Even if a condition like heart disease runs in your family, your choices and lifestyle make a big difference.
Some genes lead to disease. "But for most people, a healthy lifestyle trumps inherited risk," says cardiologist Donald Lloyd-Jones.
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Here's a look at how lifestyle changes can help.
Heart Disease
With heart disease, more than 100 types of genes may play a small role in a person's risk, Lloyd-Jones says. "But by far the biggest factor is lifestyle."
Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is partly about genes, but it's also about lifestyle.
Exercising and managing your weight make a big difference. In one study, people who have lost weight, exercised, and eaten a healthy diet have seen dramatic improvements in their A1C levels, a blood test used to check diabetes risk. They also improved their blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
It's Not Too Late to Start
The sooner you take on healthy habits, the better. But even if you're already in your 60s or 70s, it helps a lot, according to research by Richard S. Rivlin, MD. Rivlin served for 11 years as chief of nutrition service at Memorial-Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
By exercising and following a healthy diet, older people can lower their risk of both heart disease and osteoporosis, or bone loss. Adults over 65 who already have coronary artery disease can lower the danger of heart attacks by as much as 45%. "For most of the chronic diseases that plague us, from heart disease and stroke to diabetes, lifestyle still trumps genes," Lloyd-Jones says. "Staying healthy is still mostly a matter of the choices we make."
source : Genes vs. Lifestyle: What Matters Most for Health?
