In recent years, the development of medicine and computing capabilities allowed breakthroughs in the field of genetics. The research was therefore identify more in addition to genes that influence the risk of many diseases. It was no less needed to see dangling the concept of a next new medicine, personalized medicine based on our own genetics which would better prevent diseases and better treat them by adapting treatment.
Harvard University researchers recently showed that those hopes would probably never become reality.
They conducted a single study of its kind by analyzing the interaction between different genes and the environment for three major common diseases: the type 2 diabetes, breast cancer and rheumatoid arthritis. To do so they have developed a statistical model that takes into account most of the potential environmental interactions with genetic factors and compared the predictive ability of the risk of becoming ill with the former statistical models which did account than genes, without influence of the environment.
Thus, cancer breast, 15 genetic variations have been recorded and retained primarily environmental factors were the age of menarche, age at first pregnancy and the number of breast cancer occurred in the family. For diabetes, 31 genetic variations have been identified and environmental factors were primarily overweight, smoking, physical activity and family history of diabetes.
The researchers then made a surprising discovery: the ability to predict the risk of these diseases, taking into account the environmental risk factors, is only 1-3%. In other words, it is our way of life that is critical to our health, not genetics.
Hugues Aschard, one of the researchers, said: "overall, our results suggest that the complexity of genetic and environmental factors in connection with the disease should be considered a broader degree to be useful in prevention. The path to a genetic medicine of prevention, if it exists, will be very long."and his colleague Peter Kraft to add:" for most people, the tips that could give a physician for a specific disease will be exactly the same before or after seeing your genetic testing. "
Harvard University researchers recently showed that those hopes would probably never become reality.
They conducted a single study of its kind by analyzing the interaction between different genes and the environment for three major common diseases: the type 2 diabetes, breast cancer and rheumatoid arthritis. To do so they have developed a statistical model that takes into account most of the potential environmental interactions with genetic factors and compared the predictive ability of the risk of becoming ill with the former statistical models which did account than genes, without influence of the environment.
Thus, cancer breast, 15 genetic variations have been recorded and retained primarily environmental factors were the age of menarche, age at first pregnancy and the number of breast cancer occurred in the family. For diabetes, 31 genetic variations have been identified and environmental factors were primarily overweight, smoking, physical activity and family history of diabetes.
The researchers then made a surprising discovery: the ability to predict the risk of these diseases, taking into account the environmental risk factors, is only 1-3%. In other words, it is our way of life that is critical to our health, not genetics.
Hugues Aschard, one of the researchers, said: "overall, our results suggest that the complexity of genetic and environmental factors in connection with the disease should be considered a broader degree to be useful in prevention. The path to a genetic medicine of prevention, if it exists, will be very long."and his colleague Peter Kraft to add:" for most people, the tips that could give a physician for a specific disease will be exactly the same before or after seeing your genetic testing. "
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