1 1932 121 ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES: AN UNDERRECOGNIZED CONTRIBUTION TO NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASES. PREVIOUS ATTEMPTS TO DETERMINE THE DEGREE TO WHICH EXPOSURE TO ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS CONTRIBUTE TO NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASES (NCDS) HAVE BEEN VERY CONSERVATIVE AND HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY UNDERESTIMATED THE ACTUAL CONTRIBUTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT FOR AT LEAST TWO REASONS. FIRSTLY, MOST PREVIOUS REPORTS HAVE EXCLUDED THE CONTRIBUTION OF LIFESTYLE BEHAVIORAL RISK FACTORS, BUT THESE USUALLY INVOLVE SIGNIFICANT EXPOSURE TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICALS THAT INCREASE RISK OF DISEASE. SECONDLY, EARLY LIFE EXPOSURE TO CHEMICAL CONTAMINANTS IS NOW CLEARLY ASSOCIATED WITH AN ELEVATED RISK OF SEVERAL DISEASES LATER IN LIFE, BUT THESE CONNECTIONS ARE OFTEN DIFFICULT TO DISCERN. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE FOR ASTHMA AND NEURODEVELOPMENTAL CONDITIONS, BUT THERE IS ALSO A MAJOR CONTRIBUTION TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF OBESITY AND CHRONIC DISEASES. MOST CANCERS ARE CAUSED BY ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES IN GENETICALLY SUSCEPTIBLE INDIVIDUALS. IN ADDITION, NEW INFORMATION SHOWS SIGNIFICANT ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES AND DIABETES AND EXPOSURE TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICALS PRESENT IN AIR, FOOD, AND WATER. THESE RELATIONSHIPS LIKELY REFLECT THE COMBINATION OF EPIGENETIC EFFECTS AND GENE INDUCTION. ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS CONTRIBUTE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE TO NCDS THAN PREVIOUS REPORTS HAVE SUGGESTED. PREVENTION NEEDS TO SHIFT FOCUS FROM INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY TO SOCIETAL RESPONSIBILITY AND AN UNDERSTANDING THAT EFFECTIVE PREVENTION OF NCDS ULTIMATELY RELIES ON IMPROVED ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT TO REDUCE EXPOSURE TO MODIFIABLE RISKS. 2013 2 625 32 BIOLOGICAL AGE AND ENVIRONMENTAL RISK FACTORS FOR DEMENTIA AND STROKE: MOLECULAR MECHANISMS. SINCE THE DEVELOPMENT OF ANTIBIOTICS AND VACCINATION, AS WELL AS MAJOR IMPROVEMENTS IN PUBLIC HYGIENE, THE MAIN RISK FACTORS FOR MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY ARE AGE AND CHRONIC EXPOSURE TO ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, BOTH OF WHICH CAN INTERACT WITH GENETIC PREDISPOSITIONS. AS THE AVERAGE AGE OF THE POPULATION INCREASES, THE PREVALENCE AND COSTS OF CHRONIC DISEASES, ESPECIALLY NEUROLOGICAL CONDITIONS, ARE RAPIDLY INCREASING. THE DELETERIOUS EFFECTS OF AGE AND ENVIRONMENTAL RISK FACTORS, DEVELOP CHRONICALLY OVER RELATIVELY LONG PERIODS OF TIME, IN CONTRAST TO THE RELATIVELY RAPID DELETERIOUS EFFECTS OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES OR ACCIDENTS. OF PARTICULAR INTEREST IS THE HYPOTHESIS THAT THE DELETERIOUS EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS MAY BE MEDIATED BY ACCELERATION OF BIOLOGICAL AGE. THIS HYPOTHESIS IS SUPPORTED BY EVIDENCE THAT DIETARY RESTRICTION, WHICH UNIVERSALLY DELAYS AGE-RELATED DISEASES, ALSO AMELIORATES DELETERIOUS EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS. CONVERSELY, BOTH AGE AND ENVIRONMENTAL RISK FACTORS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE ACCUMULATION OF SOMATIC MUTATIONS IN MITOTIC CELLS AND EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS THAT ARE A MEASURE OF "BIOLOGICAL AGE", A BETTER PREDICTOR OF AGE-RELATED MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY THAN CHRONOLOGICAL AGE. HERE WE REVIEW EVIDENCE THAT ENVIRONMENTAL RISK FACTORS SUCH AS SMOKING AND AIR POLLUTION MAY ALSO DRIVE NEUROLOGICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE, BY THE ACCELERATION OF BIOLOGICAL AGE, MEDIATED BY CUMULATIVE AND PERSISTENT EPIGENETIC EFFECTS AS WELL AS SOMATIC MUTATIONS. ELUCIDATION OF SUCH MECHANISMS COULD PLAUSIBLY ALLOW THE DEVELOPMENT OF INTERVENTIONS WHICH DELAY DELETERIOUS EFFECTS OF BOTH AGING AND ENVIRONMENTAL RISK FACTORS. 2022 3 3582 29 IMPACT OF PRENATAL AND EARLY LIFE ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES ON NORMAL HUMAN DEVELOPMENT. THE GLOBAL BURDEN AND PATTERN OF DISEASE HAS CHANGED IN RECENT DECADES, WITH FEWER EARLY CHILDHOOD DEATHS AND LONGER LIVES COMPLICATED BY CHRONIC DISEASE. DISRUPTION OF NORMAL HUMAN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT BY ADVERSE ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES, ESPECIALLY DURING FOETAL DEVELOPMENT AND EARLY POSTNATAL LIFE INCREASE LIFE-LONG RISK OF CHRONIC DISEASE. THE DEVELOPMENTAL TIMING AND METHOD OF ADVERSE EXPOSURE DETERMINES THE LIKELY IMPACT ON HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT. WHILE MANY ORGAN SYSTEMS ARE STRUCTURALLY AND FUNCTIONALLY MATURE AT BIRTH, THE CNS, RESPIRATORY AND IMMUNE SYSTEMS ARE NOT AND UNDERGO PROLONGED PERIODS OF POSTNATAL GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT. AS SUCH, THESE ORGAN SYSTEMS ARE VULNERABLE TO ADVERSE EFFECTS OF BOTH PRENATAL AND POSTNATAL ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES. WHILE THE PRECISE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING CHRONIC DISEASE ARE UNKNOWN, EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS AND THE INDUCTION OF OXIDATIVE STRESS ARE LIKELY TO BE INVOLVED. AN UNDERSTANDING OF THESE PROCESSES IS NECESSARY TO DEVELOP MITIGATION STRATEGIES AIMED AT REDUCING CHRONIC DISEASE PREVALENCE. 2021 4 6295 41 THE PROMISES AND CHALLENGES OF TOXICO-EPIGENOMICS: ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICALS AND THEIR IMPACTS ON THE EPIGENOME. BACKGROUND: IT HAS BEEN ESTIMATED THAT A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF CHRONIC AND NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASES CAN BE CAUSED OR EXACERBATED BY EXPOSURE TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICALS. MULTIPLE LINES OF EVIDENCE INDICATE THAT EARLY LIFE EXPOSURE TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICALS AT RELATIVELY LOW CONCENTRATIONS COULD HAVE LASTING EFFECTS ON INDIVIDUAL AND POPULATION HEALTH. ALTHOUGH THE POTENTIAL ADVERSE EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICALS ARE KNOWN TO THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY, REGULATORY AGENCIES, AND THE PUBLIC, LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE MECHANISTIC BASIS BY WHICH THESE CHEMICALS CAN INDUCE LONG-TERM OR TRANSGENERATIONAL EFFECTS. TO ADDRESS THIS QUESTION, EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS HAVE EMERGED AS THE POTENTIAL LINK BETWEEN GENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS OF HEALTH AND DISEASE. OBJECTIVES: WE PRESENT AN OVERVIEW OF EPIGENETIC REGULATION AND A SUMMARY OF REPORTED EVIDENCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICANTS AS EPIGENETIC DISRUPTORS. WE ALSO DISCUSS THE ADVANTAGES AND CHALLENGES OF USING EPIGENETIC BIOMARKERS AS AN INDICATOR OF TOXICANT EXPOSURE, USING MEASURES THAT CAN BE TAKEN TO IMPROVE RISK ASSESSMENT, AND OUR PERSPECTIVES ON THE FUTURE ROLE OF EPIGENETICS IN TOXICOLOGY. DISCUSSION: UNTIL RECENTLY, EFFORTS TO APPLY EPIGENOMIC DATA IN TOXICOLOGY AND RISK ASSESSMENT WERE RESTRICTED BY AN INCOMPLETE UNDERSTANDING OF EPIGENOMIC VARIABILITY ACROSS TISSUE TYPES AND POPULATIONS. THIS IS POISED TO CHANGE WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW TOOLS AND CONCERTED EFFORTS BY RESEARCHERS ACROSS DISCIPLINES THAT HAVE LED TO A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS AND COMPREHENSIVE MAPS OF EPIGENOMIC VARIATION. WITH THE FOUNDATIONS NOW IN PLACE, WE FORESEE THAT UNPRECEDENTED ADVANCEMENTS WILL TAKE PLACE IN THE FIELD IN THE COMING YEARS. HTTPS://DOI.ORG/10.1289/EHP6104. 2020 5 2226 41 EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS INDUCED BY NUTRIENTS IN EARLY LIFE PHASES: GENDER DIFFERENCES IN METABOLIC ALTERATION IN ADULTHOOD. METABOLIC CHRONIC DISEASES, ALSO NAMED NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASES (NCDS), ARE CONSIDERED MULTIFACTORIAL PATHOLOGIES, WHICH ARE DRAMATICALLY INCREASED DURING THE LAST DECADES. NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASES SUCH AS CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES, OBESITY, DIABETES MELLITUS, CANCERS, AND CHRONIC RESPIRATORY DISEASES MARKEDLY INCREASE MORBIDITY, MORTALITY, AND SOCIOECONOMIC COSTS. MOREOVER, NCDS INDUCE SEVERAL AND COMPLEX CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS THAT LEAD TO A GRADUAL DETERIORATION OF HEALTH STATUS AND QUALITY OF LIFE OF AFFECTED INDIVIDUALS. MULTIPLE FACTORS ARE INVOLVED IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRESSION OF THESE DISEASES SUCH AS SEDENTARY BEHAVIOR, SMOKING, POLLUTION, AND UNHEALTHY DIET. INDEED, NUTRITION HAS A PIVOTAL ROLE IN MAINTAINING HEALTH, AND DIETARY IMBALANCES REPRESENT MAJOR DETERMINANTS FAVORING CHRONIC DISEASES THROUGH METABOLIC HOMEOSTASIS ALTERATIONS. IN PARTICULAR, IT APPEARS THAT SPECIFIC NUTRIENTS AND ADEQUATE NUTRITION ARE IMPORTANT IN ALL PERIODS OF LIFE, BUT THEY ARE ESSENTIAL DURING SPECIFIC TIMES IN EARLY LIFE SUCH AS PRENATAL AND POSTNATAL PHASES. INDEED, EPIDEMIOLOGIC AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES REPORT THE DELETERIOUS EFFECTS OF AN INCORRECT NUTRITION ON HEALTH STATUS SEVERAL DECADES LATER IN LIFE. DURING THE LAST DECADE, A GROWING INTEREST ON THE POSSIBLE ROLE OF EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS AS LINK BETWEEN NUTRITIONAL IMBALANCES AND NCDS DEVELOPMENT HAS BEEN OBSERVED. FINALLY, BECAUSE OF THE PIVOTAL ROLE OF THE HORMONES IN FAT, CARBOHYDRATE, AND PROTEIN METABOLISM REGULATION THROUGHOUT LIFE, IT IS EXPECTED THAT ANY HORMONAL MODIFICATION OF THESE PROCESSES CAN IMBALANCE METABOLISM AND FAT STORAGE. THEREFORE, A PARTICULAR INTEREST TO SEVERAL CHEMICALS ABLE TO ACT AS ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS HAS BEEN RECENTLY DEVELOPED. IN THIS REVIEW, WE WILL PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW AND DISCUSS THE EPIGENETIC ROLE OF SOME SPECIFIC NUTRIENTS AND CHEMICALS IN THE MODULATION OF PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL MECHANISMS. 2019 6 1371 36 DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGINS OF HEALTH AND DISEASE: NEW INSIGHTS. EPIDEMIOLOGICAL AND ANIMAL STUDIES SHOW THAT SMALL CHANGES IN THE DEVELOPMENTAL ENVIRONMENT CAN INDUCE PHENOTYPIC CHANGES AFFECTING AN INDIVIDUAL'S RESPONSES TO THEIR LATER ENVIRONMENT. THESE MAY ALTER THE RISK OF CHRONIC DISEASE SUCH AS METABOLIC SYNDROME OR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE. RECENT RESEARCH SHOWS THAT ANIMALS EXPOSED TO SUCH A MISMATCH BETWEEN PRENATAL AND POSTNATAL ENVIRONMENT DEVELOP OBESITY, REDUCED ACTIVITY, LEPTIN AND INSULIN RESISTANCE, ELEVATED BLOOD PRESSURE AND VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL DYSFUNCTION. EPIGENETIC PROCESSES ARE INVOLVED IN SUCH EFFECTS, TARGETED TO PROMOTER REGIONS OF SPECIFIC GENES IN SPECIFIC TISSUES. SUCH FINE CONTROL OF GENE EXPRESSION SUGGESTS THAT THE MECHANISMS HAVE BEEN RETAINED THROUGH EVOLUTION THROUGH THEIR ADAPTIVE ADVANTAGE, RATHER THAN REPRESENTING EXTREME EFFECTS OF DEVELOPMENTAL DISRUPTION AKIN TO TERATOGENESIS. THERE MAY BE ADAPTIVE ADVANTAGE IN A DEVELOPMENTAL CUE INDUCING A PHENOTYPIC CHANGE IN GENERATIONS BEYOND THE IMMEDIATE PREGNANCY, AND A RANGE OF DATA THAT SUPPORT THIS CONCEPT. IN ANIMALS, EPIGENETIC EFFECTS SUCH AS DNA METHYLATION CAN BE PASSED TO SUCCESSIVE GENERATIONS. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXINS, INCLUDING ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS, MAY INDUCE GREATER RISK OF CHRONIC DISEASE, EVEN AT LOW EXPOSURE LEVELS, IF THEY AFFECT SUCH NORMAL DEVELOPMENTAL EPIGENETIC PROCESSES. APPROPRIATE INTERVENTIONS MAY HAVE LONG-TERM MULTIGENERATIONAL EFFECTS TO REDUCE THE RISK OF CHRONIC DISEASE. 2008 7 6064 42 THE DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGINS OF ADULT DISEASE. EPIDEMIOLOGICAL AND CLINICAL OBSERVATIONS HAVE LED TO THE HYPOTHESIS THAT THE RISK OF DEVELOPING SOME CHRONIC DISEASES IN ADULTHOOD IS INFLUENCED NOT ONLY BY GENETIC AND ADULT LIFESTYLE FACTORS, BUT ALSO BY ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ACTING IN EARLY LIFE. THESE FACTORS ACT THROUGH THE PROCESSES OF DEVELOPMENTAL PLASTICITY AND POSSIBLY EPIGENETIC MODIFICATION, AND CAN BE DISTINGUISHED FROM DEVELOPMENTAL DISRUPTION. THE CONCEPT OF PREDICTIVE ADAPTATION HAS BEEN DEVELOPED TO EXPLAIN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EARLY LIFE EVENTS AND THE RISK OF LATER DISEASE. AT ITS BASE, THE MODEL SUGGESTS THAT A MISMATCH BETWEEN FETAL EXPECTATION OF ITS POSTNATAL ENVIRONMENT AND ACTUAL POSTNATAL ENVIRONMENT CONTRIBUTE TO LATER ADULT DISEASE RISK. THIS MISMATCH IS EXACERBATED, IN PART, BY THE PHENOMENON OF "MATERNAL CONSTRAINT" ON FETAL GROWTH, WHICH IMPLICITLY PROVIDES AN UPPER LIMIT OF POSTNATAL NUTRITIONAL ENVIRONMENT THAT HUMANS HAVE ADAPTED FOR AND IS NOW FREQUENTLY EXCEEDED. THESE EXPERIMENTAL, CLINICAL AND CONCEPTUAL CONSIDERATIONS HAVE IMPORTANT IMPLICATIONS FOR PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION IN THE CURRENT EPIDEMIC OF CHILDHOOD OBESITY AND ADULT METABOLIC AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISORDERS. 2005 8 1938 35 EPIDEMIOLOGIC EVIDENCE FOR ASSOCIATION BETWEEN ADVERSE ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES IN EARLY LIFE AND EPIGENETIC VARIATION: A POTENTIAL LINK TO DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITY? A GROWING BODY OF EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT THE RISK OF DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRESSION OF A VARIETY OF HUMAN CHRONIC DISEASES DEPENDS ON EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS TRIGGERED BY ENVIRONMENTAL CUES DURING EARLY LIFE SENSITIVE STAGES. EXPOSURES TO ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS SUCH AS ADVERSE NUTRITIONAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS, AS WELL AS POLLUTANTS AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE IN EARLY LIFE, HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO BE IMPORTANT DETERMINANTS OF EPIGENETIC PROGRAMMING OF CHRONIC PATHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS IN HUMAN POPULATIONS. OVER THE PAST YEARS, IT HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY CLEAR DUE TO THE EPIGENOME-WIDE ASSOCIATION STUDIES (EWASS) THAT EARLY LIFE ADVERSE ENVIRONMENTAL EVENTS MAY TRIGGER WIDESPREAD AND PERSISTENT ALTERATIONS IN TRANSCRIPTIONAL PROFILING. SEVERAL CANDIDATE GENES HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED UNDERLYING THESE ASSOCIATIONS. IN THIS CONTEXT, DNA METHYLATION IS THE MOST INTENSIVELY STUDIED EPIGENETIC PHENOMENON. IN THIS REVIEW, THE CLINICAL AND EPIDEMIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE FOR THE ROLE OF EPIGENETIC FACTORS IN MEDIATING THE LINK BETWEEN EARLY LIFE EXPERIENCES AND LONG-TERM HEALTH OUTCOMES ARE SUMMARIZED. 2015 9 3848 29 IS EPIGENETICS AN IMPORTANT LINK BETWEEN EARLY LIFE EVENTS AND ADULT DISEASE? BACKGROUND: EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS PROVIDE ONE POTENTIAL EXPLANATION FOR HOW ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES IN EARLY LIFE CAUSE LONG-TERM CHANGES IN CHRONIC DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITY. WHEREAS EPIGENETIC DYSREGULATION IS INCREASINGLY IMPLICATED IN VARIOUS RARE DEVELOPMENTAL SYNDROMES AND CANCER, THE ROLE OF EPIGENETICS IN COMPLEX CHRONIC DISEASES, SUCH AS CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, TYPE 2 DIABETES AND OBESITY, REMAINS LARGELY UNCHARACTERIZED. EXTENSIVE WORK IN ANIMAL MODELS IS REQUIRED TO DEVELOP SPECIFIC HYPOTHESES THAT CAN BE PRACTICABLY TESTED IN HUMANS. ANIMAL MODELS: WE HAVE DEVELOPED A MOUSE MODEL SHOWING THAT METHYL DONOR SUPPLEMENTATION PREVENTS TRANSGENERATIONAL AMPLIFICATION OF OBESITY, SUGGESTING A ROLE FOR DNA METHYLATION IN THE DEVELOPMENTAL ESTABLISHMENT OF BODY WEIGHT REGULATION. CONCLUSIONS: COUPLING SUCH MODELS WITH RECENTLY DEVELOPED EPIGENOMIC TECHNOLOGIES SHOULD ULTIMATELY ENABLE US TO DETERMINE IF EPIGENETICS IS AN IMPORTANT LINK BETWEEN EARLY LIFE EVENTS AND ADULT DISEASE. 2009 10 1801 42 EFFECT OF MATERNAL DIET ON THE EPIGENOME: IMPLICATIONS FOR HUMAN METABOLIC DISEASE. THE RAPID INCREASE IN THE INCIDENCE OF CHRONIC NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES OVER THE PAST TWO DECADES CANNOT BE EXPLAINED SOLELY BY GENETIC AND ADULT LIFESTYLE FACTORS. THERE IS NOW CONSIDERABLE EVIDENCE THAT THE FETAL AND EARLY POSTNATAL ENVIRONMENT ALSO STRONGLY INFLUENCES THE RISK OF DEVELOPING SUCH DISEASES IN LATER LIFE. HUMAN STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT LOW BIRTH WEIGHT IS ASSOCIATED WITH AN INCREASED RISK OF CVD, TYPE II DIABETES, OBESITY AND HYPERTENSION, ALTHOUGH RECENT STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT OVER-NUTRITION IN EARLY LIFE CAN ALSO INCREASE SUSCEPTIBILITY TO FUTURE METABOLIC DISEASE. THESE FINDINGS HAVE BEEN REPLICATED IN A VARIETY OF ANIMAL MODELS, WHICH HAVE SHOWN THAT BOTH MATERNAL UNDER- AND OVER-NUTRITION CAN INDUCE PERSISTENT CHANGES IN GENE EXPRESSION AND METABOLISM WITHIN THE OFFSPRING. THE MECHANISM BY WHICH THE MATERNAL NUTRITIONAL ENVIRONMENT INDUCES SUCH CHANGES IS BEGINNING TO BE UNDERSTOOD AND INVOLVES THE ALTERED EPIGENETIC REGULATION OF SPECIFIC GENES. THE DEMONSTRATION OF A ROLE FOR ALTERED EPIGENETIC REGULATION OF GENES IN THE DEVELOPMENTAL INDUCTION OF CHRONIC DISEASES RAISES THE POSSIBILITY THAT NUTRITIONAL OR PHARMACEUTICAL INTERVENTIONS MAY BE USED TO MODIFY LONG-TERM CARDIO-METABOLIC DISEASE RISK AND COMBAT THIS RAPID RISE IN CHRONIC NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES. 2011 11 4419 33 MOLECULAR AND EPIGENETIC MARKERS AS PROMISING TOOLS TO QUANTIFY THE EFFECT OF OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURES AND THE RISK OF DEVELOPING NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES. NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES (NCDS) ARE CHRONIC DISEASES THAT ARE BY FAR THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN THE WORLD. MANY OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS, TOGETHER WITH SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS, HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED TO NCDS DEVELOPMENT. GENETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY OR ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES ALONE ARE NOT USUALLY SUFFICIENT TO EXPLAIN THE PATHOGENESIS OF NCDS, BUT CAN BE INTEGRATED IN A MORE COMPLEX SCENARIO THAT CAN RESULT IN PATHOLOGICAL PHENOTYPES. EPIGENETICS IS A CRUCIAL COMPONENT OF THIS SCENARIO, AS ITS CHANGES ARE RELATED TO SPECIFIC EXPOSURES, THEREFORE POTENTIALLY ABLE TO DISPLAY THE EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENT ON THE GENOME, FILLING THE GAP BETWEEN GENETIC ASSET AND ENVIRONMENT IN EXPLAINING DISEASE DEVELOPMENT. TO DATE, THE MOST PROMISING BIOMARKERS HAVE BEEN ASSESSED IN OCCUPATIONAL COHORTS AS WELL AS IN CASE/CONTROL STUDIES AND INCLUDE DNA METHYLATION, HISTONE MODIFICATIONS, MICRORNA EXPRESSION, EXTRACELLULAR VESICLES, TELOMERE LENGTH, AND MITOCHONDRIAL ALTERATIONS. 2019 12 4626 38 NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS AND ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICANTS: EPIGENETICS AS AN UNDERLYING MECHANISM. THE INCREASING PREVALENCE OF NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS, ESPECIALLY AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS (ASD) AND ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER (ADHD), CALLS FOR MORE RESEARCH INTO THE IDENTIFICATION OF ETIOLOGIC AND RISK FACTORS. THE DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGIN OF HEALTH AND DISEASE (DOHAD) HYPOTHESIZES THAT THE ENVIRONMENT DURING FETAL AND CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT AFFECTS THE RISK FOR MANY CHRONIC DISEASES IN LATER STAGES OF LIFE, INCLUDING NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS. EPIGENETICS, A TERM DESCRIBING MECHANISMS THAT CAUSE CHANGES IN THE CHROMOSOME STATE WITHOUT AFFECTING DNA SEQUENCES, IS SUGGESTED TO BE THE UNDERLYING MECHANISM, ACCORDING TO THE DOHAD HYPOTHESIS. MOREOVER, MANY NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS ARE ALSO RELATED TO EPIGENETIC ABNORMALITIES. EXPERIMENTAL AND EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES SUGGEST THAT EXPOSURE TO PRENATAL ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICANTS IS ASSOCIATED WITH NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS. IN ADDITION, THERE IS ALSO EVIDENCE THAT ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICANTS CAN RESULT IN EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS, NOTABLY DNA METHYLATION. IN THIS REVIEW, WE FIRST FOCUS ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS AND ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICANTS, IN PARTICULAR MATERNAL SMOKING, PLASTIC-DERIVED CHEMICALS (BISPHENOL A AND PHTHALATES), PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS, AND HEAVY METALS. WE THEN REVIEW STUDIES SHOWING THE EPIGENETIC EFFECTS OF THOSE ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS IN HUMANS THAT MAY AFFECT NORMAL NEURODEVELOPMENT. 2017 13 6781 48 [BREATHING: AMBIENT AIR POLLUTION AND HEALTH - PART III]. THE THIRD PART OF THE DGP STATEMENT INTRODUCES THE CURRENT BODY OF KNOWLEDGE ON LESS STUDIED HEALTH OUTCOMES ASSOCIATED WITH EXPOSURE TO AMBIENT AIR POLLUTION: THE NEGATIVE IMPACT ON METABOLISM LEADING TO IMPAIRED GLUCOSE TOLERANCE AND DIABETES AS WELL AS CONTRIBUTION TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEURODEGENERATIVE DISORDERS AND DELAYED COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN CHILDREN. FURTHERMORE, PRENATAL EXPOSURE AND ADVERSE EFFECTS ON MOTHER AND CHILD ARE ADDRESSED. FINALLY, THE CURRENTLY DISCUSSED BIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS UNDERLYING VARIOUS HEALTH EFFECTS ASSOCIATED WITH EXPOSURE TO AIR POLLUTION ARE DESCRIBED.DIFFERING, BUT OFTEN COMPLEMENTARY BIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS CREATE THE BASIS FOR THE DIVERSE HEALTH OUTCOMES CAUSED BY AIR POLLUTION. OXIDATIVE STRESS AND A SUBCLINICAL INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE IN THE LUNGS AND ON A SYSTEMIC LEVEL ("LOW-GRADE SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATION") ARE CONSIDERED TO BE KEY MECHANISMS. THEY PROMOTE SECONDARY ALTERATIONS IN THE BODY, SUCH AS VASCULAR OR METABOLIC PROCESSES, AND MAY ALSO RESULT IN THE CURRENTLY STUDIED EPIGENETIC PHENOMENA OR NEUROINFLAMMATION. IN THIS CONTEXT, THE HEALTH SIGNIFICANCE OF SOLUBLE PARTICULATE MATTER AND THE ROLE OF ULTRAFINE PARTICLES TRANSLOCATED ACROSS BIOLOGICAL MEMBRANES INTO BLOOD VESSEL AND TRANSPORTED VIA THE CIRCULATION TO SECONDARY TARGET ORGANS, SUCH AS LIVER, BRAIN OR THE FETUS, ARE INTENSIVELY DISCUSSED.DIABETES IS ONE OF THE LEADING CHRONIC DISEASES WORLDWIDE, WITH A PREVALENCE OF ALMOST 14 % IN GERMANY. ALTHOUGH LIFESTYLE FACTORS ARE THE MAIN CAUSES, CURRENT EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT LONG-TERM EXPOSURE TO AIR POLLUTION MAY ADDITIONALLY INCREASE THE RISK FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES. SUPPORTING EVIDENCE FOR A CAUSAL ROLE OF AIR POLLUTION IS PROVIDED BY STUDIES ADDRESSING THE REGULATION OF THE BLOOD GLUCOSE LEVELS IN METABOLICALLY HEALTHY PARTICIPANTS, INSULIN SENSITIVITY, OR PREGNANCY-RELATED DIABETES. EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES PROVIDE FURTHER SUPPORT FOR PLAUSIBLE BIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS. HOWEVER, PROSPECTIVE STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO GAIN MORE EVIDENCE, TAKING MULTIPLE LIFESTYLE AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, SUCH AS GREEN SPACE AND NOISE, AND AN IMPROVED INDIVIDUAL EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT INTO ACCOUNT.THE AGING POPULATION HAS AN INCREASED RISK OF NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES. FIRST STUDIES POINT TOWARDS A CONTRIBUTION OF CHRONIC EXPOSURE TO AIR POLLUTION, SPECIFICALLY BY PARTICULATE MATTER. SEVERAL STUDIES REPORT ITS ASSOCIATION WITH DECREASED NEUROCOGNITIVE CAPACITY OR AN INCREASED PREVALENCE OF DEMENTIA OR ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE IN ADULTS. HOWEVER, THE STUDIES ARE INHOMOGENEOUS REGARDING DESIGN, EXPOSURE AND OUTCOME, LEADING TO INCONSISTENT RESULTS. WITH RESPECT TO THE INFLUENCE ON NEUROCOGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN, FIRST STUDIES SUGGEST AN ASSOCIATION BETWEEN THE LEVEL OF AIR POLLUTION, E. G. AT SCHOOL, AND DELAYED COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT.EVEN THOUGH THE EVIDENCE FOR THE DIFFERENT BIOLOGICAL ENDPOINTS DURING PREGNANCY IS STILL HETEROGENEOUS, THE STUDIES GENERALLY POINT TOWARDS AN ADVERSE IMPACT OF AIR POLLUTION ON THE MATERNAL AND FETAL ORGANISMS. THE STRONGEST EVIDENCE EXISTS FOR LOW BIRTH WEIGHT, WITH SMALL EFFECT SIZES OF ONLY SOME GRAMS, AND FOR A HIGHER INCIDENCE OF REDUCED BIRTH WEIGHT (< 2500 G). AN INCREASED RISK FOR GESTATIONAL HYPERTENSION AND PREECLAMPSIA UNDERSCORES THE POSSIBLE IMPACT OF EXPOSURE TO AIR POLLUTION ON THE MATERNAL ORGANISM. HOWEVER, THE CURRENT BODY OF EVIDENCE DOES NOT YET ALLOW A FINAL CONCLUSION ON THE INFLUENCE OF INTRAUTERINE EXPOSURE TO AIR POLLUTION REGARDING EARLY CHILDHOOD LUNG FUNCTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF ALLERGIES, PARTICULARLY IN LIGHT OF THE FACT THAT IT IS HARD TO DISTINGUISH IN EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES BETWEEN THE EFFECTS OF PRE- AND POSTNATAL EXPOSURE. 2019 14 2495 40 EPIGENETICS AND DOHAD: FROM BASICS TO BIRTH AND BEYOND. DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGINS OF HEALTH AND DISEASE (DOHAD) IS THE STUDY OF HOW THE EARLY LIFE ENVIRONMENT CAN IMPACT THE RISK OF CHRONIC DISEASES FROM CHILDHOOD TO ADULTHOOD AND THE MECHANISMS INVOLVED. EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS SUCH AS DNA METHYLATION, HISTONE MODIFICATIONS AND NON-CODING RNAS ARE INVOLVED IN MEDIATING HOW EARLY LIFE ENVIRONMENT IMPACTS LATER HEALTH. THIS REVIEW IS A SUMMARY OF THE EPIGENETICS AND DOHAD WORKSHOP HELD AT THE 2016 DOHAD SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND CONFERENCE. OUR EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE OF HOW THE EARLY LIFE ENVIRONMENT IMPACTS LATER RISK FOR CHRONIC DISEASE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT ANIMAL MODELS. IN THIS REVIEW WE HIGHLIGHT SOME ANIMAL MODEL EXAMPLES THAT DEMONSTRATE HOW AN ADVERSE EARLY LIFE EXPOSURE RESULTS IN EPIGENETIC AND GENE EXPRESSION CHANGES THAT MAY CONTRIBUTE TO INCREASED RISK OF CHRONIC DISEASE LATER IN LIFE. TYPE 2 DIABETES AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE ARE CHRONIC DISEASES WITH AN INCREASING INCIDENCE DUE TO THE INCREASED NUMBER OF CHILDREN AND ADULTS THAT ARE OBESE. EPIGENETIC CHANGES SUCH AS DNA METHYLATION HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH METABOLIC HEALTH MEASURES AND POTENTIALLY PREDICT FUTURE METABOLIC HEALTH STATUS. ALTHOUGH MORE DIFFICULT TO ELUCIDATE IN HUMANS, RECENT STUDIES SUGGEST THAT DNA METHYLATION MAY BE ONE OF THE EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS THAT MEDIATES THE EFFECTS OF EARLY LIFE EXPOSURES ON LATER LIFE RISK OF OBESITY AND OBESITY RELATED DISEASES. FINALLY, WE DISCUSS THE ROLE OF THE MICROBIOME AND HOW IT IS A NEW PLAYER IN DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAMMING AND MEDIATING EARLY LIFE EXPOSURES ON LATER RISK OF CHRONIC DISEASE. 2017 15 2584 35 EPIGENETICS OF OBESITY. OBESITY IS A METABOLIC DISEASE, WHICH IS BECOMING AN EPIDEMIC HEALTH PROBLEM: IT HAS BEEN RECENTLY DEFINED IN TERMS OF GLOBAL PANDEMIC. OVER THE YEARS, THE APPROACHES THROUGH FAMILY, TWINS AND ADOPTION STUDIES LED TO THE IDENTIFICATION OF SOME CAUSAL GENES IN MONOGENIC FORMS OF OBESITY BUT THE ORIGINS OF THE PANDEMIC OF OBESITY CANNOT BE CONSIDERED ESSENTIALLY DUE TO GENETIC FACTORS, BECAUSE HUMAN GENOME IS NOT LIKELY TO CHANGE IN JUST A FEW YEARS. EPIGENETIC STUDIES HAVE OFFERED IN RECENT YEARS VALUABLE TOOLS FOR THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLDWIDE SPREAD OF THE PANDEMIC OF OBESITY. THE INVOLVEMENT OF EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS-DNA METHYLATION, HISTONE TAILS, AND MIRNAS MODIFICATIONS-IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF OBESITY IS MORE AND MORE EVIDENT. IN THE EPIGENETIC LITERATURE, THERE ARE EVIDENCES THAT THE ENTIRE EMBRYO-FETAL AND PERINATAL PERIOD OF DEVELOPMENT PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN THE PROGRAMMING OF ALL HUMAN ORGANS AND TISSUES. THEREFORE, THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS INVOLVED IN THE EPIGENETIC PROGRAMMING REQUIRE A NEW AND GENERAL PATHOGENIC PARADIGM, THE DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGINS OF HEALTH AND DISEASE THEORY, TO EXPLAIN THE CURRENT EPIDEMIOLOGICAL TRANSITION, THAT IS, THE WORLDWIDE INCREASE OF CHRONIC, DEGENERATIVE, AND INFLAMMATORY DISEASES SUCH AS OBESITY, DIABETES, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES, NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES, AND CANCER. OBESITY AND ITS RELATED COMPLICATIONS ARE MORE AND MORE ASSOCIATED WITH ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS (OBESOGENS), GUT MICROBIOTA MODIFICATIONS AND UNBALANCED FOOD INTAKE, WHICH CAN INDUCE, THROUGH EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS, WEIGHT GAIN, AND ALTERED METABOLIC CONSEQUENCES. 2016 16 3771 38 INTER- AND TRANSGENERATIONAL EPIGENETIC INHERITANCE: EVIDENCE IN ASTHMA AND COPD? EVIDENCE IS NOW EMERGING THAT EARLY LIFE ENVIRONMENT CAN HAVE LIFELONG EFFECTS ON METABOLIC, CARDIOVASCULAR, AND PULMONARY FUNCTION IN OFFSPRING, A CONCEPT ALSO KNOWN AS FETAL OR DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAMMING. IN MAMMALS, DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAMMING IS THOUGHT TO OCCUR MAINLY VIA EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS, WHICH INCLUDE DNA METHYLATION, HISTONE MODIFICATIONS, AND EXPRESSION OF NON-CODING RNAS. THE EFFECTS OF DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAMMING CAN BE INDUCED BY THE INTRAUTERINE ENVIRONMENT, LEADING TO INTERGENERATIONAL EPIGENETIC EFFECTS FROM ONE GENERATION TO THE NEXT. TRANSGENERATIONAL EPIGENETIC INHERITANCE MAY BE CONSIDERED WHEN DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAMMING IS TRANSMITTED ACROSS GENERATIONS THAT WERE NOT EXPOSED TO THE INITIAL ENVIRONMENT WHICH TRIGGERED THE CHANGE. SO FAR, INTER- AND TRANSGENERATIONAL PROGRAMMING HAS BEEN MAINLY DESCRIBED FOR CARDIOVASCULAR AND METABOLIC DISEASE RISK. IN THIS REVIEW, WE DISCUSS AVAILABLE EVIDENCE THAT EPIGENETIC INHERITANCE ALSO OCCURS IN RESPIRATORY DISEASES, USING ASTHMA AND CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD) AS EXAMPLES. WHILE MULTIPLE EPIDEMIOLOGICAL AS WELL AS ANIMAL STUDIES DEMONSTRATE EFFECTS OF 'TOXIC' INTRAUTERINE EXPOSURE ON VARIOUS ASTHMA-RELATED PHENOTYPES IN THE OFFSPRING, ONLY FEW STUDIES LINK EPIGENETIC MARKS TO THE OBSERVED PHENOTYPES. AS EPIGENETIC MARKS MAY DISTINGUISH INDIVIDUALS MOST AT RISK OF LATER DISEASE AT EARLY AGE, IT WILL ENABLE EARLY INTERVENTION STRATEGIES TO REDUCE SUCH RISKS. TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL FURTHER, WELL DESIGNED EXPERIMENTAL AND HUMAN STUDIES ARE NEEDED. 2015 17 1936 38 ENVIRONMENTAL RISK FACTORS OF TYPE 2 DIABETES-AN EXPOSOME APPROACH. TYPE 2 DIABETES IS ONE OF THE MAJOR CHRONIC DISEASES ACCOUNTING FOR A SUBSTANTIAL PROPORTION OF DISEASE BURDEN IN WESTERN COUNTRIES. THE MAJORITY OF THE BURDEN OF TYPE 2 DIABETES IS ATTRIBUTED TO ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS AND MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS SUCH AS LIFESTYLE. THE ENVIRONMENT WE LIVE IN, AND CHANGES TO IT, CAN THUS CONTRIBUTE SUBSTANTIALLY TO THE PREVENTION OF TYPE 2 DIABETES AT A POPULATION LEVEL. THE 'EXPOSOME' REPRESENTS THE (MEASURABLE) TOTALITY OF ENVIRONMENTAL, I.E. NONGENETIC, DRIVERS OF HEALTH AND DISEASE. THE EXTERNAL EXPOSOME COMPRISES ASPECTS OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT, THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT, THE PHYSICO-CHEMICAL ENVIRONMENT AND THE LIFESTYLE/FOOD ENVIRONMENT. THE INTERNAL EXPOSOME COMPRISES MEASUREMENTS AT THE EPIGENETIC, TRANSCRIPT, PROTEOME, MICROBIOME OR METABOLOME LEVEL TO STUDY EITHER THE EXPOSURES DIRECTLY, THE IMPRINTS THESE EXPOSURES LEAVE IN THE BIOLOGICAL SYSTEM, THE POTENTIAL OF THE BODY TO COMBAT ENVIRONMENTAL INSULTS AND/OR THE BIOLOGY ITSELF. IN THIS REVIEW, WE DESCRIBE THE EVIDENCE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RISK FACTORS OF TYPE 2 DIABETES, FOCUSING ON BOTH THE GENERAL EXTERNAL EXPOSOME AND IMPRINTS OF THIS ON THE INTERNAL EXPOSOME. STUDIES PROVIDED ESTABLISHED ASSOCIATIONS OF AIR POLLUTION, RESIDENTIAL NOISE AND AREA-LEVEL SOCIOECONOMIC DEPRIVATION WITH AN INCREASED RISK OF TYPE 2 DIABETES, WHILE NEIGHBOURHOOD WALKABILITY AND GREEN SPACE ARE CONSISTENTLY ASSOCIATED WITH A REDUCED RISK OF TYPE 2 DIABETES. THERE IS LITTLE OR INCONSISTENT EVIDENCE ON THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE FOOD ENVIRONMENT, OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT AND OUTDOOR TEMPERATURE. THESE ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ARE THOUGHT TO AFFECT TYPE 2 DIABETES RISK MAINLY THROUGH MECHANISMS INCORPORATING LIFESTYLE FACTORS SUCH AS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OR DIET, THE MICROBIOME, INFLAMMATION OR CHRONIC STRESS. TO FURTHER ASSESS CAUSALITY OF THESE ASSOCIATIONS, FUTURE STUDIES SHOULD FOCUS ON INVESTIGATING THE LONGITUDINAL EFFECTS OF OUR ENVIRONMENT (AND CHANGES TO IT) IN RELATION TO TYPE 2 DIABETES RISK AND WHETHER THESE ASSOCIATIONS ARE EXPLAINED BY THESE PROPOSED MECHANISMS. 2022 18 6892 30 [SIGNIFICANCE OF PREVENTING DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGINS OF DISEASES IN IMPROVING POPULATION QUALITY]. MORE STUDIES SHOW THAT VARIOUS DISEASES, ESPECIALLY CHRONIC NON-INFECTIOUS DISEASES, HAVE DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGIN. DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGINS OF DISEASES ARE MAINLY DUE TO GAMETES AND EARLY LIFE DEVELOPMENT STAGE BEING EXPOSED TO ADVERSE ENVIRONMENT, RESULTING IN ABNORMAL MODIFICATION OF EPIGENETIC AND STABLE INHERITANCE TO THE ADULT STAGE, WHICH COULD MAKE THE RISK OF VARIOUS LONG-TERM DISEASES OF INDIVIDUALS HIGH. THE THEORY OF DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGIN PROVIDES A NEW PERSPECTIVE FOR THE OCCURRENCE AND DEVELOPMENT OF DISEASES, AND ALSO PROVIDES A THEORETICAL BASIS FOR DISEASE PREVENTION. ATTACHING IMPORTANCE TO MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH CARE AND LIFE-CYCLE MANAGEMENT IS CONDUCIVE TO THE PREVENTION OF DEVELOPMENTAL DISEASES AND IS OF GREAT SIGNIFICANCE TO THE IMPROVEMENT OF POPULATION QUALITY. 2023 19 6823 30 [GENERAL CONCEPTS OF EPIGENETICS: PROJECTIONS IN PAEDIATRICS]. CURRENT EVIDENCE SUPPORTS THE NOTION THAT ALTERATIONS IN INTRAUTERINE GROWTH AND DURING THE FIRST YEARS OF LIFE HAVE A SUBSTANTIAL EFFECT ON THE RISK FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHRONIC DISEASE, WHICH IN SOME CASES IS EVEN HIGHER THAN THOSE DUE TO GENETIC FACTORS. THE PERSISTENCE AND REPRODUCIBILITY OF THE PHENOTYPES ASSOCIATED WITH ALTERED EARLY DEVELOPMENT SUGGEST THE PARTICIPATION OF MECHANISMS THAT WOULD RECORD ENVIRONMENTAL CUES, GENERATING A CELLULAR REPROGRAMMING (I.E., EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS). THIS REVIEW IS AN INTRODUCTION TO A SERIES OF FIVE ARTICLES FOCUSED ON THE PARTICIPATION OF EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF HIGHLY PREVALENT CHRONIC DISEASES (I.E., CARDIOVASCULAR, METABOLIC, ASTHMA/ALLERGIES AND CANCER) AND THEIR ORIGINS IN THE FOETAL AND NEONATAL PERIOD. THIS SERIES OF ARTICLES AIMS TO SHOW THE STATE OF THE ART IN THIS RESEARCH AREA AND PRESENT THE UPCOMING CLUES AND CHALLENGES, IN WHICH PAEDIATRICIANS HAVE A PROMINENT ROLE, DEVELOPING STRATEGIES FOR THE PREVENTION, EARLY DETECTION AND FOLLOW-UP. 2016 20 46 41 A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGINS OF HEALTH AND DISEASE. IN THE LAST DECADES, THE DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGINS OF HEALTH AND DISEASE (DOHAD) HAVE EMERGED AS A VIGOROUS FIELD COMBINING EXPERIMENTAL, CLINICAL, EPIDEMIOLOGICAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH RESEARCH. ITS GOAL IS TO UNDERSTAND HOW EVENTS IN EARLY LIFE SHAPE LATER MORBIDITY RISK, ESPECIALLY OF NON-COMMUNICABLE CHRONIC DISEASES. AS THESE DISEASES BECOME THE MAJOR CAUSE OF MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY WORLDWIDE, RESEARCH ARISING FROM DOHAD IS LIKELY TO GAIN SIGNIFICANCE TO PUBLIC HEALTH AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. BUT ACTION MAY BE HINDERED BY THE LACK OF A FIRM MECHANISTIC EXPLANATION AND OF A CONCEPTUAL BASIS, ESPECIALLY REGARDING THE EVOLUTIONARY SIGNIFICANCE OF THE DOHAD PHENOMENON. IN THIS ARTICLE, WE PROVIDE A SUCCINCT HISTORICAL REVIEW OF THE RESEARCH INTO THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DEVELOPMENT AND LATER DISEASE, CONSIDER THE EVOLUTIONARY AND DEVELOPMENTAL SIGNIFICANCE AND DISCUSS THE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS OF THE DOHAD PHENOMENON. DOHAD SHOULD BE VIEWED AS A PART OF A BROADER BIOLOGICAL MECHANISM OF PLASTICITY BY WHICH ORGANISMS, IN RESPONSE TO CUES SUCH AS NUTRITION OR HORMONES, ADAPT THEIR PHENOTYPE TO ENVIRONMENT. THESE RESPONSES MAY BE DIVIDED INTO THOSE FOR IMMEDIATE BENEFIT AND THOSE AIMED AT PREDICTION OF A FUTURE ENVIRONMENT: DISEASE OCCURS IN THE MISMATCH BETWEEN PREDICTED AND REALIZED FUTURE. THE LIKELY MECHANISMS THAT ENABLE PLASTICITY INVOLVE EPIGENETIC PROCESSES, AFFECTING THE EXPRESSION OF GENES ASSOCIATED WITH REGULATORY PATHWAYS. THERE IS NOW EVIDENCE THAT EPIGENETIC MARKS MAY BE INHERITED AND SO CONTRIBUTE TO NON-GENOMIC HERITABLE DISEASE RISK. WE END BY DISCUSSING THE GLOBAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE DOHAD PHENOMENON AND ITS POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH PURPOSES. 2010