Human races are not biological or genetic groupings, so there cannot be meaningful genetic differences in health or disease susceptibility between races.
For illustration, the above world map shows the incidence of sickle-cell disease. This condition is often described as an African trait, but it is actually common in many other regions of the world and absent from some parts of Africa. It is not a marker of race, but of ancestry from a geographical location where malaria was present, since natural selection favours the sickle-cell allele in such places.
Why, then, do medics use race as a disease predictor? Race may be a useful predictor in medicine to the extent that it provides information about individual circumstances, lifestyle, and experience of racism – but these are environmental causes of disease.
When disease incidence varies across racialized groups (e.g. heart disease, stroke) people too quickly reach for genetic explanations. In fact, most health disparities experienced by people of colour are due to environmental conditions, such as diet, toxins, housing and access to healthcare. Race is not a direct cause of disease susceptibility, but it is sometimes correlated with socioeconomic causal factors, including exposure to racism.
We are producing antiracist resources that provide scientifically accurate information about race and health, including posters and leaflets.