Study: More Amerindian ancestry confers significant protection against onset of Alzheimer's

Abstract
Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia worldwide, and bears remarkable evidence for a differential prevalence among continental populations. In this scenario, estimating ancestry proportions in recently admixed populations is a strategy that can help increasing knowledge about the genetic structure of this complex trait.

Aim/Methods: Our purpose was to assess mean ancestry estimates for the three main parental contributors to the Brazilian contingent (European, African and Amerindian) using a panel of 12 ancestry informative markers. Outpatients with the late-onset form of AD (n = 120) were compared for ancestry levels with non-cognitively impaired subjects (n = 412) in the Midwest Brazil, controlling for classic clinical, social and anthropometric risk factors.

Results: Our findings show a 3-fold greater genetic Amerindian content among control subjects compared to AD patients (p < 0.001).

Conclusion: Our results suggest that the allelic architecture of Native Americans can confer protection against the onset of the disease.


See how anti-Native American racism destroys... oh, I guess it doesn't work this time.

Study: Prostate cancer associated with more African ancestry among Brazilians

From Genetics and Molecular Research:

"We genotyped 11 ancestry informative markers to estimate the contributions of African, European, and Amerindian ancestries in a case-control sample of 213 individuals from Bahia State, Northeast Brazil, including 104 prostate cancer patients. We compared this data with self-reported ancestry and the stratification of cases by prostate cancer aggressiveness according to Gleason score. A larger African genetic contribution (44%) was detected among cases, and a greater European
contribution (61%) among controls."

But don't forget: Race has nothing to do with genes.