For many people, developing heart disease may just be the luck of the draw: no matter how much you exercise or how healthy of a diet you follow, genetics may put you at higher risk for heart disease. Of course, putting an effort into maintaining a healthy lifestyle can certainly reduce the risk, and being aware of your familys history is important for prevention.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heredity can determine whether or not a person may develop high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease and other vascular conditions. The CDC has said that one out of 500 people in the United States may inherit a genetic disorder called familial hypercholesterolemia, which causes high levels of
Other risk factors must be considered when looking at a family's history of heart disease. Sharing a common environment that may include similar eating and exercise habits, or living in a household of cigarette smokers, could be non-genetic reasons for heart disease to run in families. The CDC states that the risk for heart disease increases when heredity is combined with unhealthy lifestyle choices.
While genetics may automatically put a person at higher risk for heart disease, there are clearly other risk factors that play a role. Knowing your family's history of the condition can help determine whether certain behaviors should be altered or monitored more carefully. And in any case, getting regular exercise, maintaining a healthy diet, and quitting smoking can all have a significant impact on overall health.
Reference URL: http://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/heredity.htm
