Article Summary
An international study led by researchers from Queen Mary University of London has discovered new insights into the underlying biological mechanisms that cause differences in health risks, symptoms, and outcomes between males and females. The research, published in Nature Communications, highlights the importance of looking beyond genetics when comparing health risks and outcomes between the sexes, as non-medical factors such as lifestyle, education, and access to resources also play a significant role.
What This Means for You
- Understanding the sex differences in protein levels and their genetic regulation is essential for tailored and equitable healthcare.
- The study indicates that drug development pipelines should consider sex differences in protein levels and function to ensure equitable treatments for all.
- Non-medical factors such as lifestyle, education, and access to resources contribute to the health differences between sexes, emphasizing the need for a broader approach to healthcare and research.
- Further research is needed to better understand the factors that impact health differences at the genetic level and beyond, to improve healthcare and outcomes for all.
Original Post
Credit: CC0 Public DomainThe results of an international study led by researchers from Queen Mary University of London’s Precision Healthcare University Research Institute (PHURI) shed new light on the underlying biological mechanisms which cause differences in health risks, symptoms and outcomes between males and females.
Using data from UK Biobank and the Fenland study, the team carried out an in-depth analysis of the genetic links between ~6,000 proteins and hundreds of diseases in 56,000 males and females.
The team found that for two-thirds of these proteins, their levels differed between males and females. Further examination revealed that only a very small fraction, around 100 proteins out of the 6,000 studied, had differences in the genetic “switches” which control their levels, when compared between males and females.
These findings, which may have implications for drug development, indicate that while there are differences between the sexes in relation to how much they express certain proteins, what’s causing these differences isn’t solely down to differences in their genetics.
Instead, the authors highlight the importance of looking beyond genetics—and other medical factors such as hormones—when comparing health risks and outcomes between males and females.
Their findings indicate that non-medical factors such as where people work and live, their education, financial situation, access to resources, as well as their lifestyle contribute to the health differences experienced between the sexes and so should be explored further and considered more when exploring sex differences in health.
Key Terms
- Drug development
- Proteins
- Genetic regulation
- Sex differences in health
- Healthcare equity
- Lifestyle factors
- Non-medical factors
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