Epigenetics, the Environment, and Children's Health Across Lifespans

Comprehensive overview of epigenetics for a public health audience
Chapters bring together research from environmental health, psychology, pediatrics, and child development
Connects epigenetics to life course theory in maternal and child health

This stimulating volume addresses vital questions about gene/environment interactions as they affect cell health from the prenatal period through later life. Beginning with a tour of epigenetic processes in the human body, the book assembles current theoretical and empirical developments across the discipline, among them transgenerational epigenetic inheritance, the effects of maternal nutrition on epigenetic change, and possible links between epigenetics and childhood obesity. Public health and policy aspects of the field are discussed in depth, with the understanding that much can be done to improve our epigenetic health as a species. And in this vein, contributors consider future possibilities, such as the reprogramming of genes to reverse cancer and other diseases.

Included in the coverage:
The role of environmental epigenetics in perinatal and neonatal development
The epigenetic biomarker γH2AX: from bench science to clinical trials
What’s the risk? Dental amalgam, mercury exposure, and human health risks throughout the lifespan
Post-traumatic stress disorder: neurological, genetic, and epigenetic bases
Children’s exposure to alcohol, tobacco, and drugs: long-term outcomes
Ethical implications of epigenetics

Epigenetics, the Environment, and Children’s Health Across Lifespans brings real-world knowledge and applications of this increasingly important field to public health practitioners, maternal and child health researchers, and environmental health experts.