DNA May Carry a Memory of Your Living Conditions From Childhood

An anonymous reader writes "Canadian and British scientists have found that how rich your family was when you were a kid — as judged by wealth, housing conditions and occupation of parents — has a huge impact on your current DNA. 'This is the first time we've been able to make the link between the economics of early life and the biochemistry of DNA,' says Moshe Szyf, professor of pharmacology at McGill University. The study did not show whether the DNA changes identified are passed on to offspring, but if so, repeat cycles of poverty could be putting poor children at a serious disadvantage for heart disease, diabetes and lung disorders."

Comments

Methylation

[Hatta]

The changes in DNA are due to methylation of the DNA, not changes in sequence. This can lead to more or less of a given gene being expressed, but won't lead to any actual changes in the genes.

Re:Methylation

[ZiggyM]

According to wikipedia on cell reprogramming, these gene expression changes are erased from offspring: "After fertilization the paternal and maternal genomes are once again demethylated and remethylated (except for differentially methylated regions associated with imprinted genes). This reprogramming is likely required for totipotency of the newly formed embryo and erasure of acquired epigenetic changes." See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reprogramming

May be an advantage, not a burden?

[Delgul]

"but if so, repeat cycles of poverty could be putting poor children at a serious disadvantage for heart disease, diabetes and lung disorders."

What is this based on? Perhaps extra robustness is built in for exactly the reason that you may run more risk? So having poor parents may actually give you an advantage...

Re:So...what's the answer?

[Surt]

Everyone can't be rich, but with a little work, everyone could not be poor.

Re:So...what's the answer?

[Zedrick]

> There are always going to be 'haves' and 'have nots' in this world...that's the way of nature.

I think you're confusing nature with modern society.

epigenetics

[CoderFool]

Sounds a lot like a Nova program I saw some time ago. It titled 'Ghost in your genes'. It talked about how epigenetics control how your genes are expressed and they had noticed some inherited traits based on whether the ancestors were poor, starving, folk or not.

Re:So...what's the answer?

[geekoid]

Fail.

Poverty is the state of one who lacks a certain amount of material possessions Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live in absolute poverty today. Relative poverty refers to lacking a usual or socially acceptable level of resources or income as compared with others within a society or country.