BLAME THE CAVEMAN

EvolUtion has created a range of health problems. this week: Migraines ONE in five people suffers migraines — throbbing headaches with nausea or disturbed vision — and they may be caused by adaptations our ancestors made as they moved north from Africa more than 50,000 years ago.

As temperatures dipped, those who survived best had a gene variant that regulated body heat better — and therefore they felt less pain in freezing climates. But, according to research published recently in the journal Genetics, this variant has been linked to an increased risk of migraines.

Biologist Aida Andres, of the UCL Genetics Institute, who led the study, said that this may explain why Northern Europeans have the most migraines, according to the World Health Organisation.

Research shows that 88 per cent of people with Finnish ancestry carry the variant, compared with 5 per cent of those with Nigerian ancestry.