A new study by scientists at 23andMe, the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), and the University of Toronto offers insight into how the nuclear genome controls the emergence of mutations in mitochondrial DNA.
Published in<a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/7/12/eabe7520/tab-article-info"> Scientific Advances</a>, the new findings will help researchers studying serious mitochondrial diseases.
&#8220;Mitochondrial diseases represent a very large spectrum, and many are fatal,” said Neal Sondheimer, M.D., Ph.D., principal investigator of the study and Staff Physician in Clinical and Metabolic Genetics at SickKids. “With a better understanding of how mitochondrial variants emerge, we can explore new possibilities for the prevention or possibly the treatment of disease.&#8221;
<h6>mtDNA</h6>
We often refer to genetics as if each person has one genome, but we all actually have two genomes – the nuclear genome and mitochondrial genome.
The <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-health-ancestry">mitochondrial</a> genome (known as mtDNA) is uniquely inherited only from our mother. It operates under separate rules for inheritance and repairs to its structure. Mitochondria act like tiny cellular power plants in our bodies. Even though mtDNA represents just a small fraction of our DNA, they have outsized importance. Even small differences in mtDNA can cause serious mitochondrial diseases. Those differences may have a significant impact on such things as Alzheimer&#8217;s disease, aging, autism, preterm birth, and more.
<h6>Heteroplasmy</h6>
Mitochondrial function and DNA maintenance rely on nuclear genome-encoded components. The presence of mtDNA mutation leads to a phenomenon called heteroplasmy – an area of focus for this study.
Heteroplasmy occurs when two or more variants of mtDNA exist in the same cell. The study used data from almost one million 23andMe customers, who consented to participate in research, to calculate heteroplasmy and then identify regions of the nuclear genome that were associated with heteroplasmy. Two candidate areas in the nuclear genome associated with heteroplasmy are known to be involved in the replication of mtDNA.

23andMe Blog

23andMe Blog Team

Scientists uncover new information about how hard-to-treat genetic diseases are inherited

As a family medicine doctor Abayomi Jones has seen disparities in healthcare firsthand — the lack of access, or insurance, or poverty, or all of the above contribute to poor outcomes, but there’s also more to it than that.&nbsp;
“Yeah I see it and I understand why there’s mistrust in the (Black) community around research or science in general. It’s hard not to,” said Dr. Jones.
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 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="731" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/jones-abayomiPhoto-1024x731.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-28806" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/jones-abayomiPhoto-1024x731.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/jones-abayomiPhoto-300x214.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/jones-abayomiPhoto-768x549.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/jones-abayomiPhoto-880x629.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/jones-abayomiPhoto-1180x843.jpg 1180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
 
<h6>Unequal Outcomes</h6>
Racism plays a role, she said. Some of it is historical, such as the infamous Tuskegee Syphilis Study. But some of it is happening right now, such as<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4843483/"> how pain medication is administered</a> differently between Black and white patients. In other cases, it might be less obvious but even those subtle differences result in unequal outcomes.&nbsp;
And the pandemic has only “exposed the racism and equity gaps in healthcare that were already there, to begin with,” Dr. Jones said.&nbsp;
You see it in the vastly different outcomes for between Black and white patients with COVID-19, for example.
<h6>A Need for More Inclusive Research</h6>
But despite those problems with the current system, Dr. Jones sees value for her and other African Americans to participate in research. Right now, not enough <a href="https://www.23andme.com/research/">genetic health research</a> includes people from the Black community, leaving them less likely to benefit from the insights of that research. She’s also seen this firsthand in daily medical interactions in the clinic.&nbsp;
For example, oftentimes doctors take BMI as a total number, instead of looking at body distribution and body types, she said. And they use this “average” as a general metric for all populations.
“That feels like an insult,” Dr. Jones said. “I don’t think people take it that way but the data that was used to derive that table was taken from people who do not look like me or that doesn’t take into account people who look like me.”
It’s the idea that so much of health research talks about the “average population” but that in many cases that average isn’t from all populations.&nbsp;
“And I think a lot of times in healthcare (average) is a synonym for “normal” and I think that’s the unspoken bias,” Dr. Jones said. “It’s that the average is ‘normal,’ but what if you are not a part of that average? What does that make you?”
<h6>The Motivation to Participate</h6>
That’s part of her motivation for participating in 23andMe research. She also believes that if more African Americans participate in research, whether with 23andMe, or the National Institutes of Health, there will be more relevant data around conditions that are so much more prevalent within the African American community.
“Which are all the diseases that have some of the highest mortality rates like diabetes, heart disease and weight-related conditions like hyperlipidemia,” Dr. Jones said.
Dr. Jones is also interested, not just in how the healthcare system treats people differently depending on their race, or how health research has left out the Black population, but in the health effects of racism itself.
“How stress affects your health, and the post-traumatic stress of racism specifically,” she said.
By participating in research Dr. Jones hopes to contribute to research that will benefit the Black community.
“The biggest thing is transparency,” she said. “I want to know who is profiting from this research and how will it be used? I think there is a lot of interest in how this research&nbsp; can help us and other people too.”

Participating to Improve Representation in Research

By Elliot Aguilar, Ph.D.*
For nearly all its existence, America has not only been a multiracial nation but a nation of mixed-race people.
The truth is rarely acknowledged despite the evidence being easy to find. In the nineteenth century, famed antebellum diarist Mary Chesnut remarked on the mixed-race children in “everybody’s household.” At the same time, her contemporary, Fanny Kemble, made a note of some enslaved children who bore a striking resemblance to the white overseer of her husband’s plantation. From 1850 to 1920, the category of “Mulatto” appeared in multiple US Censuses.
And there are many other examples, from old newspaper advertisements for ‘bright mulatto’ runaway slaves to popular songs like The Yellow Rose of Texas, that celebrate the pivotal role of a mixed-race woman in the fight for Texan independence. Each is a testament to the truth of our country’s history.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright wp-image-28805 size-medium" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Diary-Feature-Image-Wide-300x137.png" alt="" width="300" height="137" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Diary-Feature-Image-Wide-300x137.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Diary-Feature-Image-Wide.png 395w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
<h2>History is Personal</h2>
While the historical evidence can tell us that racial mixing happened, the advent of DNA testing from 23andMe and other companies has helped to bring to light America’s complicated racial history on an individual level. The science of population genetics now allows us to quantify—and appreciate—the scale of past mixing and its effect on the ancestry of contemporary Americans.
My own family&#8217;s recent origins are in Central and South America where racial mixing is a more openly acknowledged fact of our history.  As a population biologist and a first-generation American, I am fascinated by how science can teach all Americans about our shared, intertwined history.
However, this history will come as no surprise to many African Americans, whose family lore often retains the memory of interracial unions, as well as the often traumatic circumstances that gave rise to them. Even then, science is illuminating and validating those family histories. As poet Caroline Randall Williams, the author of the acclaimed NYT op-ed, My Body is a Confederate Monument, has put it, “the science has made it easier to…claim and reframe” those family traditions.
<h2>DNA Reveals</h2>
A 2015 study by 23andMe senior scientist and population geneticist Kasia Bryc and colleagues in the <a href="https://www.cell.com/ajhg/fulltext/S0002-9297(14)00476-5">American Journal of Human Genetics</a> found that, on average, self-reported African Americans in a dataset of 23andMe customers had about a quarter European ancestry.  <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgen.1006059">Another study </a>— this one by researchers at McGill University published two years later — showed a lower, but still very significant average level of European ancestry, about 17 percent.
But both studies vividly illustrated not just the historical intermixing of people of African, European, and Native American ancestry, but also the regional differences of that mixing within the United States. Both studies also found a measurable number of self-identified European Americans had one percent or more African ancestry. Though far lower than the European contribution to African American genomes, these findings show that the direction of genes flowing between the groups was not exclusively one-way.
Another telling finding in both of these studies is that African Americans’ European ancestry was more often than not traceable to Northern Europe, the source of most early European settlers in colonial America. This finding points to intermixing from our nation’s earliest history.  It is also a testament to the centuries-long residence of African Americans in this country, stretching back long before the founding in 1776.
<h6>What that Means</h6>
The levels of European ancestry among African Americans can give us some idea of how often interracial unions — whether forced, coerced, or consensual — occurred. Using estimates from computer simulations of African American population history by anthropologist Jessica Gross based on g<a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-ancestry">enetic data and historical records</a>, I calculated that an African American, randomly selected from any point in American history, had a nearly 17 percent chance of having at least one white grandparent.
<div id="attachment_28800" style="width: 235px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-28800" class="wp-image-28800 size-medium" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Elliot-A-225x300.jpg" alt="A photo of the writer Elliot Aguilar." width="225" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Elliot-A-225x300.jpg 225w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Elliot-A-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Elliot-A-660x880.jpg 660w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Elliot-A-885x1180.jpg 885w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Elliot-A-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px" />Elliot Aguilar, PhD</div>
Put another way, if you could travel to any time between 1619 and today and poll an African American person randomly, there would be a one in six chance that he or she had at least one white grandparent. And this number is likely an underestimate as Gross’s models assumed that the European contribution per generation to the African American gene pool has been constant throughout American history. It was likely significantly higher during the time of slavery when some Americans held total dominion over the bodies of others.
<h2>Out of Many, One</h2>
The findings from these studies, and the results of individual genetic ancestry tests, undermine the long-held binary classifications of black and white.  This notion is the legacy of the so-called ‘one-drop rule,’ by which a person with a single known ancestor of African descent was considered black. This rule had its earliest origins in colonial-era legislation, but it wasn’t until the Jim Crow era that it became a fixed legal and social reality. The fact that race has been assigned according to laws and social definitions, as opposed to one’s actual ancestry, underlines the fact that race is a social construct and not a biological reality.
Ever since the 2000 US census allowed Americans to select multiple races, a lot of articles have been written about the increase of the country’s mixed-race population.  As the evidence above demonstrates, we have always been a nation with a sizable mixed-race population. What is new is that Americans can now claim their multiple ancestries without shame or discrimination.
America has endured centuries of social division based on race, despite our shared genetic ties. The challenge of our future is to make our famous motto ‘E Pluribus Unum’— out of many one — a social reality, just as it has been a genetic reality all along.
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*This post comes to us from a friend of 23andMe. Elliot is a scientific advisor for the Africa Center in New York City. He has an undergraduate degree in physics from Harvard and a Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology from City University of New York. He did post-graduate work in mathematical biology at the University of Pennsylvania. Elliot’s day job is as a data scientist with an e-commerce company.

DNA Reveals America’s Mixed-Race History

23andMe recently added a new report on pyruvate kinase (PK) deficiency, a rare genetic disorder that can result in chronic anemia and other serious complications.*
This new Carrier Status report looks at one variant in the PKLR gene linked to PK deficiency. The inherited condition is autosomal recessive, meaning that a person must inherit two variants in the PKLR gene, or two copies of a variant (one from each parent), to develop the condition.
The report is meant to offer customers an opportunity to learn about their family’s potential risk for PK deficiency, while also raising awareness about this rare <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-health-ancestry">inherited condition</a>.
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 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="915" height="513" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/PKLR.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-28808" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/PKLR.jpg 915w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/PKLR-300x168.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/PKLR-768x431.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/PKLR-880x493.jpg 880w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 915px) 100vw, 915px" /></figure>
 
<h6>More About PK Deficiency</h6>
The PKLR gene contains instructions for making the PK enzyme, which is found mostly in red blood cells and liver cells. This enzyme is crucial in breaking down glucose and producing adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the main energy source for the human body. Certain variants in the PKLR gene can disrupt the <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/dna_dot_variant_pink-300x300.png" alt="" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-25119" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/dna_dot_variant_pink-300x300.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/dna_dot_variant_pink-150x150.png 150w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/dna_dot_variant_pink-271x271.png 271w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/dna_dot_variant_pink-372x372.png 372w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/dna_dot_variant_pink-574x574.png 574w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/dna_dot_variant_pink.png 600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />function of the PK enzyme, leading to the premature destruction of red blood cells, and ultimately a type of anemia called hemolytic anemia. <a id="f1" href="#a1">[1,2]</a>
Along with chronic anemia, the other symptoms associated with PK deficiency may include fatigue, jaundice, enlarged spleen, iron overload, and gallstones. <a id="f1" href="#a1">[3,4]</a> While there is no known cure for the condition, treatments for some of the symptoms include blood transfusions, medications to remove excess iron from the blood, and removal of the spleen and gallbladder.<a id="f1" href="#a1">[3,4]</a> Medications that increase the activity of the PK enzyme in red blood cells are also in development, as a way to treat the underlying cause of the condition. <a id="f5" href="#a5">[5]</a>
Because the symptoms of PK deficiency can vary widely and are sometimes mild, the condition may remain undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. <a id="f1" href="#a1">[1,2]</a> PK deficiency is found in people of many ethnicities, and it’s estimated that the condition affects about 1 in 20,000 people of European descent.<a id="f2" href="#a2">[2]</a>
<h6>23andMe’s New Report</h6>
23andMe’s new Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency Carrier Status report* tests for one variant linked to PK deficiency. However, there are more than 300 variants in the PKLR gene linked to the condition.<a id="f1" href="#a1">[3,6]</a> This means that customers who receive a &#8220;Variant not detected&#8221; result could still have a variant not covered by the test. Because the condition runs in families, 23andMe’s new Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency Carrier Status report gives customers an opportunity to learn more about their chances of passing a variant on to their children. For customers with a variant detected, if their partner is also a carrier for PK deficiency, each child has a 25 percent chance of having the condition. In some cases, customers may also learn that, based on their genetic result, they are at risk of developing symptoms of PK deficiency. This in turn gives them a chance to discuss the condition with their healthcare provider, and learn about potential next steps. It is important to note that 23andMe reports are not intended to diagnose any health conditions or to determine the appropriate treatment.
Because of its own commitment to raise awareness about PK deficiency, Agios Pharmaceuticals supported the development of this report. The company, a leader in the development of treatments for cancer and rare genetic diseases, has worked for many years on treatments for PK deficiency, developing a deep understanding of the impact the condition has on patients and their families. The company’s team of scientists, researchers, and patient advocates offered important insight into our development of this report.
The Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency Carrier Status report is available to 23andMe Health + Ancestry customers who are genotyped on 23andMe’s V5 chip. 
*The 23andMe PGS test uses qualitative genotyping to select clinically relevant variants in the genomic DNA of adults for the purpose of reporting carrier status and reporting and interpreting genetic health risks. The relevance of each report may vary based on ethnicity. Our carrier status reports can be used to determine carrier status, but cannot determine if you have two copies of any genetic variant. These carrier reports are not intended to tell you anything about your risk for developing a disease in the future or anything about the health of your fetus, or your newborn child&#8217;s risk of developing a particular disease later in life. For certain conditions, we provide a single report that includes information on both carrier status and genetic health risk. The Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency carrier status report is indicated for the detection of the R486W variant in the PKLR gene. The report can tell you if you have two copies of the R486W variant, and if you are at risk of developing symptoms of pyruvate kinase deficiency, but does not describe your overall risk of developing symptoms.
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<h6 class="footnotes">References:</h6>
<footer class="footnotes"><code></code><code></code> <code style="display: none;"> </code><code> </code><a id="f1" href="#a1">[1]</a> National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD). &#8220;Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency.&#8221; Retrieved Oct 27, 2020 from <a href="https://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/pyruvate-kinase-deficiency/">https://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/pyruvate-kinase-deficiency/</a></footer>
<footer class="footnotes"><code></code> <a id="f2" href="#a2">[2]</a> MedlinePlus. &#8220;Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency.&#8221; Retrieved Oct 27, 2020 from <a href="https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/condition/pyruvate-kinase-deficiency/">https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/condition/pyruvate-kinase-deficiency/</a>. </footer>
<footer class="footnotes"><a id="f3" href="#a3">[3]</a> Bianchi P et al. (2019). &#8220;Addressing the diagnostic gaps in pyruvate kinase deficiency: Consensus recommendations on the diagnosis of pyruvate kinase deficiency.&#8221; Am J Hematol. 94(1):149-161. <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30358897/">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30358897/</a></footer>
<footer class="footnotes"><code> </code><a href="#a4">[4]</a> Grace RF et al. (2018). &#8220;Clinical spectrum of pyruvate kinase deficiency: data from the Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency Natural History Study.&#8221; Blood. 131(20):2183-2192. <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29549173/">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29549173/</a></footer>
<footer class="footnotes"><code style="display: none;"> </code><code> </code><a href="#a5">[5]</a> Grace RF et al. (2019). &#8220;Safety and Efficacy of Mitapivat in Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency.&#8221; N Engl J Med. 381(10):933-944. <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31483964/">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31483964/</a></footer>
<footer class="footnotes"><code style="display: none;"> </code><code> </code><a href="#a6">[6] </a>Bianchi P et al. (2020). &#8220;Genotype-phenotype correlation and molecular heterogeneity in pyruvate kinase deficiency.&#8221; Am J Hematol. 95(5):472-482. <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32043619/">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32043619/</a><a id="f=6" href="#a6"> 
 
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A New 23andMe Report on Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency

Millions of 23andMe customers in the United States have some Irish ancestry, and because March is <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/03/01/a-proclamation-on-irish-american-heritage-month-2021/">Irish-American Heritage Month</a>, we’re again sharing something we looked at not too long ago about where in Ireland their ancestors called home.
We learned that although Irish immigration peaked in the U.S. in the mid-19th century, many of the connections we found were much more recent. To more closely examine those connections, we looked at how many customers in the United States reported having Irish grandparents. Then we asked those customers where in Ireland their grandparents called home.
<h6>Where in Ireland</h6>
Most reported connections to the counties of Cork, Mayo, or Galway in The Republic of Ireland. Others also had grandparents from the cities of Belfast and Dublin. Belfast is the largest city in Northern Ireland, while Dublin is the biggest in the Republic of Ireland.
The darker the shading on the map below, the more customers who report grandparents from that region.

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="461" height="512" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ireland.png" alt="" class="wp-image-28129" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ireland.png 461w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ireland-270x300.png 270w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 461px) 100vw, 461px" /></figure>
 
<h6>Coming to America</h6>
As a result of the Irish potato famine between 1845–1849, Ireland experienced a sustained <a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/heritage/great-famine-s-impact-illustrated-by-interactive-map-1.3428848">exodus</a> of people — and to date, the island’s population has not recovered to pre-famine numbers. 
Many of those immigrants wound up in the United States, but what is interesting is that our data showed patterns of recent Irish ancestry that mimicked historical patterns of migration to the United States.
So 23andMe researchers dug a little deeper. We did this by looking at data from customers with grandparents from Ireland. Sure enough, we saw higher concentrations of people with recent Irish ancestry in the Northeast, particularly New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.  Mapping that data we saw more clearly where in the United States many of these immigrants wound up. (See Census map from 2019 below that aligns with our own look at the distribution of where people with Irish ancestry live.)
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-26929 aligncenter" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/irish-american.jpg" alt="" width="612" height="648" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/irish-american.jpg 612w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/irish-american-283x300.jpg 283w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 612px) 100vw, 612px" />
The data also showed fewer individuals with recent Irish ancestry in the Deep South and the Southwest. It’s important to note that this is not mapping genetic ancestry. Rather it is looking at concentrations of where people who reported having grandparents that were born in Ireland currently live.
While this data was not the most surprising to our population geneticists, what’s interesting is that the state-wide segmentation mirrors U.S. Census data on reported Irish ancestry. It also aligns with long-established patterns of where Irish immigrants have settled since first arriving in the country. Certain communities, like Plymouth County south of Boston Massachusetts, have higher concentrations of people with Irish ancestry in the country, <a href="https://www.census.gov/newsroom/facts-for-features/2019/irish-american-month.html">according to the U.S. Census Bureau</a> 
<h6>Studies of Irish Ancestry reveal unexpected connections</h6>
In a number of recent studies (<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29370172">7</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29222464">8</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20571510">9</a>), researchers identified distinct genetic clusters within the island of Ireland. While Irish people tended to be genetically similar to each other, there were a few regional differences the study was able to identify within the DNA.  
For example, southern Ireland was the most genetically distinct from the rest of the island, followed by Northern Ireland and central Ireland (which split rather unexpectedly into a northern half and a southern half).  
Why unexpected?  
Historically, there were four traditional Irish provinces: Ulster in the North, Munster in the South, Connacht in the West, and Leinster in the East. According to the DNA, It seems that people migrated between East and West in Central Ireland over time, obscuring some of these traditional borders.  

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="512" height="216" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Orkney.png" alt="" class="wp-image-28130" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Orkney.png 512w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Orkney-300x127.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></figure>
 
<h6>Why “British &amp; Irish” ancestry peaks in Ireland</h6>
Our own researchers were able to explore the impact of ancient and historical migration from mainland Europe into the British Isles (<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26712024">1</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26783717">2</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15309688">3</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29466337">4</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26783965">5</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12082121">6</a>). There are clear geographic differences in our customers’ average ancestry percentages. Customers with four grandparents born in Ireland tend to have more British &amp; Irish ancestry than customers with four grandparents born in Great Britain.
You can clearly see that French &amp; German ancestry reaches over 25% in England’s Southeast, where British &amp; Irish ancestry hovers around 50%. Compare that to more than 90% British and Irish ancestry in western Ireland, or more than 75% in western Wales and northern Scotland. 

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="512" height="313" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/British-Irish-French-German.png" alt="" class="wp-image-28131" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/British-Irish-French-German.png 512w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/British-Irish-French-German-300x183.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></figure>
 
<h6>What’s the “Celt Belt” and where did Celtic languages come from? </h6>
Celtic languages and culture first appeared in Central Europe, extending from the British Isles to the Black sea by the 3rd century BCE. But, the rise of the Roman Empire spelled the downfall of a Celtic-speaking Europe. 

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="512" height="276" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/celtic-expansion.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-28132" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/celtic-expansion.jpg 512w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/celtic-expansion-300x162.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></figure>
 
Today, while Celtic languages can only be found along the “Celtic Fringe” or the “Celt Belt” along the far western periphery of their former territory, Celtic cultural heritage remains deeply meaningful to millions of people around the world.

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="512" height="216" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/celtic-fringe.png" alt="" class="wp-image-28133" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/celtic-fringe.png 512w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/celtic-fringe-300x127.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></figure>
 
<h6> </h6>
<h6>Genetic Origins of the “Celtic Curse”</h6>
Bagpipes, intricate metalwork and red hair are often associated with Celtic heritage, but less familiar is the link between “Celtic-like” ancestry and hereditary hemochromatosis. Hemochromatosis is a condition characterized by the absorption of too much dietary iron, which can cause damage to the joints and certain organs.
Today, the DNA variants associated with this condition are common in Ireland, leading to the nickname, “The Celtic Curse,” as it’s commonly known in the scientific and hemochromatosis communities. However, most evidence points to a central European origin of the most common variant (HFE C282Y), which was likely carried to the British Isles thousands of years ago and further spread by medieval Viking migrations. Some scientists have proposed that the C282Y variant may have protected our farming ancestors from iron-deficient diets, but the evidence for this “protective” role is limited.

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="512" height="216" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/HH.png" alt="" class="wp-image-28134" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/HH.png 512w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/HH-300x127.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></figure>
 
 
If you’re a Health + Ancestry customer, your Hereditary Hemochromatosis (HFE-related) report is available <a href="https://you.23andme.com/reports/ghr.hemochromatosis/">here</a>.
(See references <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9836708">10</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15290237">11</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12972035">12</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10953956">13</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12791037">14</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10657371">15</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11159767">16</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9783719">17</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16920278">18</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14740507">19</a>).

Where 23andMe Customers’ Irish Ancestors Lived, And More

Many of us are almost as afraid of standing up and talking in front of a room full of people as getting<a href="https://www.chapman.edu/wilkinson/research-centers/babbie-center/_files/americas-top-fears-2019.pdf"> attacked by a shark</a> or murdered by a stranger.
While the odds are slim to none, the angst around public speaking is very real. About a quarter of Americans report having a fear of public speaking. If you assumed that simply doing all your talking remotely via Zoom would remove the fear, the last year would tell you otherwise. For some, the intimacy of Zoom actually makes the whole experience that much more<a href="https://theconversation.com/anxious-about-speaking-in-online-classes-and-meetings-here-are-7-tips-to-make-it-easier-144121"> unnerving</a>.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Fear-of-Public-Speaking-2-300x252.jpg" alt="" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-27146" width="300" height="252" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Fear-of-Public-Speaking-2-300x252.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Fear-of-Public-Speaking-2.jpg 540w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Glossophobia
Genetics plays a small part in a person’s fear of public speaking, also known as<a href="https://www.psycom.net/glossophobia-fear-of-public-speaking"> glossophobia.</a> There isn’t a similarly long Greek-derived word to cover “fear of video chat,” but they both boil down to the same type of anxiety, and they both include symptoms like sweating, rapid heartbeat, and nausea.
23andMe reports on a person’s likelihood of having a fear of public speaking. Using a statistical model and data from more than 870,000 23andMe research participants, our scientists have identified more than 800 genetic markers associated with a fear of public speaking. Using those genetic markers together with non-genetic factors we developed a statistical model to estimate the likelihood of having a fear of public speaking. Among the non-genetic factors, we looked at are such things as age and sex.
&nbsp;

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="681" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/fear-of-public-speaking-1024x681.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-27145" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/fear-of-public-speaking-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/fear-of-public-speaking-300x199.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/fear-of-public-speaking-768x511.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/fear-of-public-speaking-880x585.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/fear-of-public-speaking-1180x784.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/fear-of-public-speaking.jpg 1256w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
 
<h6></h6>
<h6>Mic Check</h6>
The report is among more than 30 interesting Trait reports available to<a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-health-ancestry"> 23andMe Health + Ancestry Service</a> customers. These reports often spark curiosity and allow customers to explore more about the science and garner fun genetic insights of their own. Most recently we added reports on<a href="https://blog.23andme.com/health-traits/23andme-steps-out-with-two-new-trait-reports/"> Bunions and Flat Feet</a>, and have others on such things as<a href="https://blog.23andme.com/health-traits/itching-to-see-23andmes-new-trait-reports/"> Mosquito Bite Frequency</a> and<a href="https://blog.23andme.com/health-traits/itching-to-see-23andmes-new-trait-reports/"> Fear of Heights</a>.
Fear of public speaking doesn’t present any serious health consequences, it can hamper career advancement or your speech at your best friend’s wedding. It’s linked to our natural fight or flight response. Understanding the biology may offer insights into other anxiety-related conditions. About 43 percent of 23andMe customers participating in research report having a fear of public speaking. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to<a href="https://www.psycom.net/glossophobia-fear-of-public-speaking#actionsteps"> overcome a fear of public speaking</a>.
Before their next<a href="https://www.toastmasters.org/"> Toastmaster</a> mic check, 23andMe Health + Ancestry customers can check out their  Fear of Public Speaking Report. Just go to your<a href="https://you.23andme.com/health/trait/"> Traits dashboard</a>.
Not yet a customer? Head over<a href="https://www.23andme.com/compare-dna-tests/"> here</a> and learn more.

Fear of Public Speaking

Pre-pandemic, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm">heart disease</a> kills more Americans than any other condition each year. So understanding your risks for heart disease and learning how to mitigate them is a good first step toward prevention.
Heart disease itself is really several different conditions but the most common is coronary artery disease which develops due to a build-up of plaque that narrows your arteries and restricts blood flow. Over time, this can affect your heart&#8217;s rhythm, damage your heart muscles, obstruct blood flow, and put you at a higher risk of heart attack or stroke.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright wp-image-28529 size-medium" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Heart-Health-Intro-1-1-160x300.png" alt="" width="160" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Heart-Health-Intro-1-1-160x300.png 160w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Heart-Health-Intro-1-1-545x1024.png 545w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Heart-Health-Intro-1-1-768x1444.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Heart-Health-Intro-1-1-468x880.png 468w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Heart-Health-Intro-1-1-628x1180.png 628w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Heart-Health-Intro-1-1.png 982w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 160px) 100vw, 160px" />
<h6>A Healthy Heart</h6>
The best recipe for a healthy heart is eating right, exercising, and maintaining a healthy weight. But understanding other underlying risks for heart disease is also important. Your family&#8217;s health history, age, and ethnicity can all play a role in your risk for heart disease. Taking healthy actions to lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar can help reduce your risk.
23andMe’s Health + Ancestry Service offers several reports that look at heart-related conditions, including reports on familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), TTR-related hereditary amyloidosis, and type 2 diabetes (powered by 23andMe research).* 
<h6>Going Deeper</h6>
But for customers who want to go deeper, we also offer <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/23andmeplus">23andMe+ Premium</a>, an annual membership with 10+ exclusive reports and features delivered to you throughout the year‡. Among those reports and features, there are reports powered by 23andMe research on a <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/health-traits/heart-health/">number of heart-related conditions</a>, including atrial fibrillation, coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, and LDL cholesterol.
Just added to that list is a 23andMe+ Premium report on Triglycerides — a type of fat, or lipid, that the body uses to store energy from food for future use. High triglyceride levels are associated with an increased likelihood of developing heart disease, stroke, and sometimes pancreatitis.
<h6>Triglycerides Report</h6>
The 23andMe+ Premium Triglycerides report is powered by a statistical model using data from millions of 23andMe customers who consented to participate in research. Unlike Genetic Health Risk reports* that use a few variants known to have a large impact on risk-based on external studies, the report, powered by 23andMe research, creates a polygenic score that includes more than 4,000 genetic markers to estimate the likelihood of developing high triglyceride levels. Having high triglyceride levels is defined as 150 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl) or more. The model also takes into account a customer&#8217;s ethnicity and sex. The report does not diagnose high triglycerides. If you are concerned about your likelihood of developing high triglycerides, or have questions about your report, consult with a healthcare professional.
Many people in the U.S. develop high triglycerides levels, but because there are typically no symptoms many remain unaware that their levels are elevated. Most people only learn that they have an issue because they’ve had a lipid panel done, so learning about an increased genetic likelihood could start a conversation with a doctor and spur action to lower their chances. Healthy lifestyle habits can help lower triglycerides and reduce the risk of heart disease or stroke. Those actions include maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding sugary foods, and replacing saturated fats in your diet with healthier unsaturated fats. Those are fats from vegetable oils, nuts, and fish, for example. It&#8217;s also recommended to limit alcohol consumption. Also, regular exercise — 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise on most days of the week — can go a long way toward <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/pa-health/">maintaining heart health</a>.
Find out more about 23andMe&#8217;s Health + Ancestry Service or 23andMe+ Premium membership go <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-health-ancestry?sub=ver2&amp;cabt=nao">here</a>.
<hr />
*23andMe health predisposition reports include both reports that meet FDA requirements for genetic health risks and reports which are based on 23andMe research and have not been reviewed by the FDA. The test uses qualitative genotyping to detect select clinically relevant variants in the genomic DNA of adults from saliva for the purpose of reporting and interpreting genetic health risks. It is not intended to diagnose any disease. Your ethnicity may affect the relevance of each report and how your genetic health risk results are interpreted. Each genetic health risk report describes if a person has variants associated with a higher risk of developing a disease, but does not describe a person’s overall risk of developing the disease. The test is not intended to tell you anything about your current state of health, or to be used to make medical decisions, including whether or not you should take a medication, how much of a medication you should take, or determine any treatment. For important information and limitations regarding each genetic health risk report, visit 23andme.com/test-info/.
‡ 10+ reports and features will be added annually from January to December.

An illustration of a heart for heart health

Heart Disease and Triglycerides, A New 23andMe+ Premium Report

By Christophe Tchakouté, 23andMe Biostatistician
The number of weekly asthma attacks among people in the U.S. with active asthma increased by 10 percent in 2020 compared to the year before, according to new research data from 23andMe.
Our scientists wanted to explore why, and better understand whether these increases in asthma attacks, known as asthma exacerbations, were influenced by geography, mental health variables, or some other factors like the unprecedented number of wildfires in the western U.S. in 2020.
Asthma, which impacts more than 25 million Americans and about 330 million people worldwide, is a chronic disease of the lungs that causes inflammation and narrowing of air pathways. Asthma attacks lead to shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing, and chest tightening. These attacks can be triggered by environmental factors, such as pollution, or smoke, or stress and anxiety. The most severe attacks can lead to hospitalization. Asthma is also an underlying risk factor for more <a href="https://you.23andme.com/covid19/">severe symptoms from COVID-19</a>.
Last year offered the worst combination of factors that could trigger attacks among those with asthma, including massive wildfires on the West Coast, as well as economic uncertainty and stress from the COVID-19 pandemic. But understanding what contributed to last year’s increase in asthma attacks is not so simple. For one, collecting longitudinal data on asthma is challenging and there is a scarcity of data looking at asthma attacks in 2020.
<div id="attachment_32494" style="width: 761px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-32494" class="wp-image-32494 size-full" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Figure-1-Wildfires.jpg" alt="" width="751" height="504" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Figure-1-Wildfires.jpg 751w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Figure-1-Wildfires-300x201.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 751px) 100vw, 751px" />Figure 1: Year-over-year comparison of asthma attacks.</div>
In looking at 23andMe research data, collected from customers in the United States with asthma who consented to participate in research, even after controlling for known exacerbation risk factors such as obesity, area of residence, and sex (women are at higher risk for asthma), our researchers still saw a year over year increase in asthma attacks. (see Figure 1).
The increase also surprised our researchers, who anticipated that the shelter-in-place orders enacted in March 2020 would decrease pollution and subsequently result in a decrease in asthma exacerbations. However, this explanation is unlikely since springtime asthma exacerbations were higher in 2020 compared to 2019 and followed similar seasonal trends as in 2019 due to allergies (see Figure 1). Such seasonal fluctuations occur because the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/climateandhealth/effects/allergen.htm">increase of pollen</a> due to changes in the weather can trigger asthma symptoms.
<div id="attachment_32496" style="width: 761px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-32496" class="wp-image-32496 size-full" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Figure-2-Wildfires.jpg" alt="" width="751" height="504" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Figure-2-Wildfires.jpg 751w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Figure-2-Wildfires-300x201.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 751px) 100vw, 751px" />Figure 2: Asthma exacerbations across different US regions</div>
23andMe researchers’ analysis also compared monthly asthma exacerbations from 2019 to 2020 across the four main regions of the United States: the South, the West, the Northeast, and North Central. They did not observe substantial differences in monthly asthma exacerbations across regions for 2019 and early 2020 (See Figure 2). 
However, from the end of the summer of 2020 to the beginning of the fall of 2020, researchers observed a steep increase in asthma exacerbations on the West Coast (See Figure 2).  This timeline overlaps with the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/fires-map-tracker.html">western wildfires</a> that resulted in severe air pollution over multiple weeks on the West Coast. According to one estimate by Cal Fire, the 2020 California wildfires pumped a record of more than 115 million metric tons of CO2 into the air, or more than eight times the annual average.
Initially, 23andMe was also interested in exploring how anxiety changed monthly from 2019 to 2020. However, none of the anxiety-related longitudinal surveys in the 23andMe research data could be used to address this specific question. Instead, researchers compared monthly self-reported asthma exacerbations from 2019 to 2020 among research participants with active asthma and generalized anxiety disorder and those with active asthma and no generalized anxiety disorder (see figure 3). The team found that asthma exacerbations increased from 2019 to 2020 in both groups. On average, customers with a generalized anxiety disorder had 62 percent higher levels of asthma exacerbations when compared with those with no generalized anxiety disorder (see figure 3) after adjusting for other important variables.
<div id="attachment_32497" style="width: 761px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-32497" class="wp-image-32497 size-full" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Figure-3-Wildfires.jpg" alt="" width="751" height="504" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Figure-3-Wildfires.jpg 751w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Figure-3-Wildfires-300x201.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 751px) 100vw, 751px" />Figure 3: Asthma exacerbations and generalized anxiety disorder</div>
This small sample analysis highlighted an increase in asthma exacerbations in 2020. Although it was not possible to track how anxiety changed from 2019 to 2020, this analysis demonstrated that research participants with a generalized anxiety disorder had high levels of asthma exacerbations in 2020.
In addition, a strong association between the western wildfires and a spike in asthma exacerbations was observed in 23andMe research data. This is consistent with <a href="https://www.med.ubc.ca/news/wildfire-smoke-has-immediate-harmful-health-effects/">previous evidence</a> shedding light on the link between proximity to wildfires and chronic lung disease exacerbation.
Given that asthma exacerbation can lead to severe hospitalizations as well as worsen COVID-19 disease prognosis, special consideration should be given to this population.
This small analysis highlights how 23andMe research data can be leveraged to gain rapid insights into how naturally occurring events can affect the health of a specific subpopulation.
23andMe Customers who have consented to participate in research and who wish to contribute to our asthma survey can do so <a href="https://you.23andme.com/research/surveys/asthma_update_0/">here</a>. Not yet a customer? Find out more about our service <a href="https://www.23andme.com/compare-dna-tests/?sub=ver2&amp;cabt=nao">here</a> or you can learn about some of our published research <a href="https://www.23andme.com/publications/">here</a>.

Western Wildfires Increased Asthma Attacks in 2020   

Jordan Carroll, a social worker and patient advocate in San Diego, has a simple answer for why he’s participating in 23andMe’s <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/black-representation-in-research/">Black Representation in Genetic Research</a> study:&nbsp;
“I was happy to … I mean why not?” said Jordan, who has been contributing to 23andMe research since the launch of the company’s<a href="https://www.23andme.com/roots-study/"> Roots into the Future</a> initiative in 2011.
Jordan is no stranger to us here at 23andMe, having shared a healing<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akc6tbW8aOg&amp;feature=emb_logo"> personal story</a> many years ago. Using 23andMe helped him discover a connection to a plantation in the south, and led him to connect with a white cousin.&nbsp;
But Jordan’s interest runs deeper than that. Wrapped up in his curiosity about himself and his family’s southern and African roots, is his lifelong interest in science, healthcare, and, most importantly, racial equity.
“My inspiration for giving my DNA to this research was to benefit marginalized Black Americans,” he said.
&nbsp;

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="768" height="1024" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/IMG_1984-768x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-28784" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/IMG_1984-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/IMG_1984-225x300.jpg 225w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/IMG_1984-660x880.jpg 660w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/IMG_1984-885x1180.jpg 885w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/IMG_1984.jpg 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /></figure>
 
<h6></h6>
<h6>A Family&#8217;s Commitment 
</h6>
Jordan, 34, hopes that including more people like him in research, offers hope that new discoveries from that research will mean that, “the Black community will have access to better healthcare and treatment.”&nbsp;&nbsp;
He and his family have been working for that kind of equity for a long time.
Both of his paternal grandparents were doctors. His grandmother,<a href="https://www.uncrownedcommunitybuilders.com/person/juanita-carroll-pitts"> Dr. Juanita Pitts</a>, was the first Black female doctor in Rochester New York. Dr. Pitts and her husband, Dr. Julian O. Carroll, opened a family practice in the city in the 1950s. Over the decades while raising seven children and running the family practice, Dr. Pitts also worked on community health screening for sickle cell anemia and did genetic counseling. She started a program to screen African Americans in the community for hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Her strong commitment to serving the community and alleviating racial inequities in healthcare came from witnessing those inequities. In a recorded oral history, she told of once seeing a Black man die while waiting for a hospital bed that had been prioritized for white patients.&nbsp;
Dr. Pitts instilled in her grandson an interest in science and equity, and Jordan’s early years spent in her home left a lasting impression on him. Whether it was learning to take his own blood pressure at 10, or simply understanding that African Americans didn’t always benefit from the amazing medical breakthroughs he’s seen in his lifetime. His upbringing is what both piqued his interest in medicine but also attuned him to helping underserved populations.
He sees those disparities every day at work among underserved Latino and Black families in Southern California — who have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Part of his work is to ensure access to vaccination programs and testing. But some of it also involves simple education in an effort to overcome long-held mistrust.
“I see it as my job to educate and dissipate the mistrust and skepticism of the American medical establishment within the Black community,” he said. “These feelings are rampant, and rightly so, due to historic and contemporary mistreatment at the hands of the medical establishment, namely the Tuskegee Experiments, which is still within living memory.”
<h6>Empowerment through Participation</h6>
He doesn’t see his job to push anything, but to simply answer questions, to be transparent about any risks, and help people have access to care if they want it.
But beyond his work, Jordan feels he can help his community by participating in research. He knows — because he likes to read about health studies — that most genetic research is done in populations that are almost entirely of European descent.
When he’s reading about a new study that has uncovered genetic associations for certain diseases, Jordan often asks himself:
“Does this actually apply to me?” he said. “I have European ancestry, but it’s only about one-third of my <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-ancestry">genetic ancestry</a>, the rest, 60 percent of African, so I ask myself, ‘Is this applicable to me and people who are genetically similar to me, or not?’”
Oftentimes the answer is “no.”
Knowing that can leave one feeling unable to do anything to change it, Jordan said.
“Feeling powerless is a common sentiment when you read reports, studies, and hear of racial disparities and maltreatment within the American medical establishment,” he said. “You hear of communities having unequal access to health and medical care all around the country. Although your frustration burns, you fall into despair since you realize that you cannot go in and assist every community at once.”
But, for Jordan, there is something he can do. He can participate in research, he said.
“The ability to potentially save lives is a privilege, and something that I feel is my duty as a human being,” he said. “If I can do this with something as simple as having my DNA tested, all the better.&#8221;

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