Who knew is my favorite subject. Researching modern technology and its ramifications on the baby boomer generation can be a challenge. I am aware that there are genetic differences between men and women. This begins with the X and Y chromosomes.

A study at UCLA has found that thousands of genes behave differently based on which body they are in male or female. This could be part of the reason that diseases affect the sexes differently and drugs work differently. The researchers were looking for genetic clues for diseases such as mental illness, obesity, diabetes and heart disease in humans. Did you know that humans and mice share ninety-nine percent of their genes?

The basic difference is the sex chromosome. The X and the Y chromosome account for less than two percent of the genes in the human body. More than half of the genes differ significantly between the sexes. This is true for all the primary functions of a wide variety of organs.

They decided that gender influences important genes with specialized roles such as drug metabolism in the liver. While the liver functions the same for males and females, they may work at different rates.

Aspirin seems to be more effective in preventing heart attack in men than women. Perhaps the females metabolize the aspirin faster, leaving little in the system to have an effect on heart attack.

This seems to indicate to me that we need to test drugs on both males and females to determine optimum effectiveness. We also need to independently research diseases in the sexes to find the best course of action for both males and females.

Gene therapy, research, and the effect of drugs on the sexes is modern technology for the baby boomer. I am looking forward to learning more in the future.