For a long time, the conventional wisdom was that our DNA is fixed; whatever genetic characteristics we were born with are the traits that will characterize us throughout our lives. While DNA changes do occur, we have thought that they occur only very slowly—over millions of years, like the evolutionary changes that enabled small-brained primitive primates to develop into homo sapiens. This means if we were born with the genes that predispose us to heart attack or obesity, we are doomed to be fat and short-lived.
Not true. Or rather, it is true that the DNA we were born with doesn’t change, but it turns out that DNA isn’t the whole story. A new field called epigenetics has shown that lifestyle and conditions you are exposed to in life can change how your DNA is expressed—and those changes can sometimes be inherited by your offspring.
Epigenetics refers to heritable changes in the “wrapper” of proteins that surround the DNA. It does take many generations for the genome to change, but the epigenome can be changed by the addition or subtraction of a methyl group. A good analogy is that DNA, or the genome, is the hardware (hard to change) and the epigenome is the software (easy to change).
A methyl group is one carbon atom attached to three hydrogen atoms. When a methyl group attaches to a specific spot on a gene, it can change how the gene is expressed; it can dampen the gene’s effect or turn it off–or it can turn a gene on or boost its effect. This process is called DNA methylation.
So where do the Swedish chickens come in? In 2007, researchers at the University of Linköping in Sweden created the henhouse from hell, designed to stress the chickens that lived in it. The experimenters manipulated the lighting, causing the chickens to lose track of when to sleep, when to eat, and so forth. The discombolulated birds demonstrated a significant decrease in their ability to negotiate their way through a maze to find food.
When the chickens were moved back to a non-stressful environment, they conceived and hatched chicks that also demonstrated poor skills at finding food in a maze—even though they had never been stressed. The research went on to demonstrate that the mothers’ exposure to stress had resulted in a gene expression that the chicks inherited.
The chicken experiment is only one of many animal studies that have proved the validity of epigenetic theory. Another study, this time focusing on human beings (coincidentally, Swedish humans), also proves the point. In the 1980s, a preventive health specialist, Dr. Lars Olov Bygren, studied the effects of feast and famine years during the 19th Century in a remote population of people living in northern Sweden. He wanted to see if there were long-term effects, not just on the people who had experienced the feast or famine years, but also on their children and grandchildren.
Bygren discovered that people who had gone from normal eating to over-eating during the times of overproduction produced children and grandchildren who lived significantly shorter lives than those whose progenitors had endured famines.
So what does this all mean to us on a day-to-day basis? Epigenetics is a new science, and while the human genome has been mapped, the human epigenome has not yet been fully deciphered. We don’t really know enough to be able to say, “Do this” and “Don’t do that.” But we do know—thanks to the Swedish chickens and people—that stress and nutrition play major roles in epigenetics.
The best we can do with this new knowledge is actually old wisdom:
Eat a wide variety of fresh foods and stay away from highly processed foods such as sugar to assure getting enough vitamins and minerals, and also to avoid additives (whether or not additives can influence epigenetics is not known)
Don’t eat too much
Get plenty of sleep
Reduce stress as much as possible
The last point—stress reduction—has a previously unrealized link to weight loss. As we mentioned last week, researchers have discovered that dieting—especially crash dieting—can inhibit weight loss or even cause weight gain. This is because the stress created by dieting triggers the body to produce cortisol. Cortisol is the “fight or flight” hormone, and it can inhibit weight loss in a variety of ways—especially in an individual who is chronically stressed (and may not even be aware of it because “stressed out” feels normal). Cortisol floods the body with glucose, delivering a quick jolt of energy to the large muscles needed for flight. At the same time, cortisol suppresses insulin to prevent glucose from being stored, as the body under stress needs to use that energy immediately. (Remember, all these mechanisms evolved when a threat meant more than being a few pounds overweight; it meant becoming someone’s dinner.)
Elevated cortisol levels can retrieve triglycerides from storage and relocate them to visceral fat cells (those that lie under the muscles deep in the abdomen), causing the fat cells to grow. Cortisol can also stimulate appetite and craving for high-calorie foods. This is because the body’s logic tells it that if you are under threat, you need to keep the calories coming.
So reducing stress can have a positive effect on weight loss, especially if you follow a reasonable regimen aimed at losing weight gradually over a long period of time. Weight lost quickly via crash diets merely triggers the body’s cortisol mechanisms, resulting in the yo-yo weight loss/weight gain cycle we all know so well.
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Raising Baby Quail Chicks in
Pitman, Pennsylvania
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Pitman Pennsylvania,
including Sussex Chickens, Welsummer Chickens, Turken Chickens and more.
Be sure to check out the Bargain Specials, as you can combine different
egg layers in smaller amounts and buy as an assortment. Pitman
Pennsylvania also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Pitman Pennsylvania, bantams for sale, ducks for sale, geese for sale,
turkeys for sale, guinea for sale, peafowl for sale, pheasant for sale,
chukar partridge for sale, bobwhite for sale, many different breeds of
baby chicks for sale in Pitman PA.
Baby Chicks Home in
Pitman, Pennsylvania
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Pitman Pennsylvania
catalog is a yearly traditions in many houses. My kids and I eagerly await
the Murray McMurray Hatchery catalog. We love looking at all the cool and
different chicken breeds available. Catalogs are free so head on over to
their site and request one if you are interested.
Typically hatcheries online offer both standard breeds
and bantams. Bantams are fun hardy little chickens, they lay tiny eggs
that kids especially love collecting. Bantams typically weigh less than 2
pounds when full grown. Just like ordering anything online there are pros
and cons to ordering baby chicks online. Pros of buying baby chicks in
Pitman Pennsylvania * Big Selection - If you are wanting a large
variety of different chicken breeds and egg colors, you will find the best
selection at an online hatchery. * Both Bantams and full sized chickens
available * You get to choose what sex you want. If you want a mixture of
both male and female then choosing a "straight run" will save you money
and you will get a mixture of male and female chicks. You can also choose
all males or all females too. * Weekly specials. Hatcheries have sales on
chicks, you are likely to get a good deal if you are flexible with the
breeds you are wanting. Cons of buying baby chicks in Pitman
Pennsylvania * Order early to get the best selection. Certain breeds sell
out fast, sometimes as early as 6 months in advance of shipping! If you
are wanting a certain breed it's best to order your chicks in the fall
before their orders sell out.
Baby Chickens in
Pitman, Pennsylvania
Quantity - you must order a certain number of chicks. Typically hatcheries
will require you buy a minimum of 25 chicks at a time. The number is
necessary for the chicks survival during shipping. All 25 chicks are put
in one small box without heat. They are crowded in the box and produce
enough body heat to arrive in good shape. * The wait - If you choose to
buy chicks from a feed store you will have them the same day but if you
choose to go with a hatchery you have to wait until they are ready to ship
and then wait for the chicks to arrive. Ordering baby chicks online in
Pitman Pennsylvania is easy and has always been a very pleasant
experience of me. It can be a little frustrating waiting for the chicks
but it's so worth the wait. When the post office calls and you hear all
those little "cheeps" or "chirps" in the background you'll know the wait
was worth it! How to Care for your new baby chickens in Pitman,
Pennsylvania Baby chicks are really
charming and also
difficult to resist,
however it's finest to prepare for their
arrival prior to you obtain them. Prepare first
by collecting not only the
right materials, but
additionally the correct
understanding to look after
them. Raising baby chicks is reasonably
simple, you just need
to supply them with the following: A tidy and also cozy
environment Plenty of food and also water Focus as well as
love Environment Your environment could be a basic box, fish tank,
feline carrier, or guinea
porker cage. Line it with old towels and
coverings (without any loosened
strings!) to begin, and also after a
couple of weeks use straw over paper.
Note: Avoid utilizing just
newspaper or other sandal
surfaces-- or your chicks legs can expand
malformed. You additionally need
something to provide food and also
water in, such as a chicken feeder as well as water
meal from the feed shop, or a pickle jar
lid for food and also a pet bird water dispenser from a pet store. Also, as the chicks age you can introduce a perch
right into the environment to get them
trained on setting down. Heat To
maintain your chicks warm you have to
give them with a heat resource.
This can be as basic as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style lamp from a
hardware store, or an infrared reptile warmth
light bulb additionally function very
well (my
recommendation). Chicks need this
heat 24/7 until their downy fluff is
changed with feathers (which can occupy to two months). The recently
hatched need a temperature level
between 90 and also 100 levels,
as well as weekly this can
be lowered by
around 5 degrees or
so. The heat source ought
to get on just one side of the cage
to enable chicks an array of
temperature levels. The chicks are your ideal
thermometer- if they are hiding in the
other corner of your warmth
light, you should
reduce the temperature level. If
they are smothering each various other under the
heat (not just snuggling),
you need to include some warmth.
Housekeeping
Tidiness is essential and it maintains your chicks healthy and
balanced. Make certain to transform
the bedding
typically and
consistently provide tidy
food as well as water Food as well as water.
Chicks expand quite fast
which requires a lot of clean
food and also water. Supply
sufficient in any way times as well
as inspect
commonly to
stop thirsty as well as
hungry chicks. Chick food is different compared
to adult chicken food, and it comes
in both medicated and non-medicated ranges. Feed chick food for the
initial two months, then
change to a raiser food (~ 17 %
protein) for another 2 months,
and then to a somewhat
reduced protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have levels). Soil Some chicks prefer to get a running start on taking
dirt bathrooms, while others won't occupy that activity till they are
older. If you have the area in your chick
enclosure, present a tray of sand or
dust for them to wash in.
Focus and love There are a couple of benefits to hanging
out with your chicks. To start
with, they will most
likely bond with you as well as
not escape as adults. Second, if you
examine your chicks daily as well as
watch their habits, you can
catch illness or other problems earlier. Watch out for wheezing, limping, or
various other harmful
signs. Make certain to
additionally look at
their poop, as diarrhea could lead
to matted plumes as well
as clogged up cloaca.
Lastly, it is important to keep an eye out for social issues, such as the
smallest chick getting teased. Empty nest syndrome So your
chicks are currently totally feathered
and also its time for them to leave the
safety and security of your residence
and also relocate outside right into a
coop. Check out our
area on chicken cages for more information
concerning coops and also
correct coop environments.
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