Category Archives: food safety

Epigenetics – What does it mean and how does it affect the health of subsequent human generations?

Posted on by
Reply

It is generally known that the genetic code in DNA consists of sequences of nucleotides. There are also non-coding regions of DNA that influence gene expression, which is the process of reading genes that leads to the synthesis of specific proteins. It turns out that in addition to the genetic sequence of nucleotides in DNA, which codes for all the proteins in our body, there is also an epigenetic code, which determines whether and to what extent specific genes will be read. The DNA code can be compared to a digital record, while the epigenetic code can be compared to an analog one. The former does not change, while the latter can be erased and corrected. Moreover, the state of epigenetic markers can be passed on to the next generation. It turns out that lifestyle diseases, related to the aging process, are connected with such an epigenetic change, which can be referred to as epigenetic chaos in the cell. Human age can be interpreted in two ways: the first is chronological age, and the second is biological age. The latter is related to epigenetics, meaning it can be determined by examining the levels of epigenetic markers. It is also called the epigenetic clock and is directly related to the aging process. The strongest risk factor for lifestyle diseases is the aging of the body. Therefore, epigenetics influences the health of populations and, furthermore, also affects the health of subsequent generations. The best example is the obesity and type 2 diabetes epidemic in the United States. It seems that the lifestyle of previous generations, as well as exposure to toxic substances in the environment and diet, have a significant impact on this. This results in specific consequences related to the prevention and treatment of both diseases. It should be emphasized that not only the lifestyle of the current generation affects its susceptibility to lifestyle diseases, including obesity and type 2 diabetes. However, the nature of epigenetics gives hope for the development of effective methods to prevent the transfer of susceptibility from generation to generation, as well as to treat the current generation. This can be achieved by changing lifestyle (especially before the procreation period) and through pharmacological interventions that alter the state of epigenetic markers.

Translated from polish by Chatgpt 40 mini and edited by Dariusz Stępkowski

What oils should we use preparing food?

Posted on by
Reply

Looking for useful infos about comparison of variety of cooking oils I came across the blog run by Andrew  Wilder and found cooking oil comparison chart. It is really worth recommendation. This handy chart which you can print from pdf file, available under the link below, is very helpful in making proper oil choices for dressing, baking, frying etc.

DS

 

https://eatingrules.com/cooking-oil-comparison-chart/

Comment on Food Safety

Posted on by
Reply

Comment about the safety of the food

Published earlier “16 recommendations of healthy nutrition in the prevention of the Alzheimer’s disease” provoked comments about the safety of food. The purpose of writing these recommendations was to propose a rational solution to the problem each of us can approach. Generally producers of the food are obliged to follow norms concerning applying plant protection products, veterinary medicines, fertilizers and the like. However assumption that this system is in 100% efficient and safe is incorrect, and so it can happen that we will buy products with amounts of substances originating in the process of manufacturing foodstuffs, above allowed level. And so diversifying a risk is a sensible strategy. This can be achieved by using different food types, coming from different sources, in this way reducing the risk of the accumulation of harmful substances of one type. All types of toxins have certain threshold above which they are starting displaying the detrimental effect to the organism. And so by lowering the risk of the accumulation of toxin we are lowering the risk of triggering its harmful action. Above reasoning does not mean that that our food is in general contaminated and are a sign of the cautious approach to the problem of the influence of substances of different kinds, used in the process of the manufacturing of foodstuffs, on the health. Such deliberations are necessary taking into consideration unknown long-term (in the range of 30-40 years) effects of applying these compounds. In the light of some studies showing that Alzheimer?s patients have a significantly raised level of the DDT metabolite – a pesticide withdrawn from use several dozen years ago the concern about food safety is substantiated. The Alzheimer’s disease is being triggered by the tangle of different risk factors acting in the past amongst which toxins can have their own contribution.
Dariusz Stępkowski PhD, DSc

not language edited