Impact of social determinants of health on DNA methylation

Social determinants of health (SDOH) describe the impact of conditions in which people are born, grow, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age on health. Different studies have associated SDOH with alterations at the hormonal and cellular levels, and with epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation (DNAm), that alter homeostasis. The aim is to review the influence of SDOH on DNAm, focusing on the role of sociodemographic characteristics, socioeconomic status (SES), nutritional status, physical activity, environmental neighborhood exposures, toxicant exposures, social, and economic environment, adverse childhood events, emotional stress throughout life, social inequality, violence, crime, genocide, and racism.