| Genetics
plays a
major role
in helping
us understand
the cause
of disease
in humans.
Differences
in our genetic
makeup can
increase
our risk
of developing
various
illnesses.
|
| You
only
have
to
look
at
family
medical
histories
to
know
that
is
true
—
some
diseases
are
clearly
more
common
in
families
than
in
unrelated
persons.
But
the
question
remains:
Can
the
cause
of
an
illness
be
related
to
the
interaction
between
genes
and
a
person’s
environment
? |
 |
Environmental health is a field
of science
that studies
how the
environment
affects
human biology
and people’s
risk of
developing
diseases.
In environmental
health,
“environmental
exposure”
can mean
the exposure
to dangerous
substances
like chemicals
and toxins
that pollute
the air,
water, and
soil. Environmental
health also
includes
lifestyle
factors
such as
nutrition,
diet,
and exercise.
For most
common diseases,
such as
obesity
and asthma,
environmental
exposures
are an important
factor in
the development
of these
diseases.
Other
factors
in environmental
health
include
other
medical
conditions
or diseases
the person
has, as
well as
any medications
they are
taking.
Also,
whether
an individual
develops
a certain
disease
because
of environmental
exposure
depends
on the
type of
exposure,
the amount
of the
exposure,
and the
timing
of the
exposure.
Scientists
are working
to be
able to
measure
environmental
influences
and the
body’s
response
to these
factors.
This may
create
a link
from specific
environmental
factors
to specific
diseases.
It may
also determine
how someone
who has
a family
history
of disease
may have
a greater
chance
of getting
the disease
due to
their
environmental
exposures.
For more
information
on this
topic,
please
visit:
http://www.genome.gov/17516715
|
