmental pollutants being introduced into the planet's ecosystems. Some pesticides and fungicides are androgen suppressors and have many effects on gene expression - and these effects can be inherited. Whether and how future generations can endure with these altered gene functions are still open questions, she says.

Comment: There is one proven technique that can assist you with reducing your stress, calming and focusing your mind, creating better links between body and mind and thus improving your quality of life, increasing a sense of connection with others in your community. It will help you to improve your health, strengthen your immune system, provide you with better impulse control, reduce your inflammation, etc. It will also help you to heal your emotional wounds; anything that may hinder or prevent you from leading a healthy and fulfilling life.

The Éiriú Eolas technique grew out of research conducted by the Quantum Future Group under the direction of Laura Knight-Jadczyk and Gabriela Segura, M.D. The practice has been thoroughly researched and proven to work by the thousands of people who are already benefiting from this unique program. The effects are cumulative and results and benefits can be seen in only a very short time, sometimes after just one session!

There is a myriad of relaxation techniques out there, but not many of them can attest to having not only immediate effects, but also a highly practical application. With Éiriú Eolas, there is no need to sit in special postures, or be present in a carefully prepared environment. The strength of the program comes from its high adaptability to stressful conditions of the modern world. Anyone can do it, be it a student, sitting outside of a lecture hall before the exam, a mechanic needing a break from tackling problems all day, a businessman just before signing an important deal, a mother having to raise three children and worrying if she will have enough money to pay the mortgage.

Visit the Éiriú Eolas site or participate on the forum to learn more about the scientific background of this program and then try it out for yourselves, free of charge.