NYScientist’s post got me thinking again about epigenetics so I did some more reading and came across this interesting article. I don’t know if anyone else posted it already, so here it is.
Epigenetics: A New Bridge between Nutrition and Health
advances.nutrition.org/content/1/1/8.full
"…inhibition of HDAC could derepress epigenetically silenced genes in cancer cells, it has been investigated whether certain bioactive food components can act as HDAC inhibitors; e.g. sulforafane, an isothiocyanate from broccoli and broccoli sprouts, diallyl sulfide, an organosulfur compound from garlic, and butyrate, a SCFA from fiber. In vitro cell culture studies performed using B16 and S91 melanoma cells showed that sulforaphane inhibited growth and proliferation of cancer cells by downregulating deacetylation enzymes (30). Another study demonstrated that diallyl sulfide increases histone H3 and H4 acetylation in colonocytes isolated from rats along with alterations in the expression of a subset of genes (31)…Histone acetylation is highly associated with inflammation. HDAC regulate proinflammatory genes such as interleukin (IL)-1,5, 8, 12, and antiinflammatory genes such as IL-10 (33). The expression of COX-2 is also regulated by histone acetylation of the promoter region (34) and suppressed by sirtuin 1 (Sirt1), which functions as HDAC (35). The expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) is also known to be regulated by p300 HAT.
Calorie restriction reduces the expression of inflammatory genes such as NF-κB, AP1, COX-2, and iNOS. NF-κB is known to be activated by histone acetylation. p300 HAT acetylates the p50 subunit of NF-κB, thereby increasing NF-κB binding and NF-κB mediated transactivation. Further, caloric restriction reduces the expression of Sirt1, a major mediator of calorie restriction (36), which functions as a HDAC (37) and regulates p300 HAT (38). Sirt1 is also a regulator of histone methyltransferases (39).
Resveratrol, a bioactive component in grape skins and novel potent activator of Sirt1, has an antiinflammatory effect against colitis and colitis-associated colon cancer (40,41). The antiinflammatory effect of resveratrol is conveyed through the inhibitory effects of iNOS, COX-2, and NF-κB (42–44). It has been suggested that histone acetylation by activated NF-κB can be repressed by resveratrol. Butyrate, a SCFA that enters into the active site of the HDAC enzymes and inhibits the activity, enhances derivation of induced pluripotent stem cells by increasing histone H3 acetylation and DNA demethylation. Butyrate stimulation may provide an effective method for reprogramming various human adult somatic cells (45)."
There is some interesting and confusing things in this article. So sulforaphane and diallyl sulfide inhibit HDACs associated with cancer.
I remember ihatepropecia702 had a low calorie diet for about 6 months and was eating lots of vegetables.