From Evolving
Ourselves by
Juan Enriquez and Steve Gullans. Genes are less predictive of
behavior and disease than is generally assumed:
“Much
of the general public ... has ended up with the mistaken impression
that almost every imaginable disease has a clear and readable genetic
basis. But very few diseases operate like a light switch or correlate
in a one-to-one way whereby if you have gene X then you get disease
Y. Time and again, studies fail to find the genes or genetic variants
responsible for a majority of the cases of heritable diseases or
traits, including for Type 2 diabetes (only predictive in 6 percent
of a population), good cholesterol (5 percent), early myocardial
infarction (3 percent), and familial breast cancer (10 percent). In
every case, a few genes are identified as causal, but in only a small
subset of patients.
…...”
“….For
the many complex diseases that run in families, including cancer,
hypertension, neurodegeneration, autoimmunity, diabetes, obesity,
schizophrenia, and depression, the majority of supposedly causal
genes are missing….”
"Most
human diseases, behaviors, and traits involve a combination of the
genes we got from our parents as well as events we experience in our
everyday lives, especially in utero and as children….”
Conclusion
(my own): Lifestyle Matters!
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