University of Helsinki study finds wealthier individuals genetically more prone to cancer, while the poor are at higher genetic risk for other diseases.

A new study conducted at the University of Helsinki in Finland has found that wealthy people are genetically at greater risk of cancer than the poor. The research revealed that the rich are at a heightened genetic risk for breast, prostate, and other types of cancer, while those with lower socioeconomic status are genetically more susceptible to diabetes, arthritis, depression, alcoholism, and lung cancer. This is the first study to search for the link between socioeconomic status and the genetic risk of various complex diseases.