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Genetics, race, health and history

By Richard Muhammad on Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Dr. Rick Kittles took Woodlawn residents on a journey through genetic science, history, and medical research to explain how these areas intersect and impact the lives of African Americans.

Dr. Kittles, an associate professor at the University of Chicago, used humor and plain talk to describe differences in genes and how they impact health.

With the medical industry eyeing preemptive over curative approaches to diseases, Blacks need to get involved in medical research and policy—including wary participation in clinical trials and making sure Black scientists and professionals are doing the research, he said.

Everyone has a different genetic makeup and the variations in genetic makeup in different racial groups are part of the reason why some people are more prone to diseases than others, he said. Sickle cell disease in Black Americans can be traced back to a gene that helped them survive malaria in tropical Africa, he explained. The gene was valuable in the African context but in America, where malaria is not a problem, the sickle cell trait restricts oxygen and blood flow, leading to painful and sometimes serious flare-ups, he said.

Blacks in Africa didn’t use salt in their diets, but salt was part of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and is used throughout the cooking and preservation process in America, Dr. Kittles said. But the majority of Blacks are salt sensitive and when salt gets into the kidneys it impacts blood pressure, he explained.

Dr. Kittles doubts race-based medicines will work, but sees more individualized medicine that takes genetics into account as a distinct possibility and a definite area of interest. Technology is allowing for comparisons and the ability to hold vast amounts of data on a single computer chip, said the researcher who holds a PhD. in biological sciences from George Washington University.

Dr. Kittles has focused on the issues of race, genetic differences and how stress, poverty, racism, environment and other issues influence health and disease. He has spent much time studying prostate cancer and its disproportionate affect on Black men.

Researchers are shifting their focus to see where genetics and outside factors meet and impact health, he said. It doesn’t mean a onetime battle with a landlord over a rent payment or the inability to get a cab, but looking at the lifelong impact of racism and negative social factors, Dr. Kittles said.

 

The diversity found in Blacks and Latinos make the groups attractive subjects for studies, he said. Blacks should be well-informed and involved in the decision-making and actual research, Dr. Kittles stressed.

Genetics account for race and traces from different races can be found in Blacks and Whites in the United States, Dr. Kittles noted. But racial definitions in America are connected to slavery, racial oppression, segregation, anti-race mixing laws and the one-drop rule, he said. The one-drop rule meant a single drop of Black blood meant you could be sold as a slave instead of an heir to a White slave master father’s fortune, said Dr. Kittles.

Though a light-skinned Black like Halle Barry may carry more European genetic material than some Whites, the actress is deemed a Black woman in American society, he noted.

Dr. Kittles pointed out that about 30 percent of Black men have European DNA and he carries a German Y chromosome. “It doesn’t help. If the cops pull me over I’m not driving while having a European Y chromosome. I am Driving While Black. I can’t put it on the mortgage application, cabs they don’t see it,” he said, as the audience laughed.

Dr. Kittles is also the owner of African Ancestry, Inc., and explained how genetics can help trace the roots of Black ancestry. Given slavery and segregation, African Americans often get stuck in the 1850s or 1860s when trying to research their roots, he said. DNA testing can often point out the area of Africa or other parts of the world ancestors came from, he said to the audience at the Bessie Coleman Library on 63rd St.

The audience listened intently as Dr. Kittles talked about African migration, genetic richness, and how sedentary and western lifestyles have taken Blacks out of a natural existence and opened the door for health problems. In Nigeria, everyone walks or rides bikes and obesity isn’t a problem, he said. In Maywood, Ill., Black people with a similar genetic makeup are overweight and suffering from high blood pressure and major health problems, Dr. Kittles said.

Dr. Kittles also worked on the PBS Series “African American Lives,” which traced the genetic and personal history of several prominent Blacks, including TV show queen Oprah Winfrey, comedian Chris Rock, civil rights leader Al Sharpton, businesswoman Linda Johnson Rice and religious leader T.D. Jakes.

An interest in why some people get sick and others don’t and physical differences he saw in high school classmates led to Dr. Kittles’ work in genetics. His interest in learning where he came from resulted in genealogical work. It turned out that his scientific knowledge helped trace his roots and others were interested in using the same tools.

“The way Dr. Kittles presented the information was very much professional. It was on target, it was humorous, light-hearted at times but also serious and balanced,” said Chandrea T. Hopkins, a Woodlawn resident and member of the Kenwood Point Homeowners Association. The presentation also challenged parents to look at what they are feeding children and consider fixing meals at home, she said.

Annie Pope, chair of the Health and Human Service Committee for NCP Woodlawn and TWO, said the point of the session was to get the word out about health. Her committee sponsored the event. “If we gain knowledge it puts us in a position to do something about things that are really happening to us,” she said. “We bring with us our history and we need to understand that history. It’s a cumulative kind of situation. If we understand that history it puts us in a better position to bring about change.”

Future planned Health Committee events include sessions on aging, depression and Alzheimer’s disease and drug and alcohol abuse.