Europe PMC Team

::: {dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"}
::: {style="clear: both; text-align: center;"}
[[![](https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wHiqPI9ulkc/Uz1z4zqL4JI/AAAAAAAAAIU/vn7itUo57cQ/s1600/12_I_healthyeat_ppt.jpg){decoding="async"
loading="lazy" border="0" height="300"
width="400"}]{style="font-family: \"helvetica neue\" , \"arial\" , \"helvetica\" , sans-serif;"}](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wHiqPI9ulkc/Uz1z4zqL4JI/AAAAAAAAAIU/vn7itUo57cQ/s1600/12_I_healthyeat_ppt.jpg){style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"}
:::

::: {style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.4pt; text-align: center;"}
[Image Source:
[Serial/Trash](http://www.serialtrash.com/){target="_blank"
rel="noopener"}]{style="font-family: \"helvetica neue\" , \"arial\" , \"helvetica\" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"}
:::

::: {style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.4pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"}
*[Skin is not the only thing to wrinkle with age. Our  
genes also show signs of ageing -- a process that can lead to cancer. A
new  
study indicates that healthy eating can prevent cancer development and
explains  
how this
works.]{style="font-family: \"helvetica neue\" , \"arial\" , \"helvetica\" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;"}*
:::

::: {style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.4pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"}
**[When genes get
old]{style="font-family: \"helvetica neue\" , \"arial\" , \"helvetica\" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;"}**
:::

::: {style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.4pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"}
[Thanks to modern medical advancements, our average life expectancy
has  
increased dramatically in recent decades. However, there is a paradox in
our  
longevity: we now live long enough to develop cancer. Cancer is a
genetic  
disease and, as we age, our genes -- like our body -- become more
vulnerable.  
Some genes accumulate genetic mutations: if you think of genes as
cookbooks for  
proteins, then these mutations are like typing errors in the recipe.
Others  
acquire epigenetic modifications, which affect the way a gene works
rather than  
its content -- which, to use our analogy again, is like not being able
to open  
and close the cookbook anymore. Both genetic and epigenetic changes can
lead to  
cancer; however, the latter are especially interesting because they
are  
affected by environmental factors that we can actually control, such as
our  
diet.]{style="font-family: \"helvetica neue\" , \"arial\" , \"helvetica\" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;"}
:::

::: {style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.4pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"}
[[How]{style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;"}[ can we keep our
genes young and prevent cancer? This is what Dr Nigel  
Belshaw, at the Institute of Food Research in Norwich UK, wanted to
discover.  
His team looked for environmental factors that affect epigenetic
markers  
associated with early colon cancer -- a common and lethal cancer,
responsible  
for over 610,000 deaths worldwide each year. Preventing colon cancer
with small  
lifestyle changes would be a cheap, highly effective, and low-risk
approach that  
turns the tide against this disease.
]{style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"}]{style="font-family: \"helvetica neue\" , \"arial\" , \"helvetica\" , sans-serif;"}
:::

::: {style="clear: both; text-align: center;"}
[[![](https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JEh6aekrnSc/Uz10LY52KjI/AAAAAAAAAIc/_E_J-QsBdeM/s1600/I_intext.jpg){decoding="async"
loading="lazy" border="0" height="240"
width="320"}]{style="font-family: \"helvetica neue\" , \"arial\" , \"helvetica\" , sans-serif;"}](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JEh6aekrnSc/Uz10LY52KjI/AAAAAAAAAIc/_E_J-QsBdeM/s1600/I_intext.jpg){style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"}
:::

::: {style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.4pt; text-align: center;"}
[[ ]{style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"}[[Image
Source: Shutterstock Copyright: Sebastian
Kaulitzki]{style="font-size: xx-small;"}]{style="line-height: 150%;"}]{style="font-family: \"helvetica neue\" , \"arial\" , \"helvetica\" , sans-serif;"}
:::

::: {style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.4pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"}
**[Lifestyle and cancer risk: the mystery
unfolds]{style="font-family: \"helvetica neue\" , \"arial\" , \"helvetica\" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;"}**
:::

::: {style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.4pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"}
[The researchers analysed a specific type of epigenetic modification  
called DNA methylation. Like other epigenetic markers, DNA methylation
is a genetic  
switch: it can turn genes on and off, it can make the cookbook readable
or make  
it impossible to
open.]{style="font-family: \"helvetica neue\" , \"arial\" , \"helvetica\" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;"}
:::

::: {style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.4pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"}
[Our genes are hidden in tightly-wound DNA which is about two metres
long  
in every single cell of our body. In this state, genes cannot be read
and used  
by the cell to make proteins. Epigenetic switches can turn genes on by  
unwinding them, or turn them off by folding them back up, as in the case
of DNA  
methylation. While this process is essential to our health, faulty
folds  
in the DNA, much like wrinkles, can disturb gene function and lead to
cancer.]{style="font-family: \"helvetica neue\" , \"arial\" , \"helvetica\" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;"}
:::

::: {style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.4pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"}
[What lifestyle factors might influence the formation of these
epigenetic  
wrinkles in colon cancer? To answer this question, Belshaw's group
examined the  
cells lining the gut wall in healthy, cancer-free volunteers who
consumed their  
usual diet without any supplements. The researchers looked at eleven
risk genes,  
that, when their methylation is turned on, increase the risk of
developing  
colon cancer.  They then quantified the  
relationship between methylated genes and cancer risk factors such as
age, diet  
and obesity. Age was associated with the highest gene methylation, which
fits  
with the observation that colon cancer risk increases exponentially
after 50  
years of age. However, other factors had small but significant effects.
High  
body fat increased cancer-related methylation whereas high levels of
the  
mineral selenium and vitamin D reduced it. This is consistent with what
we know  
about the link between obesity and a high risk of colon cancer, as well
as with  
the protective effects of vitamin D and selenium observed in previous
studies.]{style="font-family: \"helvetica neue\" , \"arial\" , \"helvetica\" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;"}
:::

::: {style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.4pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"}
[Surprisingly, high blood folic acid, a vitamin found in leafy
vegetables  
like spinach, increased gene methylation associated with colon cancer.
We have  
been told that these foods are good for us, so how could they promote
cancer? It  
is actually still unclear whether folic acid is a friend or a foe as
previous studies indicate it may  
even have a protective function. This is an important issue as some
countries add  
nutrients such as folic acid to food and this may expose people to
increased  
risk of developing cancer. In a follow-up study, Dr Belshaw's team will
try to shed  
light on the potential dark side of excess folic acid
intake.]{style="font-family: \"helvetica neue\" , \"arial\" , \"helvetica\" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;"}
:::

::: {style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.4pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"}
**[Healthy ageing starts in the
kitchen]{style="font-family: \"helvetica neue\" , \"arial\" , \"helvetica\" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;"}**
:::

::: {style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.4pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"}
[[Overall, these findings support the idea that healthy ageing is
affected  
by what we eat. As we age, the epigenetic status of some genes can
change  
leading to disease like cancer. Our diet seems to affect this process
and bring  
important ingredients into our genes' recipe. As Dr Belshaw says, "This
raises  
the exciting possibility that lifestyle interventions
]{style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"}[may  
reverse age-related DNA methylation and consequently reduce the risk of
disease]{lang="EN-US"
style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;"}]{style="font-family: \"helvetica neue\" , \"arial\" , \"helvetica\" , sans-serif;"}[[".
An apple a day might be more effective in slowing  
down the ageing process than an anti-wrinkle
cream.]{style="font-family: \"helvetica neue\" , \"arial\" , \"helvetica\" , sans-serif;"}[]{style="font-family: \"arial\" , sans-serif;"}]{style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"}
:::

::: {style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.4pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"}
[  
]{style="font-family: \"helvetica neue\" , \"arial\" , \"helvetica\" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;"}
:::

::: {style="line-height: 24px;"}
[*This summary by Lucia Aronica was shortlisted for Access to
Understanding 2014 and received the [People's Choice
award](http://www.access2understanding.org/competition/peoples-choice/){target="_blank"
rel="noopener"}. It describes research published in the following
article, *[*selected for inclusion in the competition by the
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research
Council*]{style="background-color: white; color: #5a595e; line-height: 20px;"}*:*]{style="font-family: \"helvetica neue\" , \"arial\" , \"helvetica\" , sans-serif;"}
:::

[  
]{style="font-family: \"helvetica neue\" , \"arial\" , \"helvetica\" , sans-serif;"}  

::: {style="line-height: 24px;"}
[[Nutritional factors and gender influence age-related DNA methylation
in the human rectal
mucosa](http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3572581){target="_blank"
rel="noopener"}]{style="font-family: \"helvetica neue\" , \"arial\" , \"helvetica\" , sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"}
:::

::: {style="line-height: 24px;"}
[PMCID:
PMC3572581]{style="font-family: \"helvetica neue\" , \"arial\" , \"helvetica\" , sans-serif;"}
:::

::: {style="line-height: 24px;"}
[H.S. Tapp, D.M. Commane, D.M. Bradburn, R. Arasaradnam, J.C. Mathers,
I.T. Johnson & N.J.
Belshaw.]{style="font-family: \"helvetica neue\" , \"arial\" , \"helvetica\" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"}
:::

::: {style="line-height: 24px;"}
[*Aging Cell* (2013) 12,
148-155.]{style="font-family: \"helvetica neue\" , \"arial\" , \"helvetica\" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"}
:::

::: {style="line-height: 24px;"}
[  
]{style="font-family: \"helvetica neue\" , \"arial\" , \"helvetica\" , sans-serif;"}
:::

<div>

[*[Access to
Understanding](http://www.access2understanding.org/competition/){target="_blank"
rel="noopener"}* entrants are asked to write a plain English summary of
a research article. For *Access to Understanding* 2014 there were 10
articles to choose from, selected by the [Europe PMC
funders](http://europepmc.org/Funders/){target="_blank"
rel="noopener"}. **The articles are all available from Europe PMC, are
free to read and download, and were supported by one or more of the
Europe PMC
funders.**]{style="font-family: \"helvetica neue\" , \"arial\" , \"helvetica\" , sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"}

</div>

<div>

[  
]{style="font-family: \"helvetica neue\" , \"arial\" , \"helvetica\" , sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"}

</div>

::: {style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.4pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"}
[Look out here and on
Twitter [@EuropePMC_news](https://twitter.com/EuropePMC_news){target="_blank"
rel="noopener"} for further competition news and other Europe PMC
announcements.   ]{style="font-family: \"helvetica neue\" , \"arial\" , \"helvetica\" , sans-serif;"}
:::
:::


[]{style=“font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;”}  [Image Source: Serial/Trash]{style=“font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;”}
<em>
 [Skin is not the only thing to wrinkle with age. Our genes also show signs of ageing – a process that can lead to cancer.
</em>

How healthy eating could starve out cancer

::: {dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"}
<div>

[By Lucia Aronica, Max F Perutz Laboratories,
Austria]{style="color: #48474c; font-family: \"helvetica neue\" , \"arial\" , \"helvetica\" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"}

</div>

<div>

[  
]{style="color: #48474c; font-family: \"helvetica neue\" , \"arial\" , \"helvetica\" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"}

</div>

<div>

[[Note: Lucia won the first ever *Access to Understanding* People's
Choice award. Tomorrow the blog will feature her popular
piece!]{style="font-family: \"helvetica neue\" , \"arial\" , \"helvetica\" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"}]{style="color: #48474c;"}

</div>

<div>

[  
]{style="color: #48474c; font-family: \"helvetica neue\" , \"arial\" , \"helvetica\" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"}

</div>

<div>

[My research field is  
epigenetics, which means that I am interested in understanding how  
environmental factors can influence our genes and thereby impact both
our  
health and predisposition to diseases. This scientific passion inspired
me to  
write about Dr. Nigel Belshaw's study '[Nutritional factors and gender
influenceage-related DNA methylation in the human rectal
mucosa](http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3572581){target="_blank"
rel="noopener"}'. This research makes an  
important step towards preventing cancer with a cheap, highly effective,
and  
low-risk approach: diet intervention. Hippocrates said "let medicine
be  
the food and let food be the medicine" and I believe that modern
research  
is finally uncovering the scientific foundation of this ancient
wisdom.]{style="color: #48474c; font-family: \"helvetica neue\" , \"arial\" , \"helvetica\" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"}

</div>

<div>

[  
]{style="color: #48474c; font-family: \"helvetica neue\" , \"arial\" , \"helvetica\" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"}

</div>

::: {style="clear: both; text-align: center;"}
[[![](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jf0m6FDr6Tg/U1ZnuxynYII/AAAAAAAAAKM/oZm0orGVWrE/s1600/240314_0160.jpg){decoding="async"
loading="lazy" border="0" height="213"
width="320"}]{style="font-family: \"helvetica neue\" , \"arial\" , \"helvetica\" , sans-serif;"}](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jf0m6FDr6Tg/U1ZnuxynYII/AAAAAAAAAKM/oZm0orGVWrE/s1600/240314_0160.jpg){style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"}
:::

::: {style="text-align: center;"}
[[Lucia and guests after winning her
award.]{style="font-family: \"helvetica neue\" , \"arial\" , \"helvetica\" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"}]{style="color: #48474c;"}
:::

<div>

[  
]{style="font-family: \"helvetica neue\" , \"arial\" , \"helvetica\" , sans-serif;"}

</div>

<div>

[Winning the [People's Choice
award](http://www.access2understanding.org/competition/peoples-choice/){target="_blank"
rel="noopener"} was a big achievement for me. Lay people were the
intended target of my  
writing efforts so to have their votes was incredibly rewarding. What
inspired  
me to enter the competition was giving taxpayers insight into the
science their  
money is funding. This is an imperative, often forgotten, issue and I am
glad  
that initiatives like *Access to  
Understanding* remind us of its
importance.]{style="color: #48474c; font-family: \"helvetica neue\" , \"arial\" , \"helvetica\" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"}

</div>

<div>

[  
]{style="color: #48474c; font-family: \"helvetica neue\" , \"arial\" , \"helvetica\" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"}

</div>

<div>

[As English is not my  
mother tongue, I am especially proud of being shortlisted and winning
the  
People's Choice award. After the German Famelab 2009, this is the second
time I  
have won a science communication competition in a non-native language.
I  
hope this encourages other scientists to challenge their communication  
skills across language
barriers.]{style="color: #48474c; font-family: \"helvetica neue\" , \"arial\" , \"helvetica\" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"}

</div>
:::


[By Lucia Aronica, Max F Perutz Laboratories, Austria]{style=“color: #48474c; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;”}  [ ]{style=“color: #48474c; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;”}  [Note: Lucia won the first ever
<em>
 Access to Understanding
</em>
People’s Choice award.

Messaggi di Rogue Scholar

How healthy eating could starve out cancer

Challenging language barriers