Health Headlines: Did Evolution Give Us Inflammatory Disease?

Did Evolution Give us Inflammatory Disease? In new research published this week in the online issue of The American Journal of Human Genetics, researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital say that variants in our genes that contribute to a person’s risk for inflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease or rheumatoid arthritis, have been the target of natural selection over the course of human history. [American Journal of Human Genetics]

Zipper related injuries send 1,700 men to the emergency room every year. A new study published this month in the British Journal of Urology International says an estimated 17,616 people wound up in U.S. emergency rooms between 2002 and 2012 because they caught their genitals, almost always penises, in zippers. That is around 1,700 a year. Zipper injuries are the single most common cause of penile injury in adult men reporting to emergency rooms, followed by bicycles. [NBC News]

Support is growing in Vermont for an end of life bill. The bill “Patient Choice and Control at End of Life” passed the Vermont Senate in February and goes to the House this month. Vermont would be the first state to pass a doctor-assisted-death bill through the legislative process. Oregon and Washington voters passed similar bills in voter referendums. Massachusetts voters defeated a similar measure this past November 51 percent to 49 percent. [USA Today]

A teen was hospitalized after a severe allergic reaction to Axe Body Spray. His high school in Pennsylvania is asking students to not use the product before or in school. Unilever, which makes Axe, told ABC News in an email that they are looking into the matter. If men only knew that some women would fake an allergic reaction just to get their man to stop wearing it. [ABC News]

New Balance will be on the Esplanade again this Saturday (March 23rd) where associates will be handing out free gear, energy food, hydrating drinks, and hot coffee, donated by Boston Common Coffee. In case you didn’t know, New Balance has been clearing the running paths on the Esplanade this winter, in a renewed a sponsorship agreement with the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) for the fourth year in a row. [Release]