Indigenous Peruvian Andeans show elevated AMY1 gene copies
Updated
Updated · Earth.com · May 7
Indigenous Peruvian Andeans show elevated AMY1 gene copies
14 articles · Updated · Earth.com · May 7
The study found a median of 10 copies in the Peruvian Andes versus about seven globally, with some individuals carrying up to 20.
Researchers linked the pattern to potato domestication about 10,000 years ago, ruling out ancestry and random drift and finding DNA signals of strong natural selection near the amylase region.
Published in Nature Communications, the work suggests rapid human adaptation to diet, though higher salivary amylase may also affect blood sugar responses, oral bacteria and cavity risk.
If a potato diet rewired Andean DNA in millennia, how is our modern diet changing our genes today?
Indigenous Peruvians evolved to eat potatoes. What hidden adaptations has your own ancestral diet unlocked?
Can a 10,000-year-old genetic adaptation to potatoes survive the threat of modern industrial agriculture?
Gene-Culture Co-Evolution: How Andean Potato Domestication Shaped Human AMY1 Starch Digestion Genes
Overview
A 2025 study revealed that Indigenous Quechua people have the highest number of AMY1 gene copies, averaging 10 per individual, an adaptation driven by natural selection during potato domestication 6,000 to 10,000 years ago. This genetic change increases salivary amylase production, which begins starch digestion in the mouth, while positive selection on the MGAM gene enhances starch breakdown in the intestine. Together, these adaptations optimize energy extraction from potatoes, historically providing over half of the Andean diet. However, modern processed carbohydrates create a mismatch with this genetic setup, contributing to metabolic diseases in populations like the Andeans. Understanding these gene-diet interactions offers promising paths for personalized nutrition and health.