Environment and Disease Risks
Top Cited Papers
- 22 October 2010
- journal article
- perspective
- Published by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Science
- Vol. 330 (6003) , 460-461
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1192603
Abstract
Although the risks of developing chronic diseases are attributed to both genetic and environmental factors, 70 to 90% of disease risks are probably due to differences in environments (1–3). Yet, epidemiologists increasingly use genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to investigate diseases, while relying on questionnaires to characterize “environmental exposures.” This is because GWAS represent the only approach for exploring the totality of any risk factor (genes, in this case) associated with disease prevalence. Moreover, the value of costly genetic information is diminished when inaccurate and imprecise environmental data lead to biased inferences regarding gene-environment interactions (4). A more comprehensive and quantitative view of environmental exposure is needed if epidemiologists are to discover the major causes of chronic diseases.Keywords
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