| A recent Wall Street Journal article (Nov. 4, 2005, B1 | | | | faulty human body. |
| "Linking DNA Profiles to Diseases May Not Lead to | | | | In other words, the body can overcome 'bad' DNA, |
| Prevention" by Sharon Begley) made a startling point: | | | | just like it overcomes the common cold. |
| DNA may not be the cause of disease. We've all | | | | What's not often talked about is that scientists have |
| been told that your DNA is the "cause" of certain | | | | never really gotten to the bottom of DNA. They've |
| diseases. But a recent review by Prof. Irving | | | | found specific DNA anomalies that 'tend' to occur in |
| Gottesman of the University of Minnesota in the | | | | most patients with certain diseases. But they've failed |
| journal Human Molecular Genetics casts serious doubt | | | | to check if these DNA anomalies also exist in healthy |
| on the 'DNA causes disease' theory. | | | | people. What this study has shown is that these DNA |
| The review concerns identical twins (who, as we | | | | anomalies DO exist in healthy people and haven't |
| know, have identical DNA). What Prof. Gottesman | | | | caused them to get sick. |
| found is quite intriguing. Schizophrenia, often thought | | | | We've been led to believe that we're doomed if we |
| to be caused by DNA, is only 50% 'concordant'. In | | | | have faulty DNA. What this study shows is that this |
| other words, in only half of the twin pairs does the | | | | myth is flat out not true. DNA does not have the |
| second twin have the disease if the first one does. | | | | power we've been led to believe it has. If it did, then |
| To put it another way, out of 100 pairs of twins, | | | | if one twin had a supposed 'DNA disease', then in |
| where at least one twin has schizophrenia, in only half | | | | 100% of the cases, so would the other twin. Multiple |
| of the pairs of twins do both twins have the disease. | | | | sclerosis only had a 25% concordant rate. In other |
| In the other 50 pairs of twins, only 1 out of the 2 | | | | words, in 75% of twins, only one twin had the |
| twins has schizophrenia. This is startling news. | | | | disease; the other twin was perfectly healthy. |
| What does this mean? We are not the Newtonian | | | | Why didn't both twins get these diseases? Scientists |
| machines that many scientists think we are. The | | | | don't know, but one thing is for sure. DNA does not |
| common thought among geneticists is that the | | | | have the power that we once thought it had. Prof. |
| human body is built like a car. If you put faulty wiring | | | | Gottesman notes that scientists sometimes have |
| in a car, the windows won't roll up. | | | | blind spots that prevent them from seeing the truth. |
| However, what this study proves is one of two | | | | The belief that certain DNA sequence anomalies |
| things: | | | | cause disease "may be one such blind spot among |
| One, either DNA isn't the cause of these diseases. | | | | geneticists. |
| Or two, faulty DNA does not have to lead to a | | | | |