|
Post by catgirl on Dec 15, 2008 16:35:16 GMT -5
I was inspired by some discussion we had on some other thread over this.
Is there any link between being EA (or mixed in general) and having a better immune system??
I cant recall the last time I was Ill or had a cold (2 years ago or so). And I never had any dental caries. My friends think I'm unormal....My sister in law didn't understand why I didn't get ill when she got my boyfriends flue, all of his room mates got it, but not me!
I have 3 EA brothers and only one of them has had one dental caries ever. My euro half sisters have had several dental caries.
But I read in my medical books and other places that difference in immune system doesn't have anything to do with race (MHC gene). How can this be true?
Anyway, do you EAs have a better immune system than average?
|
|
|
Post by Subuatai on Dec 15, 2008 17:01:01 GMT -5
Well my gf (1/2 1/2) is relatively healthy, born into a rather upper-class background so she has access to good nutrition and rather comfortable living. She doesn't wear glasses, however I've noticed she does take a lot of medical supplements (mostly vitamens). She does get sick though just like anybody else however I found.
My family has always been physically healthy despite (or because of) our rather harsh history struggling to survive from one generation to the next -> and most of us aren't mixed. Me, (3/4 1/4) I'm not vaccinated to my knowledge, which I might need to get later... when I can be bothered. My eyes are 20/20, never went to the doctors after being injured, but I still caught chicken pox at 17, and catch the flu once a while.
To be honest I've noticed immune systems are stronger amongst individuals with higher levels of fitness then those without. Personally I think this is a better gauge of immunity rather then 'mixed' or 'not-mixed'.
|
|
|
Post by Paddy on Dec 15, 2008 17:09:15 GMT -5
Excercise and smiling are the key!
|
|
|
Post by betahat on Dec 15, 2008 17:23:41 GMT -5
I think there is something to the "hybrid vigor" hypothesis, but I don't know if it operates through the immune system. Rather, I would presume that Eurasians are at a lower risk of genetic illnesses because their parents are ever so slightly more genetically distant. It is well known that certain very inbred populations have a very high incidence of certain genetic disorders (I'm looking at you Ashkenazi jews, and also you MS prone Faroe Islanders and sickle-cell carrying Africans). Since Asians and Europeans are relatively large and not so inbred populations (depending on where you're from of course) this may not be so important, but I think on average you would probably find that combining your genetic inheritances you have a slightly higher chance of being a little screwed but a slightly lower chance of being really screwed (i.e. having both parents with the same negative trait).
I rarely get sick, but I'm not sure to what extent a `strong immune system' is a genetically heritable trait and I don't know what the distribution of `strong immune system' genes is like in different populations, so I'm not at all confident in extrapolating my own experience to Eurasians in general.
|
|
|
Post by catgirl on Dec 15, 2008 17:32:54 GMT -5
Excercise and smiling are the key! Hmmm, thats strange. I just heard from somebody that just after you excercise your immune system gets weaker??? Cant remember who said it but...
|
|
|
Post by Subuatai on Dec 15, 2008 17:34:25 GMT -5
^L O L ;D Let's all be slackas and see what happens
|
|
|
Post by cjsdad on Dec 15, 2008 17:38:25 GMT -5
The plural of anecdote is not data. I am a "monoracial", yet have never had dental caries, have 20/20 vision, and rarely get sick, even though I spend my days poking around people's mouths and in the hospital....nothing like the nosocomially acquired bugs! Many are shocked to learn that the differences in race at the molecular/genetic level are miniscule, so much so that greater differences exist between male and female than white vs. Asian, for example. While it is true that many of the genetic abnormalities that play a role in heritable disease in inbred communities are likely eliminated with mixed race offspring, it would be a stretch to assume some kind of "superman" trait with regard to something as simple as susceptibility to the rhinovirus, and streptococci in dental disease. Heck, my kids get sick just like everyone else's. SES is another thing to consider. Quality and availability of care. Many variables to control for here. I just caution against the "superman" thing. My kids are super and all, but lets keep it real.
|
|
|
Post by Paddy on Dec 15, 2008 18:19:45 GMT -5
Hmmm, thats strange. I just heard from somebody that just after you excercise your immune system gets weaker??? Cant remember who said it but... Well, it's not a good idea to go and do strenuous exercise if you are already ill or feel something on the way. But an active lifestyle will keep you healthier than not...
|
|
|
Post by swinger on Dec 15, 2008 19:33:16 GMT -5
Some studies suggest that exposure to germs early in life fosters the development of a more robust immune system. All the antibacterial soaps, hand cleaners, air filters, etc., are creating 'too clean' of an environment for children and their immune systems end up weaker for it. One example: abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=118140&page=1Ezra Pound had a line about the "filthy, sturdy, unkillable infants of the very poor" - he may have been onto something.
|
|
|
Post by catgirl on Dec 15, 2008 20:40:24 GMT -5
I guess everyones just different then When I was a kid I was really jealous of the other kids that got to stay home from kindergarden because they were sick, and I used to pretend I was sick to get to stay home a few times But I succeeded once and got chickenpox ;D Anyway I have allergies for animals (but have had them practically all my life) And Ive heard allergies are some kind of weakened thing of the immune systeme? Immune systems might be strengthened by breastfeeding? I heard that vision is worsened (Myopia) if you dont get enough sun during your childhood, so the eyeballs grow too long and makes you shortsightet...Its actually a problem in Asia, because many people avoid the sun on purpose.
|
|
|
Post by catgirl on Dec 15, 2008 20:46:05 GMT -5
I'm not sure it's a good thing at all... My family was born with hepatitis B immunity. It's the only one I'm aware of at the moment. I haven't really thought about it much. We've all had our shots anyway. The only way you can tell there's immunity is some of us cannot donate blood and blood services rejects it because there's "risk of compromising others with weak immune systems" or those going through surgery. Apparently, it's passed through women down our line. It may just be a coincidence that it happens to come from our oldest eurasian line on my mother's side - I couldn't tell you if it was linked. We've donated bone marrow within our family, but the transplants weren't successful... my uncle's and cousin's bodies both rejected them. We get sick with colds/flus like other people. Could it be because someone in your family had Hep B and then was a permanant carrier and passed it on? Its possible for woman to transfer it to their kids Ive heard. In one case of a Vietnamese woman who had a kid, it died because of the infection of Hep B. But strange you didnt get the infection then. Something else?
|
|
|
Post by cruelangel on Dec 16, 2008 1:06:36 GMT -5
I am almost never sick. I can't even remember the last time I actually felt sick enough to not be able to function. Aside from migraines, nothing can get me down.
|
|
|
Post by catgirl on Dec 16, 2008 12:20:09 GMT -5
Is it dangerous to have chickenpox as an adult? Heard some rumours.
In Norway many mothers try everything to get their small kids infected with ckickenpox for some reason...
|
|
|
Post by Subuatai on Dec 16, 2008 12:39:36 GMT -5
Is it dangerous to have chickenpox as an adult? Heard some rumours. In Norway many mothers try everything to get their small kids infected with ckickenpox for some reason... Thats cause after getting chicken pox once you become immune to it for the rest of your life.
|
|
quiapo
Junior Member
Posts: 188
|
Post by quiapo on Dec 16, 2008 14:27:22 GMT -5
CAtgirl - chicken pox in adults is more likely to be severe, compared to childhood cases, and sede effects are also more common - hepatic. renal, impairment, cerebral oedema. In Austrlai abut one person a year dies from chicken pox, and about 450 a year require hospital treatment.
|
|