title: Cancer control and prevention by nutrition and epigenetic approaches.
abstract: CONCLUSIONS
  Epigenetics involves alterations in gene expression without changing the nucleotide sequence. Because some epigenetic changes can be reversed chemically, epigenetics has tremendous implications for disease intervention and treatment.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  After epigenetic components in cancer were characterized, genes and pathways are being characterized in other diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and neurological disorders. Observational, experimental, and clinical studies in different diseases have shown that nutrients influence epigenetic regulation. Nutrients such as folic acid that supply methyl groups have been shown to have a protective effect in colon cancer.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Identifying steps during epigenetic regulation and developing intervention and treatment agents are the critical issues in the field.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Following completion and validation of key observational studies in nutritional epigenetics, strategies can be developed for cancer control and treatment.
authors: Epidemiology and Genetics Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, Maryland, USA. vermam@mail.nih.gov
authors: Mukesh
authors: M
authors: Verma
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000517:prevention & control