Editing Parsis (section)

==Archaeogenetics==
[[Genealogical DNA test]]s have brought mixed results. Some studies support the Parsi contention that they have maintained their Persian roots by avoiding intermarriage with local populations.{{sfn|Nanavutty|1970|p=13}}

A study published in ''[[Genome Biology]]'' based on high density [[single-nucleotide polymorphism|SNP]] data has shown that the Parsis are genetically closer to Iranian populations than to their South Asian neighbours. They also share the highest number of haplotypes with present-day Iranians; the admixture of the Parsis with Indian populations was estimated to have occurred approximately 1,200 years ago. It is also found that Parsis are genetically closer to [[Neolithic]] Iranians than to modern Iranians who had recently received some genes from the Near East.{{sfn|Chaubey|Ayub|Rai|Prakash|2017}}

In that 2002 study of the [[Human Y-chromosome DNA haplogroup|Y-chromosome]] (patrilineal) DNA of the Parsis of [[Pakistan]], it was determined that Parsis are genetically closer to Iranians than to their neighbours.{{sfn|Qamar|Ayub|Mohyuddin|Helgason|2002|p=1119}} A 2023 study was the first to delve deeply into maternal ancestry with high-resolution mitochondrial markers. They conducted a detailed phylogenetic analysis to infer their maternal genetic affinity. This revealed the Parsi mitogenomes, characterized by the mtDNA haplogroup M3a1 + 204, share a clade with both Middle Eastern and South Asian modern individuals in both the Maximum Likelihood tree and Bayesian phylogenetic tree. This haplogroup was also prevalent among the medieval Swat valley population and was observed in two Roopkund A individuals. In the phylogenetic network, these samples share a haplotype with both South Asian and Middle Eastern samples. Thus, the maternal ancestry of the first Parsi settlers includes genetic components similar to South Asian and Middle Eastern populations.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Kumar |first1=Lomous |last2=Ahlawat |first2=Bhavna |last3=Kumar |first3=Sachin |last4=Mushrif-Tripathy |first4=Veena |last5=Rai |first5=Niraj |date=July 1, 2023 |title=Maternal ancestry of first Parsi settlers of India using ancient mitogenome |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1567724923000557 |journal=Mitochondrion |volume=71 |pages=104–111 |doi=10.1016/j.mito.2023.06.004 |pmid=37379890 |issn=1567-7249}}</ref>

In 2017, a research study discovered that Parsis exhibit a stronger genetic affinity with Neolithic Iranians than with modern Iranians, who have experienced more recent admixture from the Near East. The study also identified 48% of South-Asian-specific mitochondrial lineages in ancient samples, which could be attributed to the assimilation of local females during the initial settlement or may be representative of mitochondrial lineages that have become extinct in Iran.{{sfn|Chaubey|Ayub|Rai|Prakash|2017}} That would make the [[population genetics]] of Parsis about 3/4 Iranian and 1/4 Indian.

The genetic studies of Parsis of Pakistan show sharp contrast between genetic data obtained from [[Human mitochondrial DNA haplogroup|mitochondrial DNA]] (mtDNA) and [[Y-chromosome]] DNA (Y-DNA), different from most populations. Historical records suggests that they had moved from Iran to India, first to Gujarat and then to Mumbai and Karachi. According to Y-DNA, they resemble the Iranian population, which supports historical records. When the mtDNA pool is compared to Iranians and Gujaratis (their putative parental populations), it contrasted Y-DNA data. Parsis have a high frequency of [[Haplogroup M (mtDNA)|haplogroup M]] (55%), similar to Indians, which is just 1.7% in combined Iranian sample. According to the research findings, there is a noticeable contrast between the maternal and paternal components of the Parsi population. Despite their small population size, the high diversity observed in both the Y-DNA and mtDNA lineages suggests that a strong drift effect is improbable. The studies suggest a male-mediated migration of Parsi ancestors from Iran to Gujarat where they admixed with the local female population during initial settlements, which ultimately resulted in loss of Iranian mtDNA.{{sfn|Quintana-Murci|Chaix|Wells|Behar|2004|p=840}}{{sfn|Chaubey|Ayub|Rai|Prakash|2017}}

The absence of lung cancer-related DNA mutational signals among Parsis both point to the community's distinctive non-smoking social practises, which have been practised for millennia. Additionally Parsis have high prevalence of longevity as a genetic feature.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Patell |first1=Villoo Morawala |last2=Pasha |first2=Naseer |last3=Krishnasamy |first3=Kashyap |last4=Mittal |first4=Bharti |last5=Gopalakrishnan |first5=Chellappa |last6=Mugasimangalam |first6=Raja |last7=Sharma |first7=Naveen |last8=Gupta |first8=Arati-Khanna |last9=Bhote-Patell |first9=Perviz |last10=Rao |first10=Sudha |last11=Jain |first11=Renuka |date=June 8, 2020 |title=The First complete Zoroastrian-Parsi Mitochondria Reference Genome: Implications of mitochondrial signatures in an endogamous, non-smoking population |url=https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.06.05.124891v1 |language=en |pages=2020.06.05.124891 |doi=10.1101/2020.06.05.124891 |s2cid=219603800 |archive-date=May 18, 2022 |access-date=July 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518084421/https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.06.05.124891v1 |url-status=live }}</ref> Parsis have however been shown to have high rates of [[breast cancer]]<ref>{{cite news |title=High rate of cancer puts Parsis under microscope |work=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/high-rate-of-cancer-puts-parsis-under-microscope-2220668.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=May 18, 2017 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/high-rate-of-cancer-puts-parsis-under-microscope-2220668.html |archive-date=May 25, 2022}}</ref> [[bladder cancer]], [[glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency]] and [[Parkinson's disease]].<ref name="Kumar2012">{{cite book |author=Dhavendra Kumar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2grSBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA306 |title=Genetic Disorders of the Indian Subcontinent |date=September 15, 2012 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=978-1-4020-2231-9}}</ref>