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Reaction Essay:

Epigenetics and Family History

Taimi Fernandez

Miami Dade College

DEP 2000 – Human Growth and Development

Dr. Monica Mauri

November 7, 2021
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After watching Neil De Grasse-Tyson speak so clearly on the Epigenetics video, it is

clear that our development in life ultimately comes down to the age-old dichotomy of nature

versus nurture. What can be understood from the video is that epigenetics is the science that

lurks behind the mystery of why two genetically identical organisms may diverge in their

development in life. Although we might be inclined to attribute certain diseases to our "bad

genes," the video explains that certain habits and behaviors we carry throughout our life can

ultimately result in our genetic markers being affected, causing irreversible damage to our

bodies. The discussion of nature vs. nurture is not new to me. I have taken several science classes

that explain both phenomena; however, finding out that epigenetic mutations can be passed

down to a person's offspring completely surprised me. Understandably, a mother's unhealthy life

choices affect the development of a fetus, potentially causing irreversible damage to it; but to

learn that it can inherit faulty genes that the mother did not inherit herself from the grandparents

puts in perspective just how important it is to always lead a healthy lifestyle, not only when one

is planning a pregnancy. Simple, everyday choices can have an enormous effect on how our

bodies develop throughout our lives, and although it is true that as children, we have little to no

choice on the food we eat, the amount of exercise we do, or whether we are exposed to smokers,

as adults the sole responsibility of those choices falls on our shoulders. We might not realize it,

especially as young adults, but the cumulative effects of those small choices through the years

have a monumental impact on our health later in life. 

While filling out the family history questionnaire, it became evident that genetically, the

disease I am most at risk of, given my family history, is undoubtedly diabetes. Both of my

grandmothers and my father suffer from diabetes, albeit each of them exhibited different

complications. The worst of all three is my paternal grandmother, who has suffered from
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diabetes for more than three decades and has had to undergo a double amputation of her lower

limbs due to tissue necrosis on her legs. Although she was the first one to be diagnosed, she

refused to get treatment for a long time, so the damaging effects of her constant hyperglycemia

took a significant toll on her health. My maternal grandmother exhibited milder symptoms than

my paternal grandmother, and unlike the latter, she got treatment right away once she was

diagnosed with diabetes. Perhaps that decision helped her to live well past her eighties, and her

death had no correlation to her diabetes, according to the doctors. My father's diabetes onset

about five years ago, and much like his mother, he refused to start treatment. Initially, he resorted

to a strict diet until he got his glucose levels under control. Then he returned to old unhealthy

eating habits, heavy smoking, and frequent drinking, which inevitably resulted in his symptoms

making a comeback. He repeated that cycle a few times for three years until the doctor gave him

an ultimatum on his health: either he started medication, or his life expectancy would be reduced

to a few short years. He reluctantly started medication and has been stable since, although his

bad habits are still lingering. Looking at my upbringing through the lens of epigenetics is very

clear that I am at a very high risk of developing diabetes. My house was never one to have many

vegetables on the daily menu. On the contrary, we mainly ate fried food, plenty of carbohydrates,

and sweets were readily available whenever we wanted to. As I grew up, I had to consciously

start making healthier choices, which is very difficult when nobody has taught you how to do

that. 

The effects of an unbalanced diet and malnutrition during pregnancy can cause increased

methylation of genes and histone-induced gene over or under expression (Malcomson and

Mathers, 2017). In the Epigenetics video, De Grasse-Tyson explains how these two factors cause

our genome to vary the proteins it produces, both quantity and quality, potentially affecting our
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health. In addition, a particular nutrient has been found to have a considerable effect on

epigenetic mutations when it is not readily available during pregnancy. That nutrient, according

to studies, is folate (Johnson and Belshaw, 2014). When I think about my mother’s pregnancy

and her nutrition during that time, I realize that it cannot have been even close to the

recommended diet for a pregnant woman. My mother was pregnant with me in the nineties in

Cuba, during a period known as “the special period” because of the scarcity of resources and

severe food shortages on the island. Many families survived with what little food they could get

on the black market because store shelves were barren. Given that my sister was a child at the

time, the most nutritious items were given to her, and my parents made do with whatever was

left. That means that my mother most definitely did not get the recommended nutrition while

pregnant with me, which translates to me possibly developing a barrage of epigenetic mutations

detrimental to my health in future years. My mother’s malnutrition during pregnancy and the

poor dietary habits of my childhood, compounded with a genetically inherited predisposition to

diabetes, make me a perfect target to develop the disease. 

Thankfully, scientists have discovered that epigenetic changes are – unlike genetic

mutations – reversible (Tollefsbol, 2018). When taking the “Living to 100” questionnaire, I was

unsure my life expectancy would surpass that of my mother (she died at age 54); however, it

seems that the few positive changes I have incorporated in my life (like weekly exercise and a

more balanced diet) have gained me almost three extra decades, as the test suggested I might live

until age 82. Considering that the average Hispanic woman in the United States lives to 81.1

(Arias, 2016), I could say that there is nothing extraordinary about my life expectancy.

Regardless, I would still prefer to live longer than that, so long as I can maintain my

independence and not burden my future children. It is clear to me now that the possibility of
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increased longevity lies primarily with me and my daily choices. Most questions on the test

referred mainly to my habits, more so than my family history, indicating that the most significant

impact on how long an individual lives is determined more by their nurture than by their nature.

Despite the hardships my grandparents endured in Cuba, they all lived well past 80, which leads

me to believe that there have been other contributing factors to their longevity. After some

research, I discovered that another critical factor dramatically affects the life expectancy of a

person. Although it is more conspicuous than the food we eat or the amount of exercise we do, it

carries as heavy a burden as those factors; some people call it the silent killer – stress (Keating

and El-Osta, 2013). The fast-paced, ever-evolving nature of our society forces us to be in a

constant state of alert, which in turn causes our bodies to struggle to enter the resting stage

during which we heal and recover at a cellular level. That is not something our grandparents had

to deal with, as life back then ran on a much calmer pace. Therefore, even if they did not get the

best nutrition, their stress levels were significantly lower than ours, thus contributing to a

prolonged life span.  

I still have a long way to go to achieve an ideal and healthy lifestyle, but I have made

some progress. My good habits fluctuate considerably, there are periods where I consistently

exercise and eat well, and there are times where I go on a bender and eat nothing but fast food

for days. To me, consistency is where I have the most room for improvement. Unlike my parents,

I get regular medical checkups to ensure nothing out of the ordinary is going on in my body,

which is more than can be said about my parents. Ironically, my mother was a doctor, and one

would think she knew better than perpetuating unhealthy habits at home; however, the little time

she and my father spent with us after working long hours made it difficult to prepare healthy and

wholesome meals. Instead, she would often resort to quick dinners, the not-so-occasional fast-
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food run, delay doctors’ appointments for months at a time, and she completely obviated mental

health and stress levels. As a result, my mother died eight years ago, and my father suffers from

several health conditions (diabetes, high blood pressure, and arthritis). The least I can do for my

future children is to ensure I do everything to take care of my health by maintaining wholesome

habits that prevent epigenetic aberrations in my body. By doing so, not only will I prevent them

from potentially inheriting those faulty genes, but I will also have created a healthy routine for

them to follow and pass down to future generations.

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References

Arias, E. (2016). Changes in life expectancy by race and hispanic origin in the united

states, 2013-2014 key findings NCHS.

Johnson, I. T., & Belshaw, N. J. (2014). Nutrition and epigenetics: An emerging

field.  Nutrition Bulletin, 39(4), 313-321. doi:10.1111/nbu.12120

Keating, S. T., & El-Osta, A. (2013). Epigenetic changes in diabetes. Clinical

Genetics,  84(1), 1-10. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/cge.12121

Malcomson, F. C., & Mathers, J. C. (2017). Nutrition, epigenetics and health through

life.  Nutrition Bulletin, 42(3), 254-265. doi:10.1111/nbu.12281

Tollefsbol, T. (2018). Epigenetics in human disease. London: Academic Press. Retrieved

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