New research by scientists at the University of Cambridge and ten other institutions, including 23andMe, has uncovered half a dozen genetic variants associated <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-19130" src="https://blog-api.23andme.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Pregnancy-Belly-300x207.jpg" alt="Pregnancy Belly" width="300" height="207" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Pregnancy-Belly-300x207.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Pregnancy-Belly-768x530.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Pregnancy-Belly.jpg 834w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />with <a href="https://blog.23andme.org/articles/what-is-pcos">polycystic ovary syndrome</a>, the most common reproductive disorder in women and a common cause of infertility.
Published this week in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/2015/150929/ncomms9464/full/ncomms9464.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nature Communications</a>, this is the largest genome wide association study to date on the condition involving genetic information from more than 200,000 women.
Researchers believe the insights from this study could help drive treatment and care for women.
­ ­“Not only did we find new genetic markers for polycystic ovary syndrome, but the findings also help us understand the biology of the disease,” said <a href="http://www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/people/john-perry" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dr John Perr</a>y, of the <a href="http://www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Medical Research Council (MRC</a>) Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge, and one of the lead authors of the study.
<div id="attachment_22930" style="width: 196px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-22930" class="size-medium wp-image-22930" src="https://blog-api.23andme.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/John_Perry_photo-186x300-186x300.jpg" alt="Dr. John Perry" width="186" height="300" />Dr. John Perry</div>
The researchers found that the risk of polycystic ovary syndrome increased because of genetic variants that were also associated with higher body mass index and insulin resistance. Therapies that lower body mass index and insulin resistance may help women with the condition, the researchers suggest.
“Previous studies had suggested that weight loss has only partial benefits,” said<a href="http://www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/people/ken-ong" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Dr Ken Ong,</a> of the MRC Epidemiology Unit and another lead author. “We recommend that new studies should be done to test whether more intensive efforts to reduce body weight and improve insulin resistance are effective in treating women with (polycystic ovary syndrome).”
In addition to these associations, the study also identified new genetic variants that implicate three of the four epidermal growth factor receptor genes (ERBB4/HER4), which are known targets of some modern cancer therapies. This suggests new avenues for research into future treatments for polycystic ovary syndrome.
On top of these genetic variants researchers also identified a new variant in the FSHB gene associated with polycystic ovary syndrome. The FSHB gene encodes the ‘follicle stimulating hormone,’ and low levels of this hormone may contribute to the development of syndrome.
One of the paradoxes of the condition is why it is so prevalent, which is counter-intuitive. A condition that reduces fertility would seem to over time become less and less prevalent. But researchers believe that it might mean that polycystic ovary syndrome is associated with a beneficial trait, such as a longer fertility span.
The condition is very common. Estimates are that in the UK alone it affects one in every five women. It is a leading cause of fertility problems and is also associated with an
<div id="attachment_22931" style="width: 209px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-22931" class="wp-image-22931 size-full" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Ken-Ong-199x300.jpg" alt="" width="199" height="300" />Dr. Ken Ong</div>
increased risk of developing health problems in later life, such as type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol.
For this study, the researchers used genetic information from more than 5,000 women of European ancestry who are 23andMe customers, reported having PCOS and consented to research. The study also included another 82,000 women customers of 23andMe who also consented to research but do not have the condition. Those women were used as controls for the study.
To help validated the findings the researchers also followed-up the study looking at 2,000 other women, whose PCOS had been clinically validated, and then looked at another 100,000 women without the condition. Those women were studied by the Icelandic company deCODE, by researchers at the Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands, and also at the Center for Human Genetic Research at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, USA.

23andMe Blog

23andMe Blog Team

New genetic variants found to influence polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) risk

We all measure our age in years, but results of a study lead by researchers at Kings College in London found what may be a better measurement of age – your genes.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright wp-image-22903 size-medium" src="https://blog-api.23andme.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/healthy-aging-300x192.jpg" alt="Old grizzled man standing on hand in pose lotus." width="300" height="192" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/healthy-aging-300x192.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/healthy-aging-768x491.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/healthy-aging.jpg 866w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />


Using RNA-profiling to measure and compare gene expression in thousands of tissue samples, the researchers were able to develop what amounts to “a biomarker for biological age” and an accurate classifier of young versus old muscle and brain tissue.
“Most people accept that all 60 year-olds are not the same, but there has been no reliable test for underlying &#8216;biological age,&#8217;” said James Timmons, of King’s College London and lead author of the<a href="http://www.genomebiology.com/2015/16/1/185"> new study</a>.


Essentially the researchers have come up with what they say is a better measurement for age, recognizing that some of us age better than others and a look at these biomarkers shows it.
Using this biomarker panel and scoring individuals based on these 150 RNA markers, could help identify people who are more at risk for age-related diseases, according to researchers. The panel may also offer better ways to gauge the effectiveness of anti-aging treatments. 
 

“This new test holds great potential … it may help improve the development and evaluation of treatments that prolong good health in older age,” said Dr Neha Issar-Brown, a program manager for population health sciences at the UK’s Medical Research Council, which helped fund the study.


While the research offers a promising new way to measure how we age, it doesn’t look at genes associated with disease or extreme longevity, which has been the focus of much of the research around aging.
While several small studies have found genetic variants that may play a role in healthy aging, larger broader genome wide studies have yet to find variants strongly associated with longevity. And yet genetics clearly plays an important role, but so too does environment and lifestyle.
For instance, some studies have focused at so-called<a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/04/150412-longevity-health-blue-zones-obesity-diet-ngbooktalk/"> “Blue Zones”</a> – regions where people tend to live long lives – and parsing out the kind of environment, social interactions and diet that might contribute to healthy living.
But each of these efforts add more to our understanding around aging, chipping away at uncovering just what distinguishes those who “age well” from those who don’t, and why.
Some researchers are even changing how we study aging in general, looking at it in the same way as we look at disease, and, like disease, approaching it as something that can be treated.
A wonderful<a href="http://news.sciencemag.org/biology/2015/09/feature-man-who-wants-beat-back-aging"> new article in Science</a> looking at a proposed clinical trial to test the drug Metformin, which has long been used to treat type 2 diabetes, as a treatment for several age-related diseases. The proposal, by a group of respected experts in human aging, is important because it pushes the FDA into new territory. Instead of looking at a single disease, the agency would evaluate a treatment for multiple diseases and   frankly some of the unavoidable consequences of getting older.


This effort isn’t about ending aging, the researchers say. As one of the researchers, S. Jay Olshansky, of the University of Illinois,  said in the Science article: “The goal is the extension of the period of healthy life.”

Live Long And Prosper

A Florida amnesiac has finally figured out his identity with a lot of help from strangers, genetic genealogist CeCe Moore and DNA testing. 
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-22891" src="https://blog-api.23andme.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Benjaman_Kyle-199x300.jpg" alt="Benjaman_Kyle" width="199" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Benjaman_Kyle-199x300.jpg 199w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Benjaman_Kyle.jpg 401w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 199px) 100vw, 199px" />

Benjaman Kyle, who was <a href="http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1007umga.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">found beaten</a> and semi-conscious behind a south Georgia Burger King 11 years ago, has spent the last several years in Jacksonville Florida, working in a kitchen. His story received national attention with coverage on <a href="https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129668438" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">NPR</a> and Dr. Phil to name a few.


“My identity has been found,” Kyle posted on his <a href="https://www.facebook.com/benjaman.kyle.9/posts/10207885434472513" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Facebook page</a>. “It is now the start of the eleventh year since this began and I never thought this day would come. A little over two months ago I was informed by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/cecemoore1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CeCe Moore</a> that they had established my Identity using DNA.” 


It was thought that the beating left him with “retrograde amnesia,” so that he could remember more recent event, but the past was largely blank. CeCe spent two years working with a team comparing matches from several DNA testing companies, including 23andMe where he had more than half a dozen close cousin matches and dozens of more distant cousins.

Looking at surnames, geography and the little information that Benjaman had – which included a specific birth date – she was able to find several likely matches, according to a <a href="http://www.news4jax.com/news/man-with-no-name-finally-knows-his-real-identity/35286594" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Florida News station</a> that covered the story this week.
One of the few memories he retained was of Indianapolis. The search connected him with family in Indiana, including several brothers.
Over the summer testing confirmed a family match.
He didn’t reveal his real name yet because:
“I am reserving my new name, for now, until I have met my new found relatives,” he said.

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DNA Testing Helps Amnesiac

Scott Fisher, the host of the syndicated family history radio show and podcast <a href="http://extremegenes.com/ep-104-23andme-dna-day-and-pursuing-a-jail-break/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Extreme Genes</a>, talked earlier this month with 23andMe’s Senior Director of <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-full wp-image-21027" src="https://blog-api.23andme.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/@PITER-23andMe-JoannaMountain-43.jpg" alt="@PITER-23andMe-JoannaMountain-43" width="200" height="285" />Research Joanna Mountain.


For this episode, Fischer and Joanna spoke again about ancestry features focusing in on some of the more common questions from customers. Fischer previously spoke with 23andMe population geneticist Kasia Byrc, PhD, about some of the science behind DNA testing, and he will continue to feature an expert from 23andMe on his show each month to delve into the ins and out of DNA testing for ancestry purposes.
Talking to Joanna, Fisher learned that many customers from the United States have family stories about Native American ancestry and they often test with 23andMe to explore that side of their family history.
“Sometimes they find it in the DNA, but sometimes it’s not there,” Joanna said during the show.


That doesn’t always mean that those family stories are wrong, but that the Native American ancestry has been lost over the generations, Joanna said. The DNA evidence might not be there anymore but there may still be cultural evidence of that ancestry.
Fischer also asked about adoptees and what typically motivates them to test.


“Actually they have a lot of the same questions (as other customers),” Joanna said.
But for adoptees, testing is often the only option to find out some very basic information, like their ancestry, said Joanna, who oversees research projects and the development of ancestry product offerings at 23andMe.
The show also featured David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist of the New England Historic Genealogical Society and American Ancestors, Sarah O’Connor of <a href="http://www.geneartistry.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">GeneArtistry</a>.com, and Tom Perry from <a href="http://www.tmcplace.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">TMCPlace.com</a>.


Check out the podcast <a href="http://extremegenes.com/ep-104-23andme-dna-day-and-pursuing-a-jail-break/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a>.

Another Extreme Genes Podcast

A large new study spearheaded by researchers at Montreal’s <a href="http://www.mcgill.ca/channels/news/novel-gene-implicated-osteoporosis-255200" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">McGill University</a> found a rare genetic variant with a large impact on bone<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-22843" src="https://blog-api.23andme.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Bone-x-ray-234x300.jpg" alt="Bone x-ray" width="234" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Bone-x-ray-234x300.jpg 234w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Bone-x-ray.jpg 612w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 234px) 100vw, 234px" /> density and the propensity for some people to fracture bones more easily than others.
This study – a meta-analysis that pooled data from 27 different cohorts totaling more than 53,000 people and included contributions from researchers at almost 100 different institutions including 23andMe – sheds new light on the genetics behind bone mineral density and fractures.
But the work also illustrates the potential for whole genome sequencing and the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/sep/14/uk-dna-shared-in-worldwide-search-for-genetic-causes-of-disease" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">power of large reference panels</a> like those developed by the <a href="http://www.1000genomes.org/about">1000 Genome Project</a> and <a href="http://www.uk10k.org/">UK 10K</a> to identify rare variants that have a strong influence on common traits and diseases.
“Our study illustrates that larger reference panels, covering relevant ethnicities, will facilitate the discovery of low frequency and rare variants,” the authors said.
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This approach offers a promising avenue for finding what scientists refer to as the “missing heritability” problem. For  many conditions scientists know that genetics plays an outsized role in its <a href="https://blog.23andme.org/articles/quiz-answers-heritability-demystified/">heritability</a>  – or the variation of a condition within a population that is due to genetics. But scientists have yet to identify many of the genetic factors involved, thus the term “missing heritability.”
<h6>Bone Mineral Density</h6>
In the case of bone mineral density, its heritability is estimated to be about 85 percent. Yet genome wide association studies have only identified variants that explain about 5 percent of that variation. So researchers in this study used a mixed approach. They wanted to look deeper into the genome for rare, low frequency and non-coding genetic variants that may play also play a role.
The approach included whole genome sequencing, exome sequencing, and genotypic data. It also included data imputed through the use of whole genome sequence reference panels to find rare and non-coding genetic variants.
The approach worked, allowing this team to find a rare non-coding variant that had a four times greater effect on bone mineral density than the average effect of all other variants previously identified to be associated with the condition. This rare variant had a large effect, suggesting that the gene has an important functional role in bone development.
<h6>Testing in Mice &amp; replication</h6>
After making the finding, the researchers tested it in mice. They looked at how changes to a variant near the EN1 gene might impact bone mineral density. It turned out to have an affect on limb development in mice.
Then the team looked to see if they could replicate their findings. They wanted to see if a rare non-coding variant near the EN1 gene, had a very large effect on bone mineral density. Using data from other cohorts – including 23andMe – the researchers were also able to replicate their findings.
<h6>Importance of Non-Coding Variants</h6>
The researchers used data from about half a million 23andMe customers. These customers who consented to research also gave information about fractures.  In addition, the team looked at additional findings regarding several other variants. These were other variants they found that were also associated with the condition.
The study offers new insight into the biology of bone development. But it also is a good proof point on leveraging large whole genome sequencing reference panels. Doing this allows researchers to impute data from multiple cohorts and search for relevant rare non-coding variants involved in other diseases and conditions.

Genetic Influences on Bone Density and Fractures

Scientists have unearthed a trove of bones in a South African cave belonging to a previously unidentified early human relative.
<div id="attachment_22837" style="width: 277px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-22837" class="size-medium wp-image-22837" src="https://blog-api.23andme.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/F1.large-1-267x300.jpg" alt="Composite skeleton of Homo nadeli along with other bones found at the Rising Star Cave in South Africa. Photo: Lee Berger, Wits, photographed at Evolutionary Studies Institute" width="267" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/F1.large-1-267x300.jpg 267w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/F1.large-1-768x863.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/F1.large-1-911x1024.jpg 911w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/F1.large-1-783x880.jpg 783w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/F1.large-1-1050x1180.jpg 1050w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 267px) 100vw, 267px" />Composite skeleton of Homo nadeli along with other bones found at the Rising Star Cave in South Africa. Photo: Lee Berger, Wits, photographed at Evolutionary Studies Institute</div>
<h2>Rising Star</h2>
Found in the “Rising Star Cave,” the new species has been dubbed homo naledi – naledi is the Sosetho word for star – and fills in more detail about the story of human evolution.
“We’ve found a new species that we are placing in the genus Homo, which is really quite remarkable,” <a href="https://twitter.com/LeeRberger">Lee Berger</a>, a paleoanthropologist, who led the research told the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/sep/10/new-species-of-ancient-human-discovered-claim-scientists">Guardian</a>.
There’s much to ponder with the new finding and some intriguing implications discussed at length in two <a href="http://elifesciences.org/content/4/e09560">new papers</a> about the bones as well as a new <a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/evolution/dawn-of-humanity.html">Nova</a> special. For one, the find adds more information in the big gap in the fossil record tracing back to the dawn of humanity. 
<h2>Homo Naledi</h2>
One of the papers also details where and how the bones were found and covers various theories about how they got there. The implication from that paper is that the bones – more than a 1,000 bones and bone fragments from at least 15 individuals – were possibly brought there for burial. If true this would suggest that homo naledi were advanced enough to actually have a ritual for burying their dead.
“If true it points to advance behavior,” <a href="http://bluelionphotos.blogspot.co.za/2015/09/the-rising-star-interviews.html">said John Hawkes</a>, and paleoanthropologist from the University of Wisconsin who is a co-author of the paper.
That would also point to such things as social bonds, and other kinds of communal structures.
The excavation and its implications are covered at length in the upcoming issue of <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/09/150910-human-evolution-change/">National Geographic</a>.
<h2>Ancient Human Relative</h2>
The team believes the bones &#8211; as yet undated &#8211; represent a new ancient human relative that adds another chapter in the human story.
The bones have some characteristics that are similar to both modern humans and other ancient human species that pre-date it. They were long-legged and slender with hands and feet similar to humans, but their brains were only about a third of the size of modern humans.
In the wonderful <a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/evolution/dawn-of-humanity.html">Nova</a> program, scientists say the find should more clearly change how we look at the human family tree, where there were likely many different species that branched out in different ways, some crossing back to contribute to what ultimately became modern humans, while others went extinct.

Hello Cousin

Blurring the line between stranger and relation, the artist <a href="http://laurelnakadate.weebly.com/">Laurel Nakadate</a> used DNA testing to connect to hundreds of cousins who she
<div id="attachment_18738" style="width: 235px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-18738" class="size-medium wp-image-18738" src="https://blog-api.23andme.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/LN_Suki_Dhanda_Portrait_LR-225x300.jpg" alt="Laurel Nakadate. Photo: © Suki Dhanda, 2011, Courtesy Leslie Tonkonow Artworks + Projects, New York" width="225" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/LN_Suki_Dhanda_Portrait_LR-225x300.jpg 225w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/LN_Suki_Dhanda_Portrait_LR-660x880.jpg 660w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/LN_Suki_Dhanda_Portrait_LR.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px" />Laurel Nakadate. Photo: © Suki Dhanda, 2011, Courtesy Leslie Tonkonow Artworks + Projects, New York</div>
photographed for a series of arresting portraits.
The photos, all taken outdoors, at night with the subjects alone and lit by only a flashlight, convey both intimacy and distance at the same time. We first <a href="https://blog.23andme.org/articles/strangers-and-relations">wrote about</a> the photo series two years ago.
Called <a href="http://www.tonkonow.com/nakadate_relations.html">“Strangers and Relations”</a> the portraits also beg the question of what those two terms really mean.
Would you feel any different standing alone at night in the middle of nowhere with a stranger pointing a camera at you, if that stranger was a relative?
Nakadate, who spoke with us about her project, said the idea for the work came after thinking about the distant cousins she found through 23andMe and another company. This collection of people, who were strangers to her,   shared a common ancestor, and that mix of the familiar and foreign is what spurred her to embark on a what ended up being a 50,000 mile journey around the United States photographing her distant cousins.
Her portraits from Strangers and Relations have been displayed across the country, most recently in her former hometown of Des Moines, Iowa.
Below are just two that are featured in the series.

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				<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="200" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/LN_Relations_Tyler2_MG_0651_LR-300x200.jpg" class="attachment-medium size-medium" alt="" aria-describedby="gallery-1-18736" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/LN_Relations_Tyler2_MG_0651_LR-300x200.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/LN_Relations_Tyler2_MG_0651_LR-768x512.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/LN_Relations_Tyler2_MG_0651_LR-880x587.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/LN_Relations_Tyler2_MG_0651_LR.jpg 1024w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
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				Tyler, Texas #2, 2013. © Laurel Nakadate, Courtesy Leslie Tonkonow Artworks + Projects, New York
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				<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="200" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/LN_Relations_Cleveland_MG_9246_LR-300x200.jpg" class="attachment-medium size-medium" alt="" aria-describedby="gallery-1-18731" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/LN_Relations_Cleveland_MG_9246_LR-300x200.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/LN_Relations_Cleveland_MG_9246_LR-768x512.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/LN_Relations_Cleveland_MG_9246_LR-880x587.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/LN_Relations_Cleveland_MG_9246_LR.jpg 1024w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
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				Cleveland, Ohio #1, 2012 © Laurel Nakadate, Courtesy Leslie Tonkonow Artworks + Projects, New York
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Strangers No More

Bolstering the theory that modern society’s fixation on cleanliness might actually be hurting the development of healthy immune systems in children, <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/content/349/6252/1106.full">a new study</a> published this week in the journal Science suggests that exposure to the kinds of <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-22620" src="https://blog-api.23andme.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/dairy-cow-300x200.jpg" alt="dairy cow" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/dairy-cow-300x200.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/dairy-cow-768x511.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/dairy-cow.jpg 849w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />bacteria found in the farmyard may actually protect children from allergies, hay fever and asthma.


The development of asthma and allergies is complicated and involves many factors both environmental and <a href="https://blog.23andme.org/23andme-research/new-genetic-associations-found-for-allergies-and-asthma/">genetic</a>. Asthma and allergies, which are strongly linked to each other, are among the most common diseases in the industrialized world. But several studies have shown that in the last few decades there has been a surge in the number of people in developed countries who’ve developed asthma or allergies.
There are many theories offered to explain this surge, one, the “<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2841828/">hygiene hypothesis</a>,” suggests that an increasingly sanitized environment inhibits the development of the immune system, making people more prone to allergies and asthma.   Another theory is that increasing exposure to chemicals and pollutants are the culprits.

<div style="float: right; text-align: justified; width: 300px; background-color: #eee; padding: 15px; margin-left: 10px;"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" wp-image-6151 aligncenter" src="https://blog-api.23andme.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/allergy.jpg" alt="allergy" width="250" height="222" /> Allergies of a Feather Flock Together 
People with allergies tend to be allergic to multiple things. Sometimes this makes sense – being allergic to cats and dogs for instance – other times the groupings make you scratch your head. Based on our research survey data, we found that if you are allergic to one insect’s sting, it is more likely that you’ll be allergic to another. But food allergies do not appear to be associated with other kinds of allergies.You can learn more about these associations<a href="https://www.23andme.org/about/factoid/factoid_allergies/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> here</a>.</div>

In the study published in Science researchers looked into why children who grew up on dairy farms appear to be protected from allergies, hay fever and asthma.


In mice, researchers found that low-dose exposure to farm dust triggered an inflammatory response that later protected the mice from developing asthma induced from dust mites. Looking at the biology, the researchers found that the exposure modified a particular enzyme, A20, which is involved in this defensive inflammatory mechanism.
For many with asthma, that enzyme is disabled.
While the new study adds more support for the hygiene hypothesis, the researchers said they still must look at to see if this protective mechanism lasts into adulthood.

Allergies And The Hygiene Hypothesis

When he was 21, Gary Skillings tried to contact his mother through a nun at the Catholic orphanage from which he was adopted in the 1950s, but she didn’t want to see him.
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<div id="attachment_22818" style="width: 168px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-22818" class="size-full wp-image-22818" src="https://blog-api.23andme.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/safe_image.php_.jpg" alt="Gary Skillings' Photo" width="158" height="158" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/safe_image.php_.jpg 158w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/safe_image.php_-150x150.jpg 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 158px) 100vw, 158px" />Gary Skillings&#8217; Photo</div>
“That was kind of a heartbreaker,” Skilling told <a href="http://www.sunjournal.com/news/lewiston-auburn/2015/08/30/dna-test-brings-florida-man-home-maine/1771495">the Sun Journal newspape</a>r in Maine. “But I honored her wish.”


Although he longed to know more about his background and who his mother was, Gary didn’t search any further after that failed attempt to make a connection. But he was left with at least one bit of information, his mother’s first name, Aline. Fast-forward a few decades, Gary was able to use 23andMe and genealogical records to learn more about his mother, and connect with cousins he never knew he had.


His story, nicely told by the local paper in Lewiston Maine, includes meeting more than 50 relatives, cousins, aunt and uncles who welcomed him into the family.


“They had this reception for me and all these people showed up,” he told the newspaper. “They were all total strangers to me, yet all related.”


They shared photos and family stories with him. He learned more about his now deceased mother, Aline Mary Cotes, and his out-of-wedlock birth. He found a close cousin, who knew about his birth and actually knew about Gary’s effort to contact his mother so long ago. She had vowed to keep it all a secret.


Check out the story <a href="http://www.sunjournal.com/news/lewiston-auburn/2015/08/30/dna-test-brings-florida-man-home-maine/1771495">here</a>.

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