Logo image
Back
Consanguineous marriage and human evolution
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Consanguineous marriage and human evolution

A.H. Bittles and M.L. Black
Annual Review of Anthropology, Vol.39(1), pp.193-207
2010
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.anthro.012809.105051
url
Link to Published Version *Subscription may be requiredView

Abstract

Mate choice among early human groups and in many historical populations was subject to both demographic and social constraints, ensuring that most unions were between couples who had coinherited substantial proportions of their genomes from common ancestors. Even in populations in which close consanguineous marriage was proscribed, community endogamy would have been sufficient to ensure high levels of homozygosity. Consanguineous marriage remains the choice of an estimated 10.4% of the global population, although there has been an overall decline in its popularity, especially in developed countries. Recent studies have indicated that the shift from consanguineous marriage to panmixia has been accompanied by a reduction in homozygosity. The concomitant predicted decrease in incidence of both recessive single-gene disorders and more common adult-onset diseases will have a significant impact on the health of future generations.

Details

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#3 Good Health and Well-Being

Source: InCites

Metrics

21 Record Views
60 Times Cited - Web of Science

InCites Highlights

These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output

Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Citation topics
1 Clinical & Life Sciences
1.189 Genome Studies
1.189.1853 Human Genetic Diversity
Web Of Science research areas
Anthropology
ESI research areas
Social Sciences, general
Logo image