Timing of dietary effects on the epigenome and their potential protective effects against toxins

Exposure to toxins causes lasting damaging effects on the body. Numerous studies in humans and animals suggest that diet has the potential to modify the epigenome and these modifications can be inherited transgenerationally, but few studies investigate how diet can protect against negative effects of toxins. Potential evidence in the primary literature supports that caloric restriction, high-fat diets, high protein-to-carbohydrate ratios, and dietary supplementation protect against environmental toxins and strengthen these effects on their offspring's epigenome. Most notably, the timing when dietary interventions are given - during a parent's early development, pregnancy, and/or lifetime - result in similar transgenerational epigenetic durations. This implies the existence of multiple opportunities to strategically fortify the epigenome. This narrative review explores how to best utilize dietary modifications to modify the epigenome to protect future generations against negative health effects of persistent environmental toxins. Furthermore, by suggesting an ideal diet with specific micronutrients, macronutrients, and food groups, epigenetics can play a key role in the field of preventive medicine. Based on these findings, longitudinal research should be conducted to determine if a high protein, high-fat, and low-carbohydrate diet during a mother's puberty or pregnancy can epigenetically protect against alcohol, tobacco smoke, and air pollution across multiple generations.