Does the son carry the 'sins' of his father? - Epigenetics

Does the Son carry the sins of his father?

In religion, the debate whether the children carry the sins of the father is a hot debate with two schools of thought, one saying yes, and the other saying no. But as interesting as religious debates maybe, it is the scientific application in which I am interested in.

In Epigenetics, this is a known a fact, and a cause for great concern, that many ill effects occur permanently in the gene expression of the off-springs as a result of the conditions endured biologically by the parents.

Disclaimer: I am, by no means an expert on the subject, but I share what I know and read over time as someone who is fascinated by the 'magic' and inner workings of our genes.

Our Genes.

Before I indulge you with the wonderful world of epigenetics, lets get to know it a little more about our genes. We all know what are genes. DNA and RNA, code for the living. Its the the stuff that keeps information about who and what you are, from the densities of your pigments, your height, your preferences and everything physical you see and know about yourself.

But have you ever wondered how every single cell in your body contain the same genetic code, and yet, you have difference cells that form diverse tissues, that merge and form different organs. And all of em put together, form you. How does the cell know which part of the code they need to read and express, and which ones to keep coiled tightly in another corner? Amazing stuff isnt it?

Well, think of it this way. Think of your DNA as a manual about you as a whole. so you have chapter one, hair. so everything about your hair, is written in this chapter, the growth speed, the color, the length, the thickness and so on. Next chapter, the skin and so on. So epigenetics are actually bookmarks for the different cells. so hair cells only read the Hair section, the bone marrow cells read the chapter on blood production and so on. In scientific term, Epigenetics  switch genes on or off. Of course, in real life, its much more complicated than that. codes are never neatly arranged in one arm of chromosomes. they are always in several chromosomes, and in different sites. collectively they influence the cell to do what needs to be done to perform its specialized functions.

A little on how it all started...

When you poke your nose into epigenetics, a prominent study will appear. The Norbotten or Overkalix (Sweden) study by Dr. Lars Olav Bygren. Bygren was interested in the lifelong effects of nutrition and namely that of starvation. Because Overkalix was relatively isolated, had good records of birth, deaths, people and harvest, it made it a perfect choice for Bygren's study.

What he found was so astonishing that several journals rejected his study, not because they were not true, but because the results were too significant for them to believe it was true. Only when Bygren contacted Marcus Pembrey, a clinical geneticist, and together they suggested the concept of Epigenetics to be at work, did they receive the attention they deserved,

What did the study conclude?

The grandsons of men who had a season of feast just before puberty were at significantly increased risk of earlier death. But they also found that the granddaughters of women who had lived through a famine period when they were in the womb or just born were also at significantly increased risk of early death. In other words, grandfathers who were over-nourished when their sperm were forming put their grandsons at risk of early death, and grandmothers who were undernourished in the womb—when their eggs were forming—put their granddaughters at risk. But how could the non-genetic message be getting passed down? - epigenetics was suggested to be the cause.

What this means for us?

Going back to the core of the question, does the son carry the 'sins'(in this context, its gluttony/over eating) of his father? Based on the Overkalix study, Yes he does, and he passes on the 'sin' to his children as well. But it isnt just the fathers that bear the burden, mothers too can pass on their life experience to their offsprings during pregnancy, How much experience and environmental triggers are being 'remembered' and passed on is still a long way to be discussed. 

If it hasnt yet sinked in for you, let me put it in a different way for a change of perspective. Boys in prepuberty age who ate alot, (had bountiful harvest) had sons and grandsons who lived shorter lives. Imagine! That is just by overeating during prepuberty! Can you imagine what exposure to pesticides, smoking, pollutants and other modern environmental factors could do the the coming generation? It is difficult to predict and study, because humans have long lifespans. But studies in animal like rats, which have shorter lifespan, reveal interesting results.

Critical age for male and Females.

This is when trans-generational inheritance was observed in the study. 

The critical age for men (male species) is prepuberty or the slow growth phase. Age is set around 9-12 for boys. 

The critical age for females would be in-utero (in the womb). Because the eggs of the female develop when she is still in the womb. Hence, trans-generational inheritance is affected when a woman is pregnant with a daughter. Proper nutrition is advised to avoid malnourished mothers, which leads to their daughters and granddaughters to live significantly shorter lives. 

Avoid as much bad environmental influences as you can during this time.

Does this mean that only fathers affect sons, and mothers affect daughters? No, we cannot give that conclusion. The above conclusion was made by the observation of the affects of gluttony and starvation to the next generation offsprings. so maybe, in relation to diet, the affects are gender specific. There are studies that suggest increased risk of asthma in babies who has smoking fathers and so on.

Moral Obligation.

We need to understand that our responsibilities as a parent is to give the best chance of survival to our offsprings. And that being said, we need to start by preserving the quality of our genes and that of our epigenetics which can leave a big (and permanent) impact on the health of our children.

So eat right, live right, and be as informed as possible about your health.

Choose organic foods whenever possible. Exercise and keep a healthy weight. Do everything in moderation, may it be food, activities or vices. Keep stress levels low by any means most suited to your style, it can be prayer, meditation, recreational activities or just plain family and friends. Don't forget to take your supplements. With mass production of food today, the nutritional value of the same foods deteriorates over time. Pre-pregnancy vitamins are advised for women of fertile age and to those planning for pregnancy.

Remember, taking care of your health is a responsibility for the future well-being of your children.