ABSTRACT
There is evidence of a strong relationship between human dietary habits and changes of the human genome, since the beginning of the evolution of our species. Today, population growth, globalization, and economic pressure powerfully affect diets worldwide. It is generally accepted that socioeconomic status in•uences dietary habits as well as health-related outcomes in various parts of the world (Vlismas et al. 2009). The modern environment encourages a sedentary lifestyle and provides easy access to processed food, which leads to a reduction of energy expenditure and increased caloric intake (Y. S. Lee 2009). Indeed, dietary habits affect several human diseases, including among others, obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and age-related neurodegenerative diseases (Joseph et al. 2009). Within this context, recent studies suggest that the reduction of caloric intake and the consumption of diets rich in antioxidants and anti-in•ammatory components, such as those
14.1 Nutrition, Evolution, and Diseases ............................................................... 363 14.2 Nutrition and the Epigenome: Folate Metabolism and DNA Methylation ...364 14.3 Oxidative Stress and Neurodegeneration: The Link between Oxidative
Stress, DNA Repair, and DNA Methylation .................................................366 14.4 Epigenetic Studies in AD (Including Cellular and Animal Models) ............ 368 14.5 Epigenetic Studies in Neurodegenerative Diseases Other than AD ............. 369 14.6 Dietary Factors in the Treatment and Prevention of Neurodegenerative
Diseases: Possible Epigenetic Implications .................................................. 369 14.7 Conclusions ................................................................................................... 372 References .............................................................................................................. 374
found in fruits, nuts, vegetables, and spices, may lower age-related cognitive declines and the risk of developing neurodegenerative disease (Joseph et al. 2009). Studies in rodents (see Sections 14.3 and 14.4) have demonstrated that early-life exposure to neurotoxic compounds during brain development or dietary modiˆcations can modify the epigenome with consequences on the levels of expression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD)-related genes later in life (Fuso et al. 2009; Zawia et al. 2009). These studies have been paralleled by others performed in human neuroblastoma cell cultures and demonstrate that the deprivation of B vitamins from the media resulted in epigenetic modiˆcations and altered expression of AD-related genes (Fuso et al. 2005, 2007). Overall, there is increasing indication that environmental and particularly dietary factors could affect neurodegeneration by modifying the epigenome. The aim of this chapter is to review the possible epigenetic effects of dietary factors and their relevance to neurodegeneration and neuroprotection.
