Genetic diversity is a predictor of mortality in humans.

ABSTRACT:

Background

It has been well-established, both by population genetics theory and direct observation in many organisms, that increased genetic diversity provides a survival advantage. However, given the limitations of both sample size and genome-wide metrics, this hypothesis has not been comprehensively tested in human populations. Moreover, the presence of numerous segregating small effect alleles that influence traits that directly impact health directly raises the question as to whether global measures of genomic variation are themselves associated with human health and disease.

Results

We performed a meta-analysis of 17 cohorts followed prospectively, with a combined sample size of 46,716 individuals, including a total of 15,234 deaths. We find a significant association be

SUBMITTER: Bihlmeyer NA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4301661 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature