Essay Sample on Epigenesis: Genetic Transformation for Cell Differentiation and Organism Formation

Introduction

Epigenesist, in its most succinct definition, refers to the process by which animals or plants develop through a process in which cells differentiate and organisms form (Pinney & Simmons, 2012). In other words, it could be referred to as genetic transformation, and there are two types of it. The first type is the transmission of the DNA sequence of nucleotides. The second is an epigenetic transmission, where the parent acquires specific mechanisms of gene regulation and transmitted to the offspring who inherits the modification. According to my family history, I am predisposed to diabetes type 2. It is a metabolic disease characterized by higher than regular blood sugar due to the impairment of pancreatic beta-cell function and resistance to insulin in skeletal muscle, adipose tissues, and the liver.

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Researchers have recently found a link between epigenetics and the pathogenesis of diabetes type 2 through the alteration of genes that produce and release insulin in diabetic islets (Stankov, Benc, & Draskovic, 2013). A research team analyzed pancreatic beta cells from diabetic and healthy individuals. The results showed there were epigenetic changes in approximately 840 genes that had a fold change ranging from 6-60%. More than 100 of these genes had their expression altered and could contribute to a minimized production of insulin. It is through this observation that the group concluded that there could be a genetic modification associated with an impaired release of insulin.

There is currently an expanding knowledge of epigenetics and diabetes. In the past, scientists opined that the de-differentiation in diabetes was a one-hit process. However, the idea of epigenetic failure, as a second process, has also come up in these researches and discussions. These findings are ground-breaking, especially the fact that there are therapeutic strategies for diabetes type 2. One concern that it raises is whether there exist individuals that exhibit more sensitivity or resistance to the condition than others.

Integration of Living 100 Questionnaires Findings to the Discussion

Living 100 Questionnaire is a tool that calculates the life expectancy of an individual upon responding to a series of prompts based on, among others, lifestyle and medical history (Pincus, Swearingen, & Wolfe, 2019). According to living 100 questionnaires, I am going to live till 81, which is exciting as not many individuals get to rich that age. Diabetes, being a terminal illness, means that a patient lives with the disease till they die. Because of my family history, I am predisposed to the condition and likely to get it in the later years of my life. Even so, I understand that it is easy to manage the disease, especially with the right knowledge and interventions.

The Living 100 questionnaire is an essential tool because it helps one to take responsibility for their lives and make better health choices. Since I am predisposed to diabetes because of my family history, I have to be careful about my lifestyle to avoid the things that can make me get the disease. While I cannot do much about my genetic predisposition, I can mitigate chances of the disease by ensuring I take part in physical exercises and healthy diets because I still have a chance to evade the terminal illness. Living up to 81 would be an essential thing for me, considering not many of my relatives have had the opportunity to live to that age. Living healthy takes commitment, and it may not be fulfilling to live long but unhealthy life. Therefore, as much as my life expectancy is above average, I must commit to live a healthy life by observing healthy living habits and being an ambassador for good health.

How to Improve Health and Longevity in Light of the Living 100 Questionnaire

Since I am predisposed to diabetes because of my family history, it means that it is a factor I may not have control over. However, I still can make a difference, by the way, I carry out myself in terms of healthy lifestyle choices. In this endeavour, my priority is to eat healthily. While dieting is mostly associated with checking weight, its benefits transcend physical appearance. In essence, it can take one a long way in mitigating chronic diseases like diabetes and other terminal illnesses.

Most importantly, avoiding diets that increase the levels of fats and cholesterols in my body is a priority. Another way is to completely cut sugar and refined carbohydrates from my diet because they are some of the most implicated foods in the cause of diabetes. These foods are broken rapidly by the body, thereby releasing too much sugar into the blood. In response, the body produces insulin to regulate the amount of sugar in the blood. However, in individuals predisposed to diabetes, the body resists the action of insulin, leading to the heightening of levels of sugar in the blood (Wysocki et al., 2017). The result of this process is type 2 diabetes.

Improving my health and longevity will also require me to quit smoking. Aside from being exposed to diabetes type 2, smoking can lead to other terminal severe illnesses such as cancers of the digestive tract, prostate, breast, and lungs. These are some severe diseases that I have to avoid if living to my life expectancy calculated by Living 100 Questionnaire is anything to come by. Studies have found that smoking increases the chances of getting diabetes by 44%. At the same time, those who smoke more than 20 sticks of cigarette daily are exposed by 61% (Wysocki et al., 2017). It prompts me to quit the habit with immediate effect to avoid the agony of living with a terminal illness for the rest of my life. I also have to prevent sedentary behavior if I must live healthily. Many studies have linked sedentary behaviors and diabetes. Thus even though it is challenging to quit habits, it is an initiative that I have to take as a matter of life and death.

References

Pincus, T., Swearingen, C., & Wolfe, F. (2019). Toward a multidimensional Health Assessment Questionnaire (MDHAQ): assessment of advanced activities of daily living and psychological status in the patientfriendly health assessment questionnaire format. Arthritis & Rheumatism: Official Journal of the American College of Rheumatology, 42(10), 2220-2230.

Pinney, S. E., & Simmons, R. A. (2012). Metabolic programming, epigenetics, and gestational diabetes mellitus. Current diabetes reports, 12(1), 67-74.

Stankov, K., Benc, D., & Draskovic, D. (2013). Genetic and epigenetic factors in etiology of diabetes mellitus type 1. Pediatrics, 132(6), 1112-1122.

Wysocki, T., Harris, M. A., Buckloh, L. M., Mertlich, D., Lochrie, A. S., Mauras, N., & White, N. H. (2017). Randomized trial of behavioral family systems therapy for diabetes: maintenance of effects on diabetes outcomes in adolescents. Diabetes Care, 30(3), 555-560.