Healthy people have 4 times more mutant genes than previously thought

(Image source: Reproduction / University of North Texas)

A group of scientists from the UK proved something that many people already knew: looking closely, everyone has their flaws. But the reason for this, as expected, has a very technical basis. A recent article in the American Journal of Human Genetics showed that an average person has about 400 defects in their genes, some of which are associated with some disease.

The figure is striking because it was previously thought that in healthy people, the mutant genes associated with serious diseases were no more than 100, four times less than current studies show. However, no panic, folks: as much as the number may seem expressive, this is a very small portion of human DNA.

No reason to worry

Researcher Chris Tyler-Smith of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Cambridge said it was a surprise that healthy people had so many mutations. But further investigation has shown that these genes usually correspond to a milder mutation or indicate a certain likelihood of developing a disease. In other words, these mutant genes do not immediately affect the lives of those who own them.

Harvard University geneticist Robert Green fears that the study may arouse unnecessary fear and, therefore, reinforces something very important: simply having a mutation in genes that can trigger disease does not mean that one will suffer or will suffer from it. bad. What the research says is that, deep down, no one is perfect.