The field of epigenetics is maturing, with increased interest in understanding the normal regulation of the genome and the possibility that it becomes reprogrammed aberrantly as part of the cause of disease phenotypes. Applying the current technologies and insights to the study of human populations is potentially a way of understanding mechanisms and consequences of these diseases. When extended to encompass health care disparities, understanding why certain populations are unusually prone to specific conditions, there is certainly some potential for gaining new and valuable insights, but these studies are likely to be unusually prone to the effects of confounding influences and need to be designed, executed and interpreted with extra care.