Discovering how environmental exposures alter genes could lead to new treatments for chronic illnesses

Emerging research demonstrates that diet, pollution, and other environmental triggers can alter both the function and expression of human genes and lead to a heightened disease risk. These environment-gene interactions can cause so-called epigenetic changes in gene expression-patterns of which genes are switched "on" or "off"-that may account for the rising mortality from chronic diseases in industrialized nations. In this paper, we call for a new transdisciplinary approach to public health that would examine how environmental exposures, both physical and social, influence gene expression and a person's susceptibility to chronic disease. This initiative could lead to new ways to prevent and treat such illnesses.