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A DNA STUDY of more than 380,000 people has uncovered a rather surprising role for human genes: helping to determine the age at which you first have sex.
Factors such as family stability, peer pressure and personality type are all known to influence whether teenagers choose to engage in sex young, or abstain until adulthood.
Now a huge gene trawl has revealed that “genes have a substantial influence” too, according to study co-author Ken Ong of the Institute of Metabolic Science at the University of Cambridge.
Genetic factors, he told AFP, “explain around 25% of the differences in the age when people start to have sex”.
Sexual maturity
The genes likely influence such factors as the age at which puberty hits, and whether or not you posses a risk-taking personality.
The average age of sexual maturity for both genders has decreased from about 18 years in 1880, to 12.5 in 1980, according to the study authors.
Scientists have blamed changes in nutrition and the larger physical size of children today, as well as exposure to hormone-disrupting chemicals.
Ong and a team analysed the genes of more than 125,000 participants in a British health study, and noted an association between 38 gene variants and the age at which they first had intercourse.
They cross-checked this with gene datasets for 241,000 people in Iceland and 20,000 in the United States, for a total sample size of over 380,000 people.
Ong said:
We found that the size of the influence of genetic factors remained constant across decades of growing up, from the 1950s to the 1980s — this shows that genetic factors are relevant across a wide range of cultures and social attitudes.
Beyond socio-cultural factors
Many of the gene variants were also linked to other reproductive traits, such as age at birth of one’s first child, and the number of children borne, they found.
The research was published in the journal Nature Genetics.
Previous research had shown that people who start having sex at a young age are more likely to underperform at school and have poorer physical and mental health.
Early onset puberty has been linked to a higher risk for diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.
But most research so far has focused on the socio-cultural causes for teenage sex.
The team said it hoped the findings will help identify and help children more prone, genetically and otherwise, to engage in risky behaviour.
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Really? Genes? That’s the factor? It has nothing to do with the sextualisation of everything from ice cream to toothpaste and celebrity sex symbols?
I was waring a pair of Levi’s
During?! Ouch, those zippers are sharp!
5 cans of Dutch gold more like it
Well there is a surprise! And these people get paid for the obvious? Yet another dumb stupid study. I think I’ll look for funding to connect pimples to cancer, heart diseases, homophobic tendencies and why more fat people like mc fat boy friers!
New study finds that tight genes on the ladies is also highly correlated with sexual advances.
When i was younger i had a pair of Levis Jeans …….always got me hole when i had them on ……ah those were the days !!
501s?
You’d have enjoyed it more if you took them off
Tbh this is one study I don’t believe ‘to be in the genes’.
There are many reasons one might lose their virginity at a younger age.
Curiosity / experimentation
Sexual abuse
Neglect – not being loved at home so looks for love / care / attention elsewhere.
Coercion / blackmail
Strong feelings for someone / love
It’s more of the persons upbringing / environment / emotional well being than genes.
3 of the 5 mentioned above would also result in poor physical and mental health and probably poor school performance.
If you read the article as well as the headline, you’ll see that it says that genes could be a factor, not the sole determinant. If the science is sound it doesn’t matter what you believe. Pretty big sample size too.
Correlation does not imply causation, the confounding factors are I would say are the main reason. Not genetics.
It was common centuries ago for teens to get married and have kids, due to early deaths.
Also religion played a big part, where it was a mortal sin to have sex before marriage.
Now everything is sexualised.
Religion is failing fast.
Wide availability of pornographic material.
Our complete environment has changed, more so in the last 30 years than ever before.
The 1880s was a completely different world.
Lily, do you think the scientists who peer review articles for Nature Genetics don’t understand how confounding factors work? The journal Nature is literally the industry leader. Having a paper published there can make a scientist’s career. I don’t think you’re going to debunk a paper published in Nature by reading an news article. The fact that you believe you can just shows that you have no idea how science works.
Keeping your jeans up and zipped up can save your virginity .
Not if someone someone pulls the jeans off
That’s right I suppose. Depends on how quick you can get the genes off!!!
Without leaving a stain on them…
Really interesting
How would genes know who had sex or a hand job or has watching so much porn had its effect on the genes as well?
have your say