What’s new:

The enigmatic origin and escalation of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) have potentially been demystified through insights offered by ancient European genomes. Modern descendants may have their cattle-herding ancestors to thank or rue for the genetic propensity to this debilitating disease.

Why it matters:

This research bridges ancient civilization habits with present-day maladies, providing a fresh understanding of how historic human practices and migrations impact contemporary health. In doing so, it sets the groundwork for a new dimension of MS treatment strategies based on rebalancing rather than suppressing the immune system.

Key discoveries:

Ancestral Links:

Ancestral lineages dating back to a critical migration 5,000 years ago from the Eurasian Steppes to Western Europe were observed to carry MS-protective genes at the time, presently turning deleterious in benign sanitary conditions.

Evolutionary Perspective:

The genes necessary for safeguarding against livestock-associated diseases in earlier timeslessly sanitary environments are now believed to predispose Northern Europeans to auto-immune disorders like MS.

Physical Impact:

Beyond disease predisposition, ancients’ genetic attributes have bequeathed current Europeans with varied physical traits, including the discernable height differential between northerners and southerners.

Diet Adaptations:

The ability to digest lactose, distinguishing those with tolerance via a minor genetic modification, reportedly emerged around 6,000 years ago within Europe.

The Larger Trend

Genetic variants have shown the tenacity to transform from advantageous armours against past environments’ infectious threats to contemporary triggers for maladies, exemplifying nature’s fluid equilibrium.

Research Forefront:

This study enhances the perceptions of autoimmune diseases’ genesis favoring recalibration of the immune system, suggesting a paradigm shift from the conventional disease suppression models in MS treatment and beyond.

Manifestating Genetics:

Genetic echoes also divulge elevated susceptibilities among Eastern Europeans for Alzheimer’s and type 2 diabetes, diseases hitherto unpredicted.

The Bigger picture:

The research highlights the critical importance of honoring our genetic heritage’s realistic influence on present-day health as it continually raises as many questions as it resolves about our interaction with environments past and present.

This story was first published on jpost.com.