Interactions between nutrition and the epigenome: how can it be harnessed for public health?

INTRODUCTION: A substantial body of evidence shows that dietary habits influence gene expression and epigenetic processes, holding significant implications for public health policies. Epigenetic modifications are increasingly associated with metabolic state, disease risk, and biological aging. Translating mechanistic results into scalable, efficient nutritional epigenetics treatments is difficult.

AREAS COVERED: This perspective article explores the influence of nutrition on epigenetic processes, focusing particularly on DNA methylation, histone modifications, and the significance of noncoding RNAs. It further clarifies the relationship between diet-induced epigenetic changes and increased risk for obesity, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and neurocognitive impairments. Establishing causation, integrating multi-omics data, and creating ethical, equitable dietary advice are discussed when incorporating nutriepigenetic insights into public health. Recent studies demonstrate that dietary intake can influence epigenetics during pregnancy, adolescence, and adulthood, with long-term effects. However, individual variability, epigenome-wide association study confounders, and tissue specificity remain methodological challenges.

EXPERT OPINION/COMMENTARY: To advance the field, causal research, methodological rigor, and ethical governance must be prioritized. Using integrated microbiome, epigenomic, and metabolomic data can improve dietary risk assessment and intervention while assuring equal access and appropriate use of sensitive biological data.