Why do people have allergies? Because your ancestors had sex with Neanderthals

Those of us with peanut allergies know how hard it is to avoid being around peanut-containing products.

Chocolate bars, cereals, fried foods and even kissing someone who has eaten something that contains peanuts could cause an allergic reaction.

But why do people have allergies?

We know there is a reason for these types of allergies. We know why your throat closes and why it is difficult to breathe when you eat or inhale something you are allergic to and why you swell if you are stung or bitten by certain insects.

And it all started tens of thousands of years ago, when our ancestors came into contact with Neanderthals.

ABOUT: I took AncestryDNA and found out I have 36 brothers

There is a very probable reason why people develop allergies altogether. And it boils down to the fact that our ancestors had sex with Neanderthals more than 40,000 years ago.

A 2014 study by the genetics company 23andMe believed that all non-African individuals carry between one and six percent of Neanderthal DNA, and three genes especially in this DNA may be responsible for overly sensitive immune systems that make us susceptible. to allergies.

But a 2016 study by American Journal of Human Genetics found that 2% of most people’s DNA is more likely to come from human and Neanderthal sex.

The 2014 study found that carriers of these three genes are more likely to have hay fever, asthma, and other allergies.