We did not exclude individuals with high levels of CRP or IL-6 from our main analyses, as it was unknown whether these levels represented acute illness or chronic inflammation or were due to other factors (e.g. a heritable propensity for high CRP).38 Nevertheless, in our conservative sensitivity analyses following exclusion of individuals with high CRP levels or a reported infection, we found that results were consistent with our main analyses. This evidence concerns the gene IL6 and infection.