Decreased global DNA methylation in the white blood cells of high fat diet fed vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops).

Epigenetic mechanisms are associated with the development of many chronic diseases and due to their reversible nature offer a unique window of opportunity to reverse the disease phenotype. This study investigated whether global DNA methylation correlates with dysglycemia in the vervet monkey (Chlorocebus aethiops). Diet-induced changes in DNA methylation were observed where global DNA methylation was twofold lower in monkeys fed a high fat diet (n = 10) compared to monkeys fed a standard diet (n = 15). An inverse correlation was observed between DNA methylation, blood glucose concentrations, bodyweight, and age, although the association was not statistically significant. Consumption of a high fat diet is associated with the development of metabolic disease; thus, these results suggest the use of global DNA methylation as a biomarker to assess the risk for metabolic disease. Moreover, this study provides further support for the use of the vervet monkey as a model system to study metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes. Integration of altered DNA methylation profiles into predictive models could facilitate risk stratification and enable intervention strategies to inhibit disease progression. Such interventions could include lifestyle modifications, for example, the increased consumption of functional foods with the capacity to modulate DNA methylation, thus potentially reversing the disease phenotype and preventing disease.