Scientists have discovered that heart disease can pass from father to son through the Y chromosome, the gene that determines a baby will be a boy. According to BBC News, research published in the Lancet shows that a certain version of the Y chromosome increases the risk of coronary artery disease by 50 percent.
“Doctors usually associated the Y chromosome with maleness and fertility but this shows it is also implicated in heart disease,” said Dr. Maciej Tomaszewski, a professor at the University of Leicester and lead researcher on the study.
For the study, Tomaszewski and colleagues followed more than 3,000 unrelated British men who were already enrolled in other medical studies on heart disease risk. After performing genetic tests on the men, they were able to conclude that about 90 percent possessed one of two common versions of the Y chromosome. Researchers called the versions haplogroup I and haplogroup R1b1b2.
In men with a haplogroup I chromosome, risk for heart disease was 50 percent higher than in other men. It is estimated that one in five British men carry this version of the Y chromosome, the BBC said.
Tomaszewski told reporters he was excited about his team’s discoveries, believing they may lead to new ways to treat and prevent heart disease in men. By using a genetic test to determine the presence of the haplogroup I chromosome, doctors would be better able to help patients analyze their risk for heart disease and begin preventative behaviors.
