title: Epigenetics and Health Disparities.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  African Americans disproportionately suffer from leading causes of morbidity and mortality including cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, and preterm birth. Disparities can arise from multiple social and environmental exposures, but how the human body responds to these exposures to result in pathophysiologic states is incompletely understood.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Epigenetic mechanisms, particularly DNA methylation, can be altered in response to exposures such as air pollution, psychosocial stress, and smoking. Each of these exposures has been linked to the above health states (CVD, cancer, and preterm birth) with striking racial disparities in exposure levels. DNA methylation patterns have also been shown to be associated with each of these health outcomes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Whether DNA methylation mediates exposure-disease relationships and can help explain racial disparities in health is not known. However, because many environmental and adverse social exposures disproportionately affect minorities, understanding the role that epigenetics plays in the human response to these exposures that often result in disease, is critical to reducing disparities in morbidity and mortality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neonatology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA; University of Toledo College of Medicine, Toledo, OH.
authors.forename: Alexis D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Vick
authors.affiliation: Department of Neonatology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA; Departments of Pediatrics and Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; Department of Environmental Health, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Heather H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Burris
keywords: DNA methylation; breast cancer; cardiovascular disease; epigenetics; epigenomics; preterm birth; racial health disparities