WEBVTT - Wisdom Wednesday -  Epigenetics

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<v Speaker 1>Hey, everyone, welcome to another edition of Wisdom Wednesdays, and

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<v Speaker 1>today we are looking at the third installment about the

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<v Speaker 1>major hallmarks of aging and what we can actually do

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<v Speaker 1>about it.

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<v Speaker 2>So this week we're going to talk about epigenetic alterations,

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<v Speaker 2>which takes us into the fascinating world of gene expression,

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<v Speaker 2>how your genes are turned on or off like light switches.

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<v Speaker 2>And so in week one, you remember we talked about

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<v Speaker 2>genomic instability, which is damage to our DNA and we

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<v Speaker 2>know that whilst your DNA sequence is fixed, the way

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<v Speaker 2>that your body uses that DNA can be shaped by

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<v Speaker 2>your lifestyle.

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<v Speaker 1>So think of epigenics.

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<v Speaker 2>There's a number of different analogies you could use, but

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<v Speaker 2>one that I quite like is that your DNA has

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<v Speaker 2>basically a massive instruction manual for your body to tell

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<v Speaker 2>the cells what to do, how to behave, what sales to.

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<v Speaker 1>Turn into, and all those sorts of things.

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<v Speaker 2>Epigenetics is like a series of bookmarks and highlights in

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<v Speaker 2>that manual, determining which instructions get red and which stay hidden.

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<v Speaker 2>And that's really really important because it can tell genes

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<v Speaker 2>what to do, when to switch on, when to switch off,

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<v Speaker 2>and as we age, these markers actually change, and scientists

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<v Speaker 2>can actually measure these changes to determine your biological age,

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<v Speaker 2>which might be different from your chronological age. And you

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<v Speaker 2>might have seen a number of these epigenetic clocks that

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<v Speaker 2>are out there, such as the hove Art clock and

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<v Speaker 2>the dun Eden clock. And we've actually myself and Denise

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<v Speaker 2>who's been on the podcast several times, we actually did

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<v Speaker 2>a study on biological aging, which I'm going to talk

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<v Speaker 2>about in a few weeks with Denise. But anyway back

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<v Speaker 2>to this weeks, so, just to recap, epigenetics refers to

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<v Speaker 2>changes in gene expression that can occur without altering the

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<v Speaker 2>underlying DNA sequence, and these changes are controlled by mechanisms,

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<v Speaker 2>several mechanisms such as DNA methylation. Think of these as

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<v Speaker 2>chemical tags called methyl groups, which attached to the DNA

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<v Speaker 2>and silence certain genes when they need to be silenced.

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<v Speaker 2>Then we have his stone modification. This is the DNA

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<v Speaker 2>is wrapped around these proteins called his stones, and modifications

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<v Speaker 2>to histones can actually tighten or loosen this wrap, affecting

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<v Speaker 2>access to the genes. And then the third one is

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<v Speaker 2>what's called non coding RNA, and these small RNA molecules

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<v Speaker 2>help to regulate which genes are expressed, so it's a

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<v Speaker 2>pretty complicated process. But anyway, as I said earlier, as

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<v Speaker 2>we use these epigenetic patterns become disrupted and genes that

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<v Speaker 2>should remain silent may be turned on, and important protective

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<v Speaker 2>genes may also be turned off just from little errors.

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<v Speaker 2>And these disruptions can lead to inflammation, impert cellular function,

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<v Speaker 2>and age related diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and neurodegenerative diseases.

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<v Speaker 2>So let's talk about what we can actually do, and

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<v Speaker 2>that you won't have to be a rocket scientist to

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<v Speaker 2>think that. The first thing is exercise, Yes, spokes, surprise, surprise.

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<v Speaker 2>The exciting use is that regular physical activity can positively

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<v Speaker 2>influence epigenetic processes by a few different mechanisms. First is

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<v Speaker 2>reprogramming DNA methylation, So exercise has been shown to reverse

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<v Speaker 2>harmful DNA methylation patterns. For example, it can silence inflammatory

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<v Speaker 2>genes and activate genes involved in antioxidant defense. When we

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<v Speaker 2>talked about the impact of that last week on your televisions,

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<v Speaker 2>and I think you'll see as we go through the

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<v Speaker 2>twelve major hallmarks of aging that quite a lot of

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<v Speaker 2>them are interrelated with each other, hence why the solutions

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<v Speaker 2>are often repeated weekend, week out. The second one is

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<v Speaker 2>improving histone modification. This is the second mechanism, so physical

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<v Speaker 2>activity helps to modify histones in ways that keep the

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<v Speaker 2>DNA accessible for the expression of protective genes.

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<v Speaker 1>And then the third one.

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<v Speaker 2>Is regulating that non coding RNA that I talked about

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<v Speaker 2>earlier on. Exercise influences the production of non coding RNAs,

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<v Speaker 2>some of which help to reduce inflammation and improve mitochondrial function.

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<v Speaker 2>And there's a growing evidence that exercise impacts epigenetics in

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<v Speaker 2>powerful ways. A twenty twelve study in the journal's Sale Metabolism,

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<v Speaker 2>which is a real quality journal, so that after just

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<v Speaker 2>one session of cycling, participants had changes in DNA methylation

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<v Speaker 2>in genes related to energy, metabolism and inflam positive changes.

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<v Speaker 2>That was Another study found that a six months cardiovascar

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<v Speaker 2>exercise program and older adults significantly altered DNA methylation patterns

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<v Speaker 2>associated with aging, promoting healthier gene expression. And in research

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<v Speaker 2>on resistance training, individuals who participated in strength training workouts

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<v Speaker 2>showed favorable changes in histone modifications, enhancing cellular resilience. So

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<v Speaker 2>we see again that cardiovascular and strength training kind of

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<v Speaker 2>independent and synergistic benefits, and that's why it's important to

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<v Speaker 2>do both things. Then let's talk about diets. So there's

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<v Speaker 2>a number of things in our diet that can really

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<v Speaker 2>help because they support these epigenetic patterns.

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<v Speaker 1>We know polyphenols.

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<v Speaker 2>These are compounds found in foods like berries, green tea,

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<v Speaker 2>dark chocolate, and lots of other things. They have been

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<v Speaker 2>shown to influence DNA methylation patterns. A study into twenty

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<v Speaker 2>twenty two twenty twenty three in the Journal of Nutritional

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<v Speaker 2>Biochemistry found that regular consumption of polyphenols was associated with

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<v Speaker 2>slower epigenetic aging. And the Mediterranean diet again, there's our

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<v Speaker 2>special mention here because it's rich in olive oil, fish,

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<v Speaker 2>vegetables and has been linked to more favorable epigenetic patterns.

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<v Speaker 2>It also has heaps of polyphenols in it as well,

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<v Speaker 2>and the amiga three fatty acids in fatty fish are

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<v Speaker 2>particularly interesting as they not only influence our epigenetic markers,

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<v Speaker 2>but they also help with telemere. So here we get

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<v Speaker 2>this crossover effect again. And we also know really important

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<v Speaker 2>in epigenetics is certain nutrients like foliate and B vitamins.

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<v Speaker 1>They along with.

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<v Speaker 2>Polyphenols, they act as methyl donors and they influence that

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<v Speaker 2>d methylation. So having lots of foods like broccoli in

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<v Speaker 2>the entire broccoli family, keel, Brussels sprouts, all of those things,

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<v Speaker 2>cabbage as well as excuse me, berries tumoric, it's really

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<v Speaker 2>really useful for DNA methylation and green tea, they're all

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<v Speaker 2>particularly beneficial. And now if we move outside of nutrition,

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<v Speaker 2>oh actually, but before I move out of that, when

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<v Speaker 2>we eat matters as well. So research recent research are

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<v Speaker 2>intermittent fasting and time restricted feeding has actually shown promising results.

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<v Speaker 2>And these eating patterns appear to activate cellular rappair processes

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<v Speaker 2>and influence epigenetic regulators called sirtuins. So when we're just

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<v Speaker 2>constantly firing up our metabolic processes and particularly our nutritional processes,

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<v Speaker 2>the body doesn't actually get time to do the repair work.

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<v Speaker 2>It does the rappair work when that stuff is switched off.

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<v Speaker 2>So making sure that you're going at least ten hours

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<v Speaker 2>overnight without eating, I think is really really important. There

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<v Speaker 2>and a few other things that play into as well.

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<v Speaker 2>And again you will see this stuff coming up again

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<v Speaker 2>and again. Managing stress because stress drives inflammation, and inflammation

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<v Speaker 2>does all sorts of horrible shit in our body, including

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<v Speaker 2>negatively affecting epigenetic markers, particularly change related to metabolism and inflammation.

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<v Speaker 2>And then and toxins, just your overall toxin exposure from smoking, pollution,

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<v Speaker 2>excessive alcohol consumption, putting lots of shit on your skin,

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<v Speaker 2>being exposed to lots of microplastics. All of these things

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<v Speaker 2>induce harmful epigenetic changing changes. And once you can't avoid

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<v Speaker 2>all toxins, we can certainly reduce our exposure to these

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<v Speaker 2>sorts of things. And the old goldilocks and three burrs

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<v Speaker 2>comes into play as well. And when it comes to sunlight,

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<v Speaker 2>because we know we need a further of sunlight to

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<v Speaker 2>manufacture vitamin D, and if you've got low vitamin D,

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<v Speaker 2>you're in trouble. But excessive exposure to sunlight can actually

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<v Speaker 2>damage our methylation processes. So not too much, not too little,

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<v Speaker 2>it's got to be just right. And then one last

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<v Speaker 2>thing that's actually come out recently that has been really

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<v Speaker 2>useful in terms of epigenetics is social connections. Studies have

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<v Speaker 2>shown that strong social relationships are associated with more favorable

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<v Speaker 2>epigenetic patterns. Loneliness and social isolation, on the other hand,

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<v Speaker 2>can accelerate biological aging. So before we wrap up, just

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<v Speaker 2>a quick summary and making sure you're exercising regularly, focusing

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<v Speaker 2>on that nutrient rich diet, high and polyphenols and amiga

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<v Speaker 2>three fatty acids, maybe considering some form of time restricted

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<v Speaker 2>feeding as well, then trying to minimize.

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<v Speaker 1>Your overall toxic load.

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<v Speaker 2>And lastly is making sure you have really good social connections.

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<v Speaker 2>That's it for this week, folks, catch you next time.