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What is the role of genetic ? |
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During the last decade, considerable progress has been accomplished in the field of human genome, generating great hopes for the diagnosis and the treatment of chronic diseases. Up to now, these hopes were mainly disappointed.
All doctor knows that there are family predispositions to the cardiovascular diseases.
The first phase of a consultation must consist in interrogating the patient on his family medical history. However it is very difficult to see the light between daily habits (modifiable) transmitted by the family from generation to generation (and common to a given generation) and a genetic risk (non-modifiable until contrary proof).
In fact, the more we study the relations between the cardiovascular diseases and the genetic characteristics of the individuals we finally give less importance to the genetic factors compared to the way of life.
The factors known as "environment", in particular the food habits are apparently prevalent. Do we have to be surprised? Not really !
Health of the migrants
In fact studies carried out on migrants in the years 1960-1970, had already suggested that the great geographical variations of the incidence of the cardiovascular diseases could not have genetic explanation or racial reason.
Some of these studies have become famous, in particular those concerning the Japanese migrating towards the <>. In general, this migration was done in two stages (in two generations) over the . The first generation stopped in and the second made the great jump from towards <>.
The three populations which remained in from and <>, are obviously genetically identical. However, the cardiovascular risk increased in a considerable way with "the new Californian ones"; the level of risk is similar between native Californian and emigrants share as they share the same lifestyle.
This risk is at an intermediate level with the “new Hawaiians" as it is related to their aptitude to adapt the American life style.
On the contrary, certain migrant populations who kept their original lifestyle in the host country and preserved their natural way of life did not see their risk increase.
It is the case for example of the Greek communities in <>! The obsession of many Greek migrants to preserve their traditional way of life is such that certain "exiled" communities remained attached to practices which do not have even any link with <> today.
| Let's take the example of a Belgian, Italian and an Englishman |
The purpose of the European study (financed by the European Community) IMMIDIET is to study on four European populations (Flemish from Belgium, Italian from the Abruzzi, a British from the south of London and Italian-Belgian living in Flanders) concerning the impact on their food habits and the genetic variations on the principal factors of risk of myocardial infarction. The first results clearly demonstrates that the way of life of the populations (in particular their diet) is much more important than the genetic characteristics in the determination of the risk. Paradoxically, but in relation to the process of homogenization of the European populations, it appears that the food habits of the British improved considerably during the last decades while those of the Italians were falling down with the loss or the lapse of memory of the Mediterranean traditions. These tendencies are accompanied by parallel modifications of the prevalent of the cardiovascular diseases in these countries, which confirms that no one is protected by the climate or the geographical position from which it has inherited.
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Supplementary food
