The Celtic Curse: Haemochromatosis & Agriculture

Irish Population Genetics & The Biological Impact Of The Famine

Haemochromatosis, or ‘iron overload’ is one of a cluster of iron processing disorders with their roots in the Agricultural Revolution. Prior to the over-reliance on cereal grains, humans ate a more meat based diet, which provided enough heme iron to keep the body healthy. Something changed with the Neolithic adoption of wheat and other plants and one of…