So It Turns Out the Ice Bucket Challenge Actually Made a Difference


Celebs like Anna Wintour, George R.R. Martin, and Tom Cruise, along with plebeians like your Uncle Kevin and freshman year roommate, took part in the so-called “Ice Bucket Challenge” in the hope that it would encourage people to donate to ALS research. But critics noted that those participating seldom even mentioned the disease. So was this trend just a passing fad? Did it actually do anything to help those suffering with ALS?

RELATED: What It’s Like to Be a Mom When You Have an Incurable Disease

Turns out, the haters were completely wrong. According to The Guardian, the campaign raised more than $100 million in just 30 days, funding several research projects. And one of the research teams, Project MinE, announced Monday that they’ve discoverd a new gene that could lead to lines of treatment for the incurable disease.

Sign up for Women’s Health’s new newsletter, So This Happened, to get the day’s trending stories and health studies.

While the gene, NEK1, is only found in three percent of ALS cases, people with both types of ALS (sporadic, the most common, which can happen to anyone, and familial, which is inherited) have it. As a result, researchers hope to develop a comprehensive treatment plan for both forms of the disease.

RELATED: What It’s Like to Survive a Deadly Disease

Between this great news and the miserable heat wave we’re all experiencing, it might be time to bring the challenge back, don’t you think?