IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/plo/pone00/0006391.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Does Genetic Diversity Predict Health in Humans?

Author

Listed:
  • Hanne C Lie
  • Leigh W Simmons
  • Gillian Rhodes

Abstract

Genetic diversity, especially at genes important for immune functioning within the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC), has been associated with fitness-related traits, including disease resistance, in many species. Recently, genetic diversity has been associated with mate preferences in humans. Here we asked whether these preferences are adaptive in terms of obtaining healthier mates. We investigated whether genetic diversity (heterozygosity and standardized mean d2) at MHC and nonMHC microsatellite loci, predicted health in 153 individuals. Individuals with greater allelic diversity (d2) at nonMHC loci and at one MHC locus, linked to HLA-DRB1, reported fewer symptoms over a four-month period than individuals with lower d2. In contrast, there were no associations between MHC or nonMHC heterozygosity and health. NonMHC-d2 has previously been found to predict male preferences for female faces. Thus, the current findings suggest that nonMHC diversity may play a role in both natural and sexual selection acting on human populations.

Suggested Citation

  • Hanne C Lie & Leigh W Simmons & Gillian Rhodes, 2009. "Does Genetic Diversity Predict Health in Humans?," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 4(7), pages 1-7, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0006391
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0006391
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0006391
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0006391&type=printable
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1371/journal.pone.0006391?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Karina Acevedo-Whitehouse & Frances Gulland & Denise Greig & William Amos, 2003. "Disease susceptibility in California sea lions," Nature, Nature, vol. 422(6927), pages 35-35, March.
    2. Adrian V. S. Hill, 1999. "Defence by diversity," Nature, Nature, vol. 398(6729), pages 668-669, April.
    3. Steven Prus, 2007. "Age, SES, and Health: A Population Level Analysis of Health Inequalities over the Life Course," Social and Economic Dimensions of an Aging Population Research Papers 181, McMaster University.
    4. J. I. Hoffman & J. Forcada & P. N. Trathan & W. Amos, 2007. "Female fur seals show active choice for males that are heterozygous and unrelated," Nature, Nature, vol. 445(7130), pages 912-914, February.
    5. Randy Thornhill & Steven W. Gangestad & Robert Miller & Glenn Scheyd & Julie K. McCollough & Melissa Franklin, 2003. "Major histocompatibility complex genes, symmetry, and body scent attractiveness in men and women," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 14(5), pages 668-678, September.
    6. Aiello, A.E. & Coulborn, R.M. & Perez, V. & Larson, E.L., 2008. "Effect of hand hygiene on infectious disease risk in the community setting: A meta-analysis," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 98(8), pages 1372-1381.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Antonio Jesús Ramos-Morcillo & Francisco José Moreno-Martínez & Ana María Hernández Susarte & César Hueso-Montoro & María Ruzafa-Martínez, 2019. "Social Determinants of Health, the Family, and Children’s Personal Hygiene: A Comparative Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-15, November.
    2. Baeten, Steef & Van Ourti, Tom & van Doorslaer, Eddy, 2013. "The socioeconomic health gradient across the life cycle: What role for selective mortality and institutionalization?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 66-74.
    3. Levinsky, Michal & Schiff, Miriam, 2021. "Lifetime cumulative adversity and physical health deterioration in old age: Evidence from a fourteen-year longitudinal study," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 289(C).
    4. Michael A Nalls & Javier Simon-Sanchez & J Raphael Gibbs & Coro Paisan-Ruiz & Jose Tomas Bras & Toshiko Tanaka & Mar Matarin & Sonja Scholz & Charles Weitz & Tamara B Harris & Luigi Ferrucci & John Ha, 2009. "Measures of Autozygosity in Decline: Globalization, Urbanization, and Its Implications for Medical Genetics," PLOS Genetics, Public Library of Science, vol. 5(3), pages 1-7, March.
    5. Dingman, Deirdre & Wu, Jingwei & Murphy, Heather M., 2020. "School-based, blacklight handwashing program can improve handwashing quality and knowledge among pre-school aged children," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    6. Center for Economic and Social & International Food Policy Research Institute & Michigan State University, 2016. "Revitalized Agriculture for Balanced Growth and Resilient Livelihoods: Toward a Rural Development Strategy for Mon State, Myanmar," Food Security International Development Working Papers 249278, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.
    7. Matsushita, Raul & Baldo, Dinorá & Martin, Bruna & Da Silva, Sergio, 2007. "The biological basis of expected utility anomalies," MPRA Paper 4520, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Miika Mäki & Anna E. Hägglund & Anna Rotkirch & Sangita Kulathinal & Mikko Myrskylä, 2022. "Stable marital histories predict happiness and health across educational groups," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2022-035, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    9. Richard L Wright & Ruediger Zillmer & Adam Biran & Peter Hall & Myriam Sidibe, 2015. "Use of Electronic Loggers to Measure Changes in the Rates of Hand Washing with Soap in Low-Income Urban Households in India," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(6), pages 1-7, June.
    10. Kristin Den Exter & Stephen Rowe & William Boyd & David Lloyd, 2012. "Using Web 2.0 Technologies for Collaborative Learning in Distance Education—Case Studies from an Australian University," Future Internet, MDPI, vol. 4(1), pages 1-22, March.
    11. Rieckmann, Johannes, 2015. "Determinants of drinking water treatment and hygiene habits in provincial towns in Yemen," VfS Annual Conference 2015 (Muenster): Economic Development - Theory and Policy 113183, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    12. Michalek, Gabriela & Schwarze, Reimund, 2020. "The strategic use of nudging and behavioural approaches in public health policy during the coronavirus crisis," UFZ Discussion Papers 6/2020, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Division of Social Sciences (ÖKUS).
    13. Cecilia Cheng & Fanny Cheng & Saloni Atal & Sarlito Sarwono, 2021. "Testing of a Dual Process Model to Resolve the Socioeconomic Health Disparities: A Tale of Two Asian Countries," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(2), pages 1-15, January.
    14. Cameron, Lisa & Shah, Manisha & Olivia, Susan, 2013. "Impact evaluation of a large-scale rural sanitation project in Indonesia," Policy Research Working Paper Series 6360, The World Bank.
    15. Dominika Głąbska & Dominika Skolmowska & Dominika Guzek, 2020. "Population-Based Study of the Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Hand Hygiene Behaviors—Polish Adolescents’ COVID-19 Experience (PLACE-19) Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-17, June.
    16. Adeline Loyau & Jérémie H Cornuau & Jean Clobert & Étienne Danchin, 2012. "Incestuous Sisters: Mate Preference for Brothers over Unrelated Males in Drosophila melanogaster," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(12), pages 1-6, December.
    17. Thomas Leoni & Martin Spielauer & Peter Reschenhofer, 2020. "Soziale Unterschiede, Lebenserwartung und Gesundheitsausgaben im Lebensverlauf," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 66626, August.
    18. Borghild Løyland & Anne Marthe Peveri & Elisabeth Hessevaagbakke & Inger Taasen & Katrin Lindeflaten, 2020. "Students' observations of hand hygiene in nursing homes using the five moments of hand hygiene," Journal of Clinical Nursing, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(5-6), pages 821-830, March.
    19. Lee Smith & Laurie Butler & Mark A Tully & Louis Jacob & Yvonne Barnett & Guillermo F. López-Sánchez & Rubén López-Bueno & Jae Il Shin & Daragh McDermott & Briona A. Pfeifer & Damiano Pizzol & Ai Koya, 2020. "Hand-Washing Practices among Adolescents Aged 12–15 Years from 80 Countries," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(1), pages 1-15, December.
    20. Denise Duijster & Helen Buxton & Habib Benzian & Jed Dimaisip-Nabuab & Bella Monse & Catherine Volgenant & Robert Dreibelbis, 2020. "Impact of a school-based water, sanitation and hygiene programme on children’s independent handwashing and toothbrushing habits: a cluster-randomised trial," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 65(9), pages 1699-1709, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0006391. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: plosone (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.