This is evident from a study published in Journal of Bone and Mineral Research
Deaths from common food
The research work took the scientists back to the early 20th century, when more than 80 percent of children in industrialized Europe and North America suffered from English disease.
This serious condition is characterized by weakening of the bones and stunted growth.
In an effort to eradicate the disease, many countries had begun fortifying various foods with vitamin D.
These included bread, other grain products, margarine and milk.
But some babies suffered from a gene mutation that prevented them from processing the high dose of vitamin D.
As a result, they suffered severe kidney damage – or died from the condition now known as infantile hypercalcemia type 1.
The shocking deaths led many countries to stop fortifying many common foods with vitamin D.
Abnormal form of the gene
In 2011, researchers determined that infantile hypercalcemia type 1 is caused by a specific gene mutation.
But surprisingly, about 10 percent of patients suffering from the condition do not have the characteristic genetic mutation.
This is true for today’s patients as well as for some babies who died some 80 years ago—deaths that medical science could not explain for the same reason.
Now, however, researchers have discovered why the patients without the gene mutation have the same symptoms as the group of patients with classic infantile hypercalcemia type 1.
According to the researchers, this is because that 10 percent has an abnormal gene form. So their gene looks different from other people.
“It tells us that the shape of the gene is important for gene regulation – and that’s why some people do have HCINF1 (infantile hypercalcemia type 1, red.) but have not been able to get a definitive diagnosis,” says the study’s lead researcher, Dr. Darrell Green.
Scientists now want to investigate what role the shape of the gene plays in other diseases, such as cancer.
