Not everyone reacts to medication in the same way. And there can be various reasons for exactly that. But now researchers have found that this may also have something to do with our heritage. The legacy of our early relatives. For almost everyone born outside Africa today has between 1 and 4 percent of their DNA from the Neanderthals. And one of these gene variants, which 20 percent of all Europeans have, ensures that the body takes longer to get certain medications out of the system. – This came as a surprise. It is interesting to see that mixing with Neanderthals has medical consequences to this day, says Hugo Zeberg to news. He is a researcher at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, and has led the new study. Neanderthals Neanderthal man, H. neanderthalensis, is known both from Europe and the Middle East for a period of approx. 100,000 years. The oldest fossils are approx. 130,000 years old and belonging to the transition to the last ice age, we find the last Neanderthals in South-West Europe only 30,000 years ago. The Neanderthals’ body was short, massive and powerful. The elongated skull with a relatively low forehead had a volume of approx. 1500 cc. This is slightly larger than in modern humans, and may indicate that the brain was somewhat differently developed. The Neanderthals were hunters and gatherers, and had permanent residences over time. Neanderthal man is today considered a separate species within the human race. When they disappeared from Europe, which was the last place they lived, Homo sapiens sapiens was already well established in Africa, the Middle East and Europe. Fossil finds may indicate that Neanderthals and modern humans lived at the same time in the Middle East. (Source: Store norske lexikon) An important balancing act In order for a medicine to be effective, and not harmful, it is important to take in the right amount. For example, when we swallow a painkiller tablet, our body immediately starts the process of breaking down the medicine. This job is carried out by certain enzymes in our liver. But the activity of these enzymes varies from person to person. Some “work” more slowly. This means, among other things, that what is a safe dose of medicine for one person may be dangerous for another. And now the researchers have discovered that the less efficient enzymes were inherited from the Neanderthals. Ibux and blood thinners Among the drugs that these enzymes take longer to break down, we find Ibuprofen (Ibux), warfarin (blood thinner better known as Marevan) and statins. If you are a carrier of the gene variant in question, Ibuprofen, for example, has a half-life of nine hours in the body. Two hours is normal for others. Ibux is one of the drugs affected by Neanderthal inheritance, according to the new study. Photo: Ola Mjaaland / news Hugo Zeberg says that the discovery is not necessarily very important for doctors and patients, but still thinks it is worth noting. – For a doctor, it may not be so important to know that this gene variant originates from the Neanderthals. But for people interested in evolution and medicine, it is fascinating to see what effects this inheritance has among people today. And only in recent years has one learned how important such knowledge can be. The inheritance from the Neanderthals has also played a role in connection with the coronavirus. – These gene variants are medically important. We have seen that especially with regard to covid-19. It is estimated that approximately one million people have died from this variant in the past three years. Provides better understanding Neanderthals lived in Europe and Asia for several hundred thousand years before modern humans appeared. For a time they lived side by side, and made children with each other. So even though our relatives are long gone, we still carry on their legacy. It is not yet fully known what this legacy entails, but the more time that passes, the more answers we get. Although the new discovery may not make a big difference in medical treatment, it is still important, the researchers believe. – Tracing the origin of variations in such important enzymes can, however, give us a better understanding of the environment they evolved in. It helps us understand the diversity of health we see today. Hugo Zeberg researches the legacy of the Neanderthals. Over the past few years, he and colleagues have found several interesting links. Photo: Private
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Some of us are partly Neanderthals, and that can affect how we deal with various medications – news Trøndelag
