Epigenetic manifestation of metabolic syndrome and dietary management

Abstract

SIGNIFICANCE: Metabolic syndrome constitutes a group of disorders such as insulin resistance, hypertension, and hypertriglyceridemia, predisposing an individual to risk factors such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, and dyslipidemia. A majority of these diseases are influenced by the environmental factors, nutrient uptake, and genetic profile of an individual that together dysregulate gene function. These genetic and nongenetic factors are reported to introduce epigenetic cues that modulate the gene function which is inherited by the offspring. RECENT ADVANCES: Considering the epigenetic modulation of the metabolic disorders, nutrigenomics has been distinctly categorized as a branch that deals with modulatory effect of nutrients on metabolic disorders and disease progression by supplementing the individuals with key nutrient-enriched diets which are derived from plant and animal sources. CRITICAL ISSUES: Nutritional components of the diet regulate the metabolic health of an individual either by controlling the expression of some key genes related to metabolic pathways or by modulating the epigenetic events on such genes. The present article discusses various metabolic disorders in detail and the effect of nutrients on the specific genes causing those disorders. We also highlight the molecular mechanisms of some metabolic disorders through epigenetic modifications and possible therapeutic interventions. FUTURE DIRECTIONS: With the advent of high-throughput technologies and epigenetic modulation of the metabolic disorders, an altered epigenetic code that is programmed due to improper nutrients can be reverted back by supplementing the diet with various plant-derived compounds. The implication of small molecular drugs is also of utmost significance for challenging the metabolic disorders.