'DNA is not your destiny': Genetics a poor indicator of health

Nicole Bergot
Edmonton Journal
Originally posted 18 Dec 19

The vast majority of diseases, including many cancers, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s, have a genetic contribution of just five to 10 per cent, shows the meta-analysis of data from studies that examine relationships between common gene mutations, or single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and different conditions.

“Simply put, DNA is not your destiny, and SNPs are duds for disease prediction,” said study co-author David Wishart, professor in the department of biological sciences and the department of computing science.

But there are exceptions, including Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, and macular degeneration, which have a genetic contribution of approximately 40 to 50 per cent.

“Despite these rare exceptions, it is becoming increasingly clear that the risks for getting most diseases arise from your metabolism, your environment, your lifestyle, or your exposure to various kinds of nutrients, chemicals, bacteria, or viruses,” said Wishart.

The info is here.

The Economic Effects of Facebook

Mosquera, Roberto,  Odunowo, Mofioluwasademi, and others
December 1, 2018.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3312462

Abstract

Social media permeates many aspects of our lives, including how we connect with others, where we get our news and how we spend our time. Yet, we know little about the economic effects for users. Using a large field experiment with over 1,765 individuals, we document the value of Facebook to users and its causal effect on news consumption and awareness, well-being and daily activities. Participants reveal how much they value one week of Facebook usage and are then randomly assigned to a validated Facebook restriction or normal use. Those who are off Facebook for a week reduce news consumption, are less likely to recognize politically-skewed news stories, report being less depressed and engage in healthier activities. One week of Facebook is worth $25, and this increases by 15% after experiencing a Facebook restriction (26% for women), reflecting information loss or that using Facebook may be addictive.

Ethical/Clinical Question: Knowing this research, is it ethical and clinically appropriate to recommend depressed patients to stop using Facebook?