Our Genetics and Health Disparities
Summary
- African-American health risks are rooted in geography, not race. Many ancestors came from deep interior West Africa—an extremely sodium-deficient region—which led to genetic adaptations for conserving salt. In today’s high-salt American diet, those same adaptations contribute to hypertension, kidney failure, and related diseases.
- Modern nutrition guidelines aren’t designed for Black biology. Recommended sodium and calcium levels are based on Northern European genetics, not African ancestral needs. For many African-Americans, consuming “standard” amounts of salt or calcium can be harmful, fueling conditions like high blood pressure and certain aggressive cancers.
- Precision medicine requires recognizing population-specific adaptations. African-Americans have immense genetic diversity, yet medical research rarely studies African gene variants. Without understanding these differences, life-saving treatments, prevention strategies, and nutritional guidelines will continue to overlook the community’s true biological needs.
