It is clear from one A study published in the journal Bone and Mineral Research.
Matt is a common food
The researchers’ investigative work took them back to the early 20th century, when more than 80 percent of children in industrialized Europe and North America contracted the flu.
It was a serious disease characterized by weak bones and stunted growth.
In an effort to eradicate the disease, many countries have begun to fortify a large number of foods with vitamin D.
This applies to everything from bread and margarine to milk and grain products.
But some of the children had a genetic mutation, which the researchers said meant they couldn’t process high levels of vitamin D.
Therefore, they either suffered serious kidney damage – or died from the condition known today as hypercalcemia syndrome type 1 in children.
The deaths, which sent shockwaves through the population, have led many countries to stop fortifying many common foods with vitamin D.
An “abnormal” form of the gene
In 2011, researchers determined that the syndrome, pediatric hypercalcemia of type 1, was caused by an unusual gene mutation.
What surprised the researchers, however, was that about ten percent of patients with the syndrome did not have the characteristic genetic mutation.
This applies to both today’s patients – and some children who died more than 80 years ago, and whose deaths have not been explained by the same cause in medical science since then.
However, researchers have now discovered why the group of patients without the genetic mutation might experience the same symptoms as the group of patients with classic childhood hypercalcemia of type 1.
According to the researchers, this is because these 10 percent have an “abnormal” genetic form – or, in other words: the physical appearance of their gene is different from that of others.
“It tells us that shape of the gene is important for gene regulation — which is why some people live with HCINF1 (Childhood Hypercalcaemia Type 1, ed.), but without being able to get a diagnosis,” says lead researcher behind the study Dr. Daryl Green.
The researchers now plan to investigate the importance of the shape of the genes in relation to other diseases, such as cancer.
“Extreme tv maven. Beer fanatic. Friendly bacon fan. Communicator. Wannabe travel expert.”
More Stories
The contribution of virtual reality to research in medicine and health
The sun could hit the Internet on Earth
In memory of Jens Jørgen Jørgensen