Amish Gene Heart Research
December 31, 2008 by jody
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
Researchers have found a gene known only to the Amish population so far. This information may prove to be extremity important in heart re
search, leading to new methods of preventing heart problems.
The researchers found that the older Amish people were the best test subjects. Older Amish are genetically homogenous, that can trace their families back 14 generations all the way to Europe in the 1700 hundreds.
Amish people live a slower pace of life and eat homegrown foods that do not contain preservatives. They get more exercise and have higher levels of good HDL-cholesterol, lower levels of LDL or bad cholesterol.
"People who have the mutation all have low triglycerides," said Toni Pollin of the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, who led the study released Thursday.
Pollin and colleagues looked at the genes of about 800 Amish people, finding that about one in 20 had the mutation, and they also had lower triglycerides and less risk of cardiovascular disease.
This amazing article can be found on this MSNBC site.
