"Epigenetic" has become a wellness buzzword. Behind it is real, fascinating science, and a fair amount of overselling. Here is the honest version, including how we use the word at NEXXGENE.
Genes vs gene expression
Almost every cell in your body carries the same DNA. A skin cell and a liver cell have the same genes; they behave differently because they read different parts of that DNA. Epigenetics is the study of the chemical marks that help decide which genes are read, when, and how much, without changing the DNA sequence itself.
The best-studied of these marks is DNA methylation: small chemical tags called methyl groups attached to DNA, which generally help turn genes down. Think of your DNA as a cookbook that never changes, and epigenetic marks as the bookmarks and sticky notes that decide which recipes get used.
Where nutrition comes in
Those methyl groups have to come from somewhere, and part of the answer is your diet. Your body uses a set of nutrients often called methyl donors to make and recycle methyl groups. The main ones are folate, vitamin B12, choline and betaine, supported by vitamins B6 and B2.
- Folate: leafy greens, dals and legumes
- Vitamin B12: mainly animal foods such as dairy, eggs, fish and meat, which is why vegetarians and vegans need to pay particular attention to it
- Choline: eggs, soy, legumes and some vegetables
Three landmark studies
1. The agouti mice (2003). Researchers fed pregnant mice a diet with extra folic acid, vitamin B12, choline and betaine. Their offspring's DNA methylation changed at a specific gene, and so did their coat colour, even though their genes were identical. The same authors cautioned that supplementation "may have unintended deleterious influences", a reminder that more is not automatically better. (Waterland & Jirtle, 2003)
2. The Dutch Hunger Winter (2008). People whose mothers lived through the 1944–45 famine in the Netherlands around the time of conception had, six decades later, less DNA methylation of the IGF2 gene than their unexposed brothers and sisters. It was some of the first human evidence that early-life nutrition can leave epigenetic marks that last a lifetime. (Heijmans et al., 2008)
3. The Gambia seasons study (2014). In rural Gambia, diets change sharply between the rainy and dry seasons. Mothers' methyl-donor nutrient levels around conception predicted methylation patterns in their babies. (Dominguez-Salas et al., 2014)
What the evidence supports, and what it does not
| Supported | Not supported |
|---|---|
| Nutrition is one of the factors that influence epigenetic marks | A powder or pill can "reprogram" or "rewrite" your genes |
| The strongest human evidence is for very early life: around conception and in pregnancy | Proven, predictable epigenetic changes from adult supplements |
| Diet patterns, sleep, stress, activity and smoking all matter | A single nutrient that switches on "good genes" |
In adults, research is active and promising, but much of it is small, short or observational. Anyone who tells you a product edits your DNA is selling certainty the science does not have.
How NEXXGENE uses the term
For us, epigenetic nutrition is a principle, not a promise: what you do every day, including what you eat, how you sleep, how you handle stress and how you move, shapes how your body works. Our job is to make the nutrition part easier and more honest, with doses taken from published research and every one printed on the carton. (Our label promise.)
Our products do not claim to change your genes, and we will not write that they do.
Next: Epigenetic age tests: what they measure and what they cannot tell you.
This article is for general information and is not medical advice. If you are planning a pregnancy, pregnant or breastfeeding, speak to your doctor about folate, B12 and other nutrient needs rather than relying on general articles.
