I noticed a new paper today (“Differential Distribution of Allelic Variants in Cytokine Genes among African Americans and White Americans”).
From the press release:
“We found that African Americans were significantly more likely to carry genetic variants known to stimulate the inflammatory response,” … “At the same time, genotypes known to dampen the release of anti-inflammatory proteins were more common among African Americans. This is kind of a double whammy.”
Their method:
Specifically, scientists compared genetic data on 179 African-American and 396 white women who sought prenatal care and delivered uncomplicated, single, first births at Magee-Womens Hospital of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center between 1997 and 2001. Blood samples were analyzed for a multitude of functionally relevant allelic variants in cytokine-regulating genes.
And an unexpectedly candid result:
“In the past, people looked at one or two variants,” said Dr. Ness. “We looked at a whole host, and saw trends that perhaps point to some evolutionary-mediated change in the human genome that has had an impact on inflammation.” Posted by rikurzhen at 12:30 PM