Having a family history of heart disease can raise your risk of heart attacks. But practicing a healthy lifestyle—eating healthy food, exercising, getting enough sleep and managing stress—can reduce the risk, according to experts.
In a February 24, 2018 Washington Post article, Eric Rimm, professor in the Departments of Epidemiology and Nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, explained that while families share genes, they can also share the same environment, diet, and behaviors, all of which can affect heart disease risk.
“When large studies are conducted, results suggest about a twofold risk if you had a mother or father with coronary heart disease,” said Rimm, who directs Harvard Chan School’s cardiovascular epidemiology program. “The younger your parent was when [he or she] suffered the first event, the higher the risk for the child. However, this is not all genetic, since parents and children share similar lifestyle habits, so it’s tough to disentangle completely.”
Read the Washington Post article: Bad genes don’t mean you are doomed to heart disease and early death