Sign Up | Login | Investor Relations

Altered DNA Passes Down the Generations

2008-06-27 19:46:36

ENVIRONMENTAL factors can affect DNA over a person's lifetime in ways that may be inherited, new research has shown.

The findings add to the growing evidence that diet and lifestyle have health affects which may pass down generations.

They also suggest a possible connection with the ailments of ageing, such as heart disease and cancer.

Scientists know that while the genetic code is fixed, it can be affected by chemical "switches" controlled by environmental factors.

They can turn genes on or off, with major implications for health and susceptibility to disease. Specific patterns of environmentally- induced gene switching can be passed on to future generations, many experts believe.

As part of the latest research, scientists looked at DNA samples collected from 600 people taking part in a genetic investigation in Iceland called the AGES Reykjavik Study. The samples were gathered in 1991, and again from the same people between 2002 and 2005.

Samples were collected over a 16-year period from 126 individuals from two and three-generation families.

The scientists discovered that family members tended to have the same kind of change. If one individual lost methylation (a genetic marker) over time, similar losses were seen in that person's relatives.