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Tracy Hampton, PhD

JAMA. 2004;291:933.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Antioxidant-related genes may help determine who develops respiratory allergies following inhalation of diesel emissions, according to a study funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (Lancet. 2004;363:119-125).

Certain genes may help determine one's risk of developing respiratory allergies following exposure to diesel emissions. (Photo credit: Nova Development Corporation)

In the study, researchers from the University of California and the University of Southern California, both in Los Angeles, enlisted volunteers who were allergic to ragweed and exposed them to a mix of ragweed and diesel exhaust. Individuals lacking the antioxidant-producing form of the gene GSTM1 had significantly greater allergic responses compared with those who had the gene. Individuals lacking GSTM1 who had a variant of a related gene called GSTP1 experienced even stronger allergic reactions. An estimated 50% or more of the US population lack . . . [Full Text of this Article]