In my understanding, epigenetics can be interpreted as an aspect that regulates a person’s genetic set, how it is formed, what it is responsible for and which cells are responsible for which functions. In other words, epigenetics determines how external factors and behaviour affect the work of genes. Moreover, this aspect does not directly affect the work of the human DNA system, but it can affect how the body interprets each DNA chain.
After watching the video, an interview was conducted with family members about the diseases they have. Henceforth, in my family, the only serious disease that occurs in my family is diabetes mellitus in my grandfather. Moreover, my grandmother has vision problems in the form of glaucoma, which has serious consequences for her vision. Further, one of her eyes sees almost nothing, and the second one also sees quite poorly due to high blood pressure. As for my parents, my father has high blood pressure; otherwise, he and my mother are quite healthy.
For the study, I chose an article written by Ling and Rönn, which is called “Epigenetics in human obesity and type 2 diabetes”. The choice was made in favour of this study since the most serious disease that exists in my family is diabetes mellitus. First of all, in the scientific work, the authors note that all experiments and research in the field of epigenetics are quite new and relatively little information is available for acquisition. Thus, they define this concept as “heritable changes in gene function that take place without a change in the DNA sequence” (Ling & Rönn, 2019, p. 1028). This fact also confirms my interpretation of the concept under study.
Further, the article notes the importance of studying the relationship between epigenetics and the occurrence of various diseases in people, especially such as diabetes mellitus. Important components of the process under study are DNA methylation, histone modifications, and RNA-mediated processes (Ling & Rönn, 2019). It is emphasized that the violation of their relationship leads to the appearance of symptoms of diabetes type two. In addition, the researchers state that “epigenetic changes in patients with diabetes may eventually contribute to vascular complications and cause complications such as retinopathy, diabetic kidney disease, stroke, and myocardial infarction” (Ling & Rönn, 2019, p. 1031). In addition, the value of this source is that it shows the relationship between epigenetics and the occurrence of abnormalities such as diabetes and obesity.
The sources of knowledge in this study were epigenetic signatures obtained from human tissue of relevance for metabolism. Among them are adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, pancreatic islets, liver, and blood. All of them can show the level of obesity and the risk of diabetes in individuals. Moreover, the article emphasizes the importance of maintaining the necessary level of physical activity and maintaining a healthy lifestyle to minimize the possibility of diseases.
The next step in this scientific work was the passage of Living to 100 Questionnaires. The first section of this test addressed general questions about my condition, the level of stress I experience, sleep and work patterns. Already at this stage, an understanding is gained that these are some of those factors that have a strong impact on a person’s well-being and state of health. Next, there were questions about lifestyle, where the main cluster was devoted to smoking. Due to the fact that I did not notice such a bad habit, so all the answers were negative.
Further testing was based on questions about physical activity and eating habits. So, there were issues related to the use of dairy and sweet products and red meat. They also asked how many times a day I exercise and how often I do it. Most of all, I was concerned about the section with medical data, as I realized that I had not been examined for a long time and did not know for sure, for example, my cholesterol level. This is a negative aspect since, as already mentioned, there is a tendency for diabetes mellitus to appear in my family.
Thus, the results of the passed testing showed that I would live to about 83 years. At the same time, it is worth remembering that these are only approximate data since the questionnaire did not focus much on the health of relatives. So, it only asked such questions as the number of relatives with one type of diabetes. As for the health of the father and mother, the questionnaire only considered options where these family members are either under eighty and healthy or older and already with serious deviations, which cannot be attributed to my family.
Findings in the questionnaire, understanding of epigenetics, and knowledge of my family history can greatly help me in finding ways to prolong life. So, I regard my lifestyle as healthy enough since I have no bad habits that can contribute to this. Among the addictions that can lower the immunity of the human body to various diseases are smoking, frequent consumption of alcohol, junk food and sweets. All this can affect the ability to withstand serious health-related problems.
The main area that requires significant changes is my general lifestyle and attitude to visiting a doctor and taking medications. Hence, an incorrect sleep schedule can also weaken my body. Moreover, I often drink coffee and drink too little ordinary water, which has many positive properties for a person. In addition, I have an unstable work schedule, which also affects the duration and quality of sleep, which is critically low.
My predisposition to such a disease as diabetes obliges me to undergo an annual examination by medical specialists. However, due to other problems and responsibilities in my daily life, I forget about this serious point. In addition, I do not take any vitamins, and taking even the simplest medications can have a positive effect on my well-being. Thus, thanks to this research work, I was able to determine my own risk zone in terms of predisposition to diabetes, learn about epigenetics and identify areas whose change can prolong my life.
Reference
Ling, C., & Rönn, T. (2019). Epigenetics in human obesity and type 2 diabetes. Cell Metabolism, 29(5), 1028-1044.