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Epigenomics. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2013 August 26.
Published in final edited form as:
Epigenomics. 2011 June ; 3(3): 267–277. doi:10.2217/epi.11.22.

Epigenetics and lifestyle

Jorge Alejandro Alegría-Torres¹, Andrea Baccarelli², and Valentina Bollati^3,*

Jorge Alejandro Alegría-Torres: giorgio_alegretto@hotmail.com;
Andrea Baccarelli: abaccare@hsph.harvard.edu;
Valentina Bollati: valentina.bollati@unimi.it

¹Departamento de Toxicologia Ambiental, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autonoma de San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Phone: +52 01 4448262345 ext 565; Fax: +52 01 4448262351

²Exposure, Epidemiology and Risk Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Phone: (617) 384-8742; Fax: (617) 384-8859

³Center of Molecular and Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Università degli Studi di Milano and Fondazione IRCCS Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Mangiagalli e Regina Elena, Via San Barnaba 8, Milan 20122, Italy. Phone: +39 02 50320127; Fax: +39 02 50320103

Abstract

The concept of “lifestyle” includes different factors such as nutrition, behavior, stress, physical activity, working habits, smoking and alcohol consumption. Increasing evidence shows that environmental and lifestyle factors may influence epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation, histone acetylation and microRNA expression.

Several lifestyle factors have been identified that might modify epigenetic patterns, such as diet, obesity, physical activity, tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, environmental pollutants, psychological stress, and working on night shifts.

Most studies conducted so far have been centered on DNA methylation, whereas only a few investigations have studied lifestyle factors in relation to histone modifications and miRNAs.

Here, we review current evidence indicating that lifestyle factors might affect human health via epigenetic mechanisms.

Keywords

Epigenetics; DNA methylation; Histone modifications; Environmental exposures; Lifestyle

Introduction

The term lifestyle is broadly used to describe the “typical way of life or manner of living characteristic of an individual or group” [1]. This concept includes different factors such as diet, behavior, stress, physical activity, working habits, smoking and alcohol consumption.

Individual genetic background and environmental factors are intertwined to lifestyle in determining the health status of individuals (Figure 1). Increasing evidence shows that environmental and lifestyle factors may influence epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation, histone modifications and microRNA expression.

Epigenetic mechanisms are flexible genomic parameters that can change genome function under exogenous influence but also provide a mechanism that allows for the stable propagation of gene activity states from one generation of cells to the next [2].

Alterations in epigenetic marks have also been associated with a variety of human diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular, respiratory and neurodegenerative diseases [3].

In this review we will discuss examples of lifestyle factors that have been investigated in relation to possible epigenetic effects, and the implication of lifestyle-related epigenetic changes in disease etiology (Table 1).

Table 1

Lifestyle factors with epigenetic effects