You Don’t Have to Wear Your Genes—the Case for a Healthy Lifestyle

“If it’s gonna happen, it’s gonna happen.” I’ve heard that more times than I can recall from patients with a family history of heart disease. But, as Gershwin wrote, it ain’t necessarily so!

In one study, more than 55,000 people were followed for nearly 20 years to explore the connection between genes, lifestyle, and serious heart disease. Scientists examined each person for 50 genes linked to heart disease.

The results: a few simple lifestyle changes are able to knock 50% off the risk of even the most hostile heart genes.

When we talk about “lifestyle change,” how much change is necessary?

You might imagine that the lifestyle changes needed to make a difference would be fairly extreme—a complete diet makeover or a grueling exercise training program. But what was found was something quite different: very modest changes were all that were needed to trim much of the excess hereditary risk.

The investigators studied the impact of four healthy lifestyle factors—and the bar was set low. No current smoking, no obesity (BMI less than 30), physical activity (even once a week counted), and a “healthy diet”— liberally defined as following at least 50% of common recommendations to eat more vegetables, fruit, nuts, whole grains, nuts, fish and less red meat, refined grains, and sugar-sweetened beverages. Individuals who met 3-4 of these criteria were described as having a “favorable” lifestyle while those with 0-1 were regarded as “unfavorable.”

The study did confirm that a bad inheritance had a negative impact across all groups. But the most astonishing finding was that regardless of how the genes were stacked, lifestyle changes improved health outcomes dramatically.

Can lifestyle compensate for genetics?

For those at low genetic risk, a favorable lifestyle was associated with a nearly 50% lower heart risk than those with the poor lifestyle. But surprisingly, even in individuals who inherited the worst heart genes, a favorable lifestyle improved their cardiac outlook by about the same 50%.

The very positive and empowering conclusion is that regardless of whether you have inherited friendly or hazardous genes, a healthy lifestyle goes a very long way to better health.

The discouraging news is that fewer than 50% of the people studied met even the watered-down criteria for a healthy lifestyle. But, on the flip side, therein lies an opportunity: the possibility of extending colossal health benefits to so many at a very low cost, and with major side effects that are all positive.

Your genes are hand-me-downs you can’t refuse—but the science shows you don’t necessarily need to wear them!

Reference: Genetic Risk, Adherence to a Healthy Lifestyle, and Coronary Disease