Public Health 191PUBH12 - FYS- Epigenetics:GenesWork/You

The way we eat, the foods that we choose, the way we cook along with the condiments we use are all intertwined in a complex web of our lifestyle. We almost always don't see foods the way they really should be seen. Foods offer us both physiological and psychological satisfactions, no doubt, but most importantly it keeps us alive! And it does that by providing nutrition to our vital organs at the cellular level. We don't realize how much it is on us to decide how we live by choosing what we eat. Human body is comprised of millions of cells and each cell has the same genes, yet performs distinct functions. This is achieved by epigenetic control of gene expression; the switching on and switching off of genes. This seminar is based on gene expression being influenced by our choices-what we eat, physical activity, environment, and overall lifestyle. It is fascinating how we can choose to live well by modifying our intake or activities and in turn controlling the expression of genes that are directly related to obesity, diabetes, CVD, cancer and many other chronic diseases.

Open to students in the Public Health Exploratory Track and first-year Public Health, Kinesiology, Nutrition, and Communication Disorders majors.