January 17, 2024 • 23 mins
Embark on a journey with Host Dr. Tiffany Montgomery and Nick Cuevas as we uncover the potent influence of epigenetics on our lives, revealing how the choices we make today leave lasting imprints on our genetic material. Our latest episode peels back the layers of this complex subject, illustrating the subtle yet significant power of lifestyle over genetic destiny. We illuminate why even identical siblings (Twins) can lead profoundly unique lives, diverging in health, appearance, and behaviors. It's a conversation that promises to shift your understanding of biology and put the reins of well-being firmly in your hands.
Feel the thrill of possibility as we ponder the implications of P23 Health's innovative genetic test and discuss how epigenetic knowledge could revolutionize our approach to health. This episode isn't just about theories; it's a call to action to embrace the control we have over our genes through mindful lifestyle choices. Join us for an enlightening adventure into the heart of genetics, where science meets personal empowerment and where every listener walks away with newfound insights into the remarkable interplay between our environment and our DNA.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
P23 Theme Song (00:00):
P23 Knowledge, access, power.
P23, wellness and Understandingat your fingertips P23.
And that's no cap.
Dr. Tiffany Montgomery (00:20):
Welcome back to Demystifying DNA.
I'm your host, the curious ladyDr.
Tiffany Montgomery scientist,epidemiologist, ceo, sister,
friend, wife, mother, you nameit right.
And today I'm joined by myco-host, Mr.
(00:43):
Nick Cuevas.
Nick has joined us severaltimes before.
You know him as our marketingdirector, the vibe behind the
brand of P23 Health.
Nick is a father to fourbeautiful girls.
He is a loving son, brother,spouse, support system for many
(01:09):
and he's taking some time outtonight to talk with us, so we
want to welcome Nick.
Nick Cuevas (01:14):
How you doing doctor, How's it going?
Dr. Tiffany Montgomery (01:16):
I'm so good.
It's going great.
Nick, thanks for joining usagain tonight.
Today's episode Epigenetics howLifestyle Affects your Genes
takes us on a journey into thefascinating world of epigenetics
.
We'll explore how ourenvironment and lifestyle
(01:38):
choices can significantly impactgene expression without
altering the DNA sequence itself.
From nutrition and exercise tostress management, we'll uncover
the intricate ways our dailylives interact with our genetic
(01:58):
blueprint.
Join us as we decode thecomplex interplay between
lifestyle and genetics, offeringinsights into how you can
influence your health at amolecular level.
Now, Nick.
P23 Theme Song (02:15):
Yeah.
Dr. Tiffany Montgomery (02:16):
So this is a great topic.
I know it's curious and I knowyou have a lot of questions.
I know you hate myintroductions of you, but I
can't just assume anybody hasheard any previous episode and
not really celebrate who you areand what you contribute to this
conversation.
So I am excited to talk to youand I want to hear your
(02:40):
questions because it helpspeople understand why and how
and just identify with us aspeople who can help guide them
through this complicated topic.
It's not always fun becauseit's so sciencey and sometimes
the concepts can be very intense.
But I want to take thisconversation time just so that
(03:03):
we can allow our human sides tokind of just show and we can
grow together, because even whenwe talk I learn from you too,
nick.
Nick Cuevas (03:14):
Thank you.
Well, this is obviously yourrealm, so you know you're the
one that's going to be teachingme things, to be honest.
But first of all, I doappreciate what you said.
I want to make that clear, youmaking me feel really good right
now.
I have a ton of questionsbecause when you came in with
the introduction and the onething that stuck with me was you
(03:35):
said, lifestyle choices.
Excuse me, how that couldreally alter your DNA.
P23 Theme Song (03:41):
Can it really?
Nick Cuevas (03:42):
alter your DNA or can it not alter your DNA?
Talk to me as if I am somebodywho has no idea how DNA works,
just the normal common personwho stumbles upon this podcast
and they're wondering how theDNA can affect everything, how
the stuff we do every day, thefood we eat, the environment
(04:03):
where we live in, exercise,stress and all that good stuff.
How does that work?
Dr. Tiffany Montgomery (04:08):
All right.
So I feel like you're asking atwo-part question, right?
So I'm going to answer thefirst part of your question and
that's going to be what is DNA?
So we're going to just talkabout that a little bit and then
I'm going to go into what isepigenetics and how does that
(04:28):
relate to DNA.
So for the first part of yourquestion, I want you to imagine
your body is like a biginstruction manual and the
manual tells it how to grow andhow to work properly.
What is the function going tobe?
In this manual there'ssomething called DNA, which is
(04:54):
like a super special code orrecipe that makes you.
You Now picture DNA as a longstring of instructions, like a
necklace made of tiny beads.
These beads are called basesand they come in four different
(05:15):
colors.
Let's say red, blue, green andyellow.
We're not going to get into thefancy names that they have,
we're just going to keep it verysimple.
The order of these colors andthe DNA string is like a secret
code that tells your body how todo all sorts of things.
Each person's DNA code is unique.
(05:37):
The color order is going to bedifferent.
How their string together isgoing to be just so uniquely
beautiful, and that is thespecial recipe that makes them
different from everyone else.
It determines things like thecolor of your eyes, how tall you
might grow, or even what yourfavorite foods could be.
(05:59):
Wow, so DNA is a secret supercode that makes each person
special and unique.
So then you say, well, dr, whatis epigenetics?
And we're still imagining thisbig instruction book, right?
So we got DNA.
It tells us how to grow andwork.
(06:20):
Gotcha, in this book there aretiny bookmarks called genes, and
those bookmarks, or genes,decide things like the color of
your eyes or how tall you'regoing to be.
Now, that's all in your DNA.
I want you to think aboutepigenetics as a colorful sticky
(06:43):
note that you're putting onsome pages of this book, and the
sticky notes say things likeread this page a lot or don't
read this page too much, right?
P23 Theme Song (06:55):
Mm-hmm.
Dr. Tiffany Montgomery (06:57):
They don't change the words on the
page, but they can decide howoften the page is read.
Okay, epigenetics are thosesticky notes telling your body
which genes to use more of orless of.
It helps your body decide howto grow and function, kind of
(07:17):
like a special set ofinstructions on top of the
regular ones in your book.
So it's like your body's way ofusing bookmarks and sticky
notes to make sure everythingthat makes you you is working
just right.
Nick Cuevas (07:33):
Wow, that's an excellent analogy.
It makes a lot more sense now.
Wow, I'm just trying Right nowI'm still imagining what you
just said about the book, thebookmarks, all that good stuff.
It makes total sense now.
So I'm not going to lie when,when I think of genetics and DNA
, I kind of think of them as thesame thing.
That's wrong.
Dr. Tiffany Montgomery (07:54):
Well, genetics and DNA are the same
thing, but remember, nick, we'retalking about epigenetics.
Yeah, so epigenetics is how theenvironment impacts your
genetics, or how the environmentimpacts your DNA.
So you're absolutely correctthat genetics and DNA are the
same thing, but how they'reexpressed is what's going to be
(08:18):
different, right?
It's why you can have twobrothers or two sisters same set
of genes, same gene pool, butthey are not identical twins.
They are not the same height,they may not have the same hair
color.
To be honest, they may not evenhave the same personality
(08:38):
traits.
And that is all because ofthese little bookmarks or sticky
notes on our pages that sayskip this page, read this more.
That kind of thing.
I have a biological brother.
We have the same mother.
We have the same father.
I am about five six.
(09:00):
My brother is about six five.
I am not athletic at all.
My brother is the extremedefinition of athleticism.
What happened between the two?
And the answers are as simpleas our manual interpreted or
(09:26):
emphasized different pages.
I love to read and write.
I'm not going to say that mybrother doesn't love to read and
write, but I'll say heexpresses that differently if he
does.
Okay, got you.
So we have to remember that allof these things contribute to
(09:47):
our uniqueness.
Epigenetics, which is how theenvironment acts on your genes,
has helped scientists answerinteresting questions about our
bodies.
For example, some questionsthat we've answered why are some
people taller than others?
And epigenetics can give usclues about how genes related to
(10:10):
height are being used indifferent people, even when
they're siblings.
It explains why some peoplegrow taller than others in that
same even genetic bloodline.
Now we can talk about differentfamilies and we're kind of used
to different families having,you know, different things
happening and this family isvery short and this group is
(10:30):
very tall.
We're used to those kinds ofthings.
But if you think about itwithin a family where those gene
pools are more similar, I thinkit really helps you understand
and appreciate the uniquenessand the importance of
epigenetics.
Why do some people have certaindiseases?
Epigenetics can show us certaingenes that might be turned on
(10:54):
or turned off, which can help usunderstand why some people are
more likely to get certaindiseases.
How our bodies remember thingsEpigenetic plays a role in how
our brains remember things.
It helps us to understand whysome people might be better at
remembering stuff than others.
(11:14):
Why do we look like our parents.
Epigenetics helps us understandhow certain features like the
color of our eyes or hair arepassed down from our parents.
And epigenetics also helps uswith understanding how our body
responds to what we eat.
Epigenetics can show us how thefood we eat might affect the
(11:37):
instructions in our body's book.
It may add some bookmarks, insome places it may remove some
sticky notes, so it helps us toexplain why healthy eating is so
important.
Nick Cuevas (11:51):
Okay, I have a question then how does that work
with twins?
Dr. Tiffany Montgomery (11:56):
Well, that is an excellent question,
but we have to be more specific.
Why?
Because there are differenttypes of twins, right?
You have to remember that alltwins are not the same, so twins
(12:16):
are really interesting.
When it comes to DNA, there aretwo main types of twins that
we're going to talk about today,just to keep it simple, and
that's going to be identical orfraternal twins.
How many eggs did they comefrom?
Was it one monozygotic or wasit two dizygotic twins, right?
(12:39):
Was it two eggs that werefertilized or was it one egg
that split?
We're just going to call it insimple, layman's terms,
identical twins.
That's one egg.
They're identical and fraternaltwins.
So those are two eggs.
Fraternal twins are what youget when you have boy, girl
(13:00):
twins, but also you could stillhave two girls or two boys, and
they are not necessarilyidentical.
Nick Cuevas (13:10):
So we have to be.
Dr. Tiffany Montgomery (13:11):
I'm sorry.
Nick Cuevas (13:12):
As far as features, you mean the way they look.
Dr. Tiffany Montgomery (13:15):
Features , genetics.
When we talk about identicaltwins, we are talking about
identical set of genes.
It is the exact same Xchromosome from mom.
It is the exact same X or Ychromosome from dad and mom's
(13:36):
egg just split in half, okay,during your growth or maturation
process, it is literally theexact same thing, which is why
they have to be the same sex.
If they are identical, thatmeans on every chromosome, on
every gene, at every focus point, those two beings are one.
(13:58):
If it's a fraternal twin, thenyou're talking about a lot of
instances where things couldchange.
You've got an X from mom andyou might have mom's X and mom's
, dad's X in different parts ofit.
Okay, Same thing with dad.
(14:18):
You could have his X or youcould have his Y.
One baby could have the X andbe a girl.
One baby could have a Y and bea boy.
Genetically, biologically.
P23 Theme Song (14:28):
True.
Dr. Tiffany Montgomery (14:28):
So when we talk in the science realm
about identical or fraternaltwins, we're not directly
talking about what they looklike, but indirectly.
If we're talking aboutidentical twins, then we are
talking about what they looklike, because identical twins
are genetically identical, whichmeans they look exactly alike.
Identical twins are gonna comefrom that one fertilized egg
(14:53):
that's listened to two.
It's like starting with acookie dough ball and dividing
it into two parts because theycome from the same original eggs
.
Identical twins have almost theexact same DNA, so they look
very similar, and that's whereyou have identical twins.
(15:15):
Fertile twins, on the otherhand, come from two separate
eggs fertilized by two separatesperms.
They are like having twodifferent cookie balls and they
share about half of their DNA.
Just like regular siblings bornat different times.
They may or may not look alike,just like any other set of
(15:40):
siblings, gotcha.
So the big difference when itcomes to identical fraternal
twins is how many eggs wereinvolved in the beginning.
Nick Cuevas (15:50):
Hmm, that's great, that's so interesting.
So they're just.
I'm sure there's slightdifferences but their DNA for
the most part is is identical.
It's just like a cookie cutter,it's a copy of each other.
So that explains why identicaltwins, they have some sort of
like connection.
I've seen that like on TV onreality shows that they have
(16:11):
like a different type of aconnection than a normal.
You know, sister and sister,brother and brother or brother
or sister.
Is that?
Is that all to do because ofDNA and how it all is All tied
together, how they're prettymuch identical on all facets?
Dr. Tiffany Montgomery (16:26):
now, I'm not a embryologist or a twin
specialist, nor am I a twin, soI would be very hesitant to get
into that level of Explanation.
But I have seen it, I havewitnessed it.
There are many twins in myfamily.
(16:50):
Oh really, and there are andfun fact.
P23 Theme Song (16:54):
Hmm.
Dr. Tiffany Montgomery (16:55):
I In fact have a set of twins, so
I've given birth to twins.
Yeah, that's awesome.
Nick Cuevas (17:02):
So you have a nice nice, you have a nice degree of
understanding from this.
Dr. Tiffany Montgomery (17:08):
I wouldn't say that much.
My twins are unlike any other.
I tell you.
Sure, I would dare not make ageneralization Twins based on
those two.
Yeah, they're gonna come at youafter the other twin mom and
dad's are going through what I'mgoing through.
Please leave me a message inthe comments for real.
(17:31):
Let me know that we're gonna beall right.
Nick Cuevas (17:33):
Got you.
That's so interesting, that'sso cool, though you know I
didn't know that there were.
I know obviously on the outsideyou see them they look
identical obviously I mean asfar as identical twins go but I
didn't know that it's like downto their DNA, like all of that
is pretty much the same, whichis Pretty crazy.
That's wild.
I really didn't have any ideaof that.
(17:55):
I just thought it was more ofan exterior type of a thing, but
it makes sense.
I mean, if they're gonna lookexactly the same, even have like
the same you know eye color,the their voice texture, all of
those things are pretty much 99%the same.
It makes sense that is down totheir DNA.
Dr. Tiffany Montgomery (18:15):
I think it's just important to
understand that Epigenetics playa significant role in the
development of twinsParticularly, and how identical
twins can exhibit differentcharacteristics Despite having
the same genetic makeup.
Okay, so we talked aboutepigenetics and how it gives us
(18:36):
the Code or tells us what tolook at and what to skip, and
those changes can be caused bymechanisms like DNA methylation
or histone modification.
But when we talk about twins,the impact of identical twins
starts with the same geneticinformation.
(18:56):
However, over time, theirepigenetic patterns can diverge
due to different environmentalexposures, experiences and
lifestyles.
These changes can lead todifferences in your health, your
appearance and your behavior.
For instance, if one twinsmokes or has a significantly
(19:22):
different diet or stress levelcompared to the other, these
factors can cause epigeneticmodifications, modifications
leading to the differences inhealth outcomes, like the risk
of certain diseases right,mm-hmm.
Age factor.
So as twins age, theirepigenetic patterns tend to
(19:45):
diverge more.
This phenomenon is known asepigenetic drift, where
accumulative effect ofenvironmental factors gradually
leads to more noticeabledifferences between them.
Epigenetics is also going toplay a factor or can influence
(20:07):
disease susceptibility andexplain why one twin might
develop a disease like diabetesor cancer while the other does
not, despite having identicalgenes.
So we've done some studies ontwins in epigenetic research,
(20:29):
and twins, especially identicalones, are valuable in epigenetic
research to understand howenvironmental factors contribute
to diseases and traits givingtheir genetic similarities.
Epigenetics highlights theinterplay between genetics and
the environment and explains whyidentical twins can end up
(20:51):
having different traits andsusceptibilities to disease
despite sharing the same DNA.
These are just some of thethings that we have to remember
when we talk about theimportance of epigenetics and
how important it is for us totake control of our environment,
our lifestyle and our foodchoices.
(21:14):
If you've heard anything todaythat's inspired you or made you
more curious about your geneticsor epigenetic controls that you
can put in place to takecontrol of your lifestyle, reach
out to us.
At P23 Health, we have releasedan exciting new test for 2024
(21:37):
that's going to be on ourwebsite, if it's not already
where we're talking about ourgenetic blueprint, and I am so
excited to help in this journeyand be a part of this journey.
Join you all in this journey aswe explore how our environment
(22:00):
and choices from diet toexercise to everything in
between helps play a part in ourgene and lifestyle overall
health.
As we come to the end oftoday's episode on epigenetics,
I want to express myappreciation for you joining us
(22:24):
today.
Throughout the episode, weexplored the intricate ways in
which our lifestyle choicesaffect our genetic expression,
unlocking the secrets of how wecan take control of our health.
We've discussed how epigeneticchanges can occur as a result of
environmental factors such asdiet, exercise and stress, and
(22:50):
how these changes can have asignificant impact on our health
outcomes.
Thank you for joining us onDemystifying DNA.
We encourage you to keepexploring the fascinating world
of genetics and take an activerole in your health and
well-being.
Your health is in your handsand every small effort towards a
(23:13):
healthier lifestyle can have asignificant impact in the long
run.
Stay curious, stay engaged andremember that we are with you
every step of the way.
P23 Knowledge, access, power.
P23, wellness and Understandingat your fingertips P23.
And that's no cap.
Dr. Tiffany Montgomery (00:20):
Welcome back to Demystifying DNA.
I'm your host, the curious ladyDr.
Tiffany Montgomery scientist,epidemiologist, ceo, sister,
friend, wife, mother, you nameit right.
And today I'm joined by myco-host, Mr.
(00:43):
Nick Cuevas.
Nick has joined us severaltimes before.
You know him as our marketingdirector, the vibe behind the
brand of P23 Health.
Nick is a father to fourbeautiful girls.
He is a loving son, brother,spouse, support system for many
(01:09):
and he's taking some time outtonight to talk with us, so we
want to welcome Nick.
Nick Cuevas (01:14):
How you doing doctor, How's it going?
Dr. Tiffany Montgomery (01:16):
I'm so good.
It's going great.
Nick, thanks for joining usagain tonight.
Today's episode Epigenetics howLifestyle Affects your Genes
takes us on a journey into thefascinating world of epigenetics
.
We'll explore how ourenvironment and lifestyle
(01:38):
choices can significantly impactgene expression without
altering the DNA sequence itself.
From nutrition and exercise tostress management, we'll uncover
the intricate ways our dailylives interact with our genetic
(01:58):
blueprint.
Join us as we decode thecomplex interplay between
lifestyle and genetics, offeringinsights into how you can
influence your health at amolecular level.
Now, Nick.
P23 Theme Song (02:15):
Yeah.
Dr. Tiffany Montgomery (02:16):
So this is a great topic.
I know it's curious and I knowyou have a lot of questions.
I know you hate myintroductions of you, but I
can't just assume anybody hasheard any previous episode and
not really celebrate who you areand what you contribute to this
conversation.
So I am excited to talk to youand I want to hear your
(02:40):
questions because it helpspeople understand why and how
and just identify with us aspeople who can help guide them
through this complicated topic.
It's not always fun becauseit's so sciencey and sometimes
the concepts can be very intense.
But I want to take thisconversation time just so that
(03:03):
we can allow our human sides tokind of just show and we can
grow together, because even whenwe talk I learn from you too,
nick.
Nick Cuevas (03:14):
Thank you.
Well, this is obviously yourrealm, so you know you're the
one that's going to be teachingme things, to be honest.
But first of all, I doappreciate what you said.
I want to make that clear, youmaking me feel really good right
now.
I have a ton of questionsbecause when you came in with
the introduction and the onething that stuck with me was you
(03:35):
said, lifestyle choices.
Excuse me, how that couldreally alter your DNA.
P23 Theme Song (03:41):
Can it really?
Nick Cuevas (03:42):
alter your DNA or can it not alter your DNA?
Talk to me as if I am somebodywho has no idea how DNA works,
just the normal common personwho stumbles upon this podcast
and they're wondering how theDNA can affect everything, how
the stuff we do every day, thefood we eat, the environment
(04:03):
where we live in, exercise,stress and all that good stuff.
How does that work?
Dr. Tiffany Montgomery (04:08):
All right.
So I feel like you're asking atwo-part question, right?
So I'm going to answer thefirst part of your question and
that's going to be what is DNA?
So we're going to just talkabout that a little bit and then
I'm going to go into what isepigenetics and how does that
(04:28):
relate to DNA.
So for the first part of yourquestion, I want you to imagine
your body is like a biginstruction manual and the
manual tells it how to grow andhow to work properly.
What is the function going tobe?
In this manual there'ssomething called DNA, which is
(04:54):
like a super special code orrecipe that makes you.
You Now picture DNA as a longstring of instructions, like a
necklace made of tiny beads.
These beads are called basesand they come in four different
(05:15):
colors.
Let's say red, blue, green andyellow.
We're not going to get into thefancy names that they have,
we're just going to keep it verysimple.
The order of these colors andthe DNA string is like a secret
code that tells your body how todo all sorts of things.
Each person's DNA code is unique.
(05:37):
The color order is going to bedifferent.
How their string together isgoing to be just so uniquely
beautiful, and that is thespecial recipe that makes them
different from everyone else.
It determines things like thecolor of your eyes, how tall you
might grow, or even what yourfavorite foods could be.
(05:59):
Wow, so DNA is a secret supercode that makes each person
special and unique.
So then you say, well, dr, whatis epigenetics?
And we're still imagining thisbig instruction book, right?
So we got DNA.
It tells us how to grow andwork.
(06:20):
Gotcha, in this book there aretiny bookmarks called genes, and
those bookmarks, or genes,decide things like the color of
your eyes or how tall you'regoing to be.
Now, that's all in your DNA.
I want you to think aboutepigenetics as a colorful sticky
(06:43):
note that you're putting onsome pages of this book, and the
sticky notes say things likeread this page a lot or don't
read this page too much, right?
P23 Theme Song (06:55):
Mm-hmm.
Dr. Tiffany Montgomery (06:57):
They don't change the words on the
page, but they can decide howoften the page is read.
Okay, epigenetics are thosesticky notes telling your body
which genes to use more of orless of.
It helps your body decide howto grow and function, kind of
(07:17):
like a special set ofinstructions on top of the
regular ones in your book.
So it's like your body's way ofusing bookmarks and sticky
notes to make sure everythingthat makes you you is working
just right.
Nick Cuevas (07:33):
Wow, that's an excellent analogy.
It makes a lot more sense now.
Wow, I'm just trying Right nowI'm still imagining what you
just said about the book, thebookmarks, all that good stuff.
It makes total sense now.
So I'm not going to lie when,when I think of genetics and DNA
, I kind of think of them as thesame thing.
That's wrong.
Dr. Tiffany Montgomery (07:54):
Well, genetics and DNA are the same
thing, but remember, nick, we'retalking about epigenetics.
Yeah, so epigenetics is how theenvironment impacts your
genetics, or how the environmentimpacts your DNA.
So you're absolutely correctthat genetics and DNA are the
same thing, but how they'reexpressed is what's going to be
(08:18):
different, right?
It's why you can have twobrothers or two sisters same set
of genes, same gene pool, butthey are not identical twins.
They are not the same height,they may not have the same hair
color.
To be honest, they may not evenhave the same personality
(08:38):
traits.
And that is all because ofthese little bookmarks or sticky
notes on our pages that sayskip this page, read this more.
That kind of thing.
I have a biological brother.
We have the same mother.
We have the same father.
I am about five six.
(09:00):
My brother is about six five.
I am not athletic at all.
My brother is the extremedefinition of athleticism.
What happened between the two?
And the answers are as simpleas our manual interpreted or
(09:26):
emphasized different pages.
I love to read and write.
I'm not going to say that mybrother doesn't love to read and
write, but I'll say heexpresses that differently if he
does.
Okay, got you.
So we have to remember that allof these things contribute to
(09:47):
our uniqueness.
Epigenetics, which is how theenvironment acts on your genes,
has helped scientists answerinteresting questions about our
bodies.
For example, some questionsthat we've answered why are some
people taller than others?
And epigenetics can give usclues about how genes related to
(10:10):
height are being used indifferent people, even when
they're siblings.
It explains why some peoplegrow taller than others in that
same even genetic bloodline.
Now we can talk about differentfamilies and we're kind of used
to different families having,you know, different things
happening and this family isvery short and this group is
(10:30):
very tall.
We're used to those kinds ofthings.
But if you think about itwithin a family where those gene
pools are more similar, I thinkit really helps you understand
and appreciate the uniquenessand the importance of
epigenetics.
Why do some people have certaindiseases?
Epigenetics can show us certaingenes that might be turned on
(10:54):
or turned off, which can help usunderstand why some people are
more likely to get certaindiseases.
How our bodies remember thingsEpigenetic plays a role in how
our brains remember things.
It helps us to understand whysome people might be better at
remembering stuff than others.
(11:14):
Why do we look like our parents.
Epigenetics helps us understandhow certain features like the
color of our eyes or hair arepassed down from our parents.
And epigenetics also helps uswith understanding how our body
responds to what we eat.
Epigenetics can show us how thefood we eat might affect the
(11:37):
instructions in our body's book.
It may add some bookmarks, insome places it may remove some
sticky notes, so it helps us toexplain why healthy eating is so
important.
Nick Cuevas (11:51):
Okay, I have a question then how does that work
with twins?
Dr. Tiffany Montgomery (11:56):
Well, that is an excellent question,
but we have to be more specific.
Why?
Because there are differenttypes of twins, right?
You have to remember that alltwins are not the same, so twins
(12:16):
are really interesting.
When it comes to DNA, there aretwo main types of twins that
we're going to talk about today,just to keep it simple, and
that's going to be identical orfraternal twins.
How many eggs did they comefrom?
Was it one monozygotic or wasit two dizygotic twins, right?
(12:39):
Was it two eggs that werefertilized or was it one egg
that split?
We're just going to call it insimple, layman's terms,
identical twins.
That's one egg.
They're identical and fraternaltwins.
So those are two eggs.
Fraternal twins are what youget when you have boy, girl
(13:00):
twins, but also you could stillhave two girls or two boys, and
they are not necessarilyidentical.
Nick Cuevas (13:10):
So we have to be.
Dr. Tiffany Montgomery (13:11):
I'm sorry.
Nick Cuevas (13:12):
As far as features, you mean the way they look.
Dr. Tiffany Montgomery (13:15):
Features , genetics.
When we talk about identicaltwins, we are talking about
identical set of genes.
It is the exact same Xchromosome from mom.
It is the exact same X or Ychromosome from dad and mom's
(13:36):
egg just split in half, okay,during your growth or maturation
process, it is literally theexact same thing, which is why
they have to be the same sex.
If they are identical, thatmeans on every chromosome, on
every gene, at every focus point, those two beings are one.
(13:58):
If it's a fraternal twin, thenyou're talking about a lot of
instances where things couldchange.
You've got an X from mom andyou might have mom's X and mom's
, dad's X in different parts ofit.
Okay, Same thing with dad.
(14:18):
You could have his X or youcould have his Y.
One baby could have the X andbe a girl.
One baby could have a Y and bea boy.
Genetically, biologically.
P23 Theme Song (14:28):
True.
Dr. Tiffany Montgomery (14:28):
So when we talk in the science realm
about identical or fraternaltwins, we're not directly
talking about what they looklike, but indirectly.
If we're talking aboutidentical twins, then we are
talking about what they looklike, because identical twins
are genetically identical, whichmeans they look exactly alike.
Identical twins are gonna comefrom that one fertilized egg
(14:53):
that's listened to two.
It's like starting with acookie dough ball and dividing
it into two parts because theycome from the same original eggs
.
Identical twins have almost theexact same DNA, so they look
very similar, and that's whereyou have identical twins.
(15:15):
Fertile twins, on the otherhand, come from two separate
eggs fertilized by two separatesperms.
They are like having twodifferent cookie balls and they
share about half of their DNA.
Just like regular siblings bornat different times.
They may or may not look alike,just like any other set of
(15:40):
siblings, gotcha.
So the big difference when itcomes to identical fraternal
twins is how many eggs wereinvolved in the beginning.
Nick Cuevas (15:50):
Hmm, that's great, that's so interesting.
So they're just.
I'm sure there's slightdifferences but their DNA for
the most part is is identical.
It's just like a cookie cutter,it's a copy of each other.
So that explains why identicaltwins, they have some sort of
like connection.
I've seen that like on TV onreality shows that they have
(16:11):
like a different type of aconnection than a normal.
You know, sister and sister,brother and brother or brother
or sister.
Is that?
Is that all to do because ofDNA and how it all is All tied
together, how they're prettymuch identical on all facets?
Dr. Tiffany Montgomery (16:26):
now, I'm not a embryologist or a twin
specialist, nor am I a twin, soI would be very hesitant to get
into that level of Explanation.
But I have seen it, I havewitnessed it.
There are many twins in myfamily.
(16:50):
Oh really, and there are andfun fact.
P23 Theme Song (16:54):
Hmm.
Dr. Tiffany Montgomery (16:55):
I In fact have a set of twins, so
I've given birth to twins.
Yeah, that's awesome.
Nick Cuevas (17:02):
So you have a nice nice, you have a nice degree of
understanding from this.
Dr. Tiffany Montgomery (17:08):
I wouldn't say that much.
My twins are unlike any other.
I tell you.
Sure, I would dare not make ageneralization Twins based on
those two.
Yeah, they're gonna come at youafter the other twin mom and
dad's are going through what I'mgoing through.
Please leave me a message inthe comments for real.
(17:31):
Let me know that we're gonna beall right.
Nick Cuevas (17:33):
Got you.
That's so interesting, that'sso cool, though you know I
didn't know that there were.
I know obviously on the outsideyou see them they look
identical obviously I mean asfar as identical twins go but I
didn't know that it's like downto their DNA, like all of that
is pretty much the same, whichis Pretty crazy.
That's wild.
I really didn't have any ideaof that.
(17:55):
I just thought it was more ofan exterior type of a thing, but
it makes sense.
I mean, if they're gonna lookexactly the same, even have like
the same you know eye color,the their voice texture, all of
those things are pretty much 99%the same.
It makes sense that is down totheir DNA.
Dr. Tiffany Montgomery (18:15):
I think it's just important to
understand that Epigenetics playa significant role in the
development of twinsParticularly, and how identical
twins can exhibit differentcharacteristics Despite having
the same genetic makeup.
Okay, so we talked aboutepigenetics and how it gives us
(18:36):
the Code or tells us what tolook at and what to skip, and
those changes can be caused bymechanisms like DNA methylation
or histone modification.
But when we talk about twins,the impact of identical twins
starts with the same geneticinformation.
(18:56):
However, over time, theirepigenetic patterns can diverge
due to different environmentalexposures, experiences and
lifestyles.
These changes can lead todifferences in your health, your
appearance and your behavior.
For instance, if one twinsmokes or has a significantly
(19:22):
different diet or stress levelcompared to the other, these
factors can cause epigeneticmodifications, modifications
leading to the differences inhealth outcomes, like the risk
of certain diseases right,mm-hmm.
Age factor.
So as twins age, theirepigenetic patterns tend to
(19:45):
diverge more.
This phenomenon is known asepigenetic drift, where
accumulative effect ofenvironmental factors gradually
leads to more noticeabledifferences between them.
Epigenetics is also going toplay a factor or can influence
(20:07):
disease susceptibility andexplain why one twin might
develop a disease like diabetesor cancer while the other does
not, despite having identicalgenes.
So we've done some studies ontwins in epigenetic research,
(20:29):
and twins, especially identicalones, are valuable in epigenetic
research to understand howenvironmental factors contribute
to diseases and traits givingtheir genetic similarities.
Epigenetics highlights theinterplay between genetics and
the environment and explains whyidentical twins can end up
(20:51):
having different traits andsusceptibilities to disease
despite sharing the same DNA.
These are just some of thethings that we have to remember
when we talk about theimportance of epigenetics and
how important it is for us totake control of our environment,
our lifestyle and our foodchoices.
(21:14):
If you've heard anything todaythat's inspired you or made you
more curious about your geneticsor epigenetic controls that you
can put in place to takecontrol of your lifestyle, reach
out to us.
At P23 Health, we have releasedan exciting new test for 2024
(21:37):
that's going to be on ourwebsite, if it's not already
where we're talking about ourgenetic blueprint, and I am so
excited to help in this journeyand be a part of this journey.
Join you all in this journey aswe explore how our environment
(22:00):
and choices from diet toexercise to everything in
between helps play a part in ourgene and lifestyle overall
health.
As we come to the end oftoday's episode on epigenetics,
I want to express myappreciation for you joining us
(22:24):
today.
Throughout the episode, weexplored the intricate ways in
which our lifestyle choicesaffect our genetic expression,
unlocking the secrets of how wecan take control of our health.
We've discussed how epigeneticchanges can occur as a result of
environmental factors such asdiet, exercise and stress, and
(22:50):
how these changes can have asignificant impact on our health
outcomes.
Thank you for joining us onDemystifying DNA.
We encourage you to keepexploring the fascinating world
of genetics and take an activerole in your health and
well-being.
Your health is in your handsand every small effort towards a
(23:13):
healthier lifestyle can have asignificant impact in the long
run.
Stay curious, stay engaged andremember that we are with you
every step of the way.
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