How much of our health is just hereditary and there's nothing you can do to prevent it?

[lynn]

I am healthy, could lose 10lbs, but I eat good, exercise regularly, have an occassional drink, only had a few cigarettes iny life and yet I have the same highblood pressure issues and a couple other issues that my cigarette smoking, non exercising, unhealthy eaters, in my family.   next week I have to go to the cardiologist for some issue's I've been having.   What is wrong with this "picture"?  My dad was my age when he had stints(sp) and he smoked Chesterfields most of his life.

[Luanne]

That is difficult for me to say.  I have breast cancer ... which quite frequently is hereditary ... I'm the first one in my family to have it.

[Reefgazer]

Depends on the malady.  The Minnesota Twins (it wasn't studying the ball team, just comparing twins raised in different environments, LOL!) shed quite a bit of lights of some maladies that are mostly hereditary and some which are mainly environmental, and I was actually quite surprised by the outcomes.

[SKL]

Yeah, I'm pushing 50 and every week I seem to be getting more of the stuff my parents have/had, despite very different lifestyles.  Me no likey.

[lynn]

Yeah, I'm pushing 50 and every week I seem to be getting more of the stuff my parents have/had, despite very different lifestyles.  Me no likey.

 

 

Just seems so unfair doesn't it.  I am more mad than anything else.  I thought I was doing everything to avoid these same issues.

[wapiti]

It depends on what you mean by eating well. Personally, I have serious issues with eating carbs; I get that from my dad, who was a thin type 2 diabetic. (eta, so what I consider healthy for me is controversial: low carb, high fat)

 

IIRC, high blood pressure may have a hereditary component. It can also be part of a larger metabolic issue. Heart issues can be hereditary.

[OneStepAtATime]

 it really is frustrating when genes hit you in the head over and over.   :grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug:

 

I have hypoglycemia.  My dad was diabetic.  I have a thyroid condition.  So does my mother.  I had breast cancer.  So did my mother and so did every single one of her first cousins, including the men.  Rather a scary thought for the future of my children.  And everything my parents had I got about 15 years earlier than they did.

 

SIL has never smoked, she rarely eats fatty foods, she exercises, etc.  But she has had high blood pressure most of her adult life.  She is on medication for it and has been since her 20's.  She hates that genetically the family is predisposed to high blood pressure.  She still strives to stay healthy, though, and works very hard at it.  Her dad had high blood pressure from the time he was in his 20's, too.  But he also smoked for many, many years.  He did not eat right.  He rarely exercised. He was a thin man throughout even his 50's but he was not healthy.  Stress and poor lifestyle choices triggered two massive strokes.  Now he shuffles around only having use of one leg.  He cannot speak words, only grunts.  He has to wear adult diapers.  He is an intelligent, talented man trapped in a broken body.  I have to hope that being extremely proactive my SIL is increasing her chances of avoiding her father's fate.

 

 

[PrincessMommy]

Yeah I don't know.  My husband's grandfather lived to be 98.  He drank like a fish.  He ate too many sweets.  He lived through WWII.  He worked 3rd shift in a steel mill.  He was overweight. 

 

I don't know if he ever smoked. 

 

My great-grandfather drank and smoked (filterless) and probably ate all the wrong things (i don't know for sure since we weren't close - he was a dirty old man and all the women avoided him).... he lived to be almost 100. 

[Tiramisu]

I have a family history of autoimmune disorders but my direct relatives are healthy, despite a mix of heavy smoking, drinking, and drug use. I have lived on the straight and narrow and I'm worse off than anyone, physically at least. LOL. It's not that anything specific is wrong with me, at least not anything that has been identified, I just feel tired, sore, and stiff a lot. It's frustrating.

[elegantlion]

My dad has many of the same issues his grandmother had, some exacerbated by diet, yet my mom eats the same thing and after 50 years together has none of his issues. My cancer was immune related, and (no evidence, just some researched speculation) could stem from some of my dad's genetic issues. Now ds is having some auto immune responses that might tie back to his genetics. There is no doubt in our family that our bodies respond in a similar way to certain things, like diet. I'm hoping by ds having a better diet that might head off some of those issues. 

[LibraryLover]

Of course I don't know if your issues are mostly genetic.  But. You can be thin on the outside, but have 'unseen'  fat around organs-- which can cause metabolic issues (high blood pressure). Keeping track of sugar and carb intake might help you figure out if you're in a good range, and perhaps help decrease blood pressure.  For women, the 'safe' range is no more than  about 24 grams of sugar per day, which includes foods that are converted to sugar- refined foods like bread, pasta, cereal, rice, & white potatoes. Juice (even natural ones), soda, fruit smoothies, sweet tea etc, can affect sugar intake and lead to endocrine issues.

 

Could be bad genes, but it could also be our increased sugar/refined carb consumption.  Even with history, we can often affect our health for the better with certain changes.

 

 

[rwjx2khsmj]

My husband had open heart surgery at the age of 45. His cardiac surgeon said that while lifestyle choices may slow down the progression of CAD, it's a genetic disease. 

 

 

[Ottakee]

My husband's doctor told him that he picked bad parents (genetics).

 

I think a lot of things are genetic.  I still promote a good healthy diet, regular exercise, time outside daily, no drinking/drugs/smoking, etc.

 

 

[gardenmom5]

I have a couple things that I'm probably predisposed to because of heredity.  my mother, maternal grandmother and several  (but not all) of her sisters all had them.  that means there are things I will need to do differently to try and avoid developing them.

 

for me it is a specific type of diet, and specific type of exercise.

 

 

[gardenmom5]

I was talking to a woman whose dh was getting a kidney transplant,  I also know her dh's brother - he had a heart transplant.   I mentioned her mil really gave her sons lousy bodies.  she agreed.

 

 

My husband's doctor told him that he picked bad parents (genetics).

 

I think a lot of things are genetic.  I still promote a good healthy diet, regular exercise, time outside daily, no drinking/drugs/smoking, etc.

 

[LizzyBee]

It's hard to say. My dh's mom and dad weren't healthy and died fairly young (early 60s), his brother and cousin both died young (early 50s). Heart attacks, diabetes, strokes caused by a genetic blood disorder all run in his family.  But my husband is very healthy at almost 57.

 

Based on family history, I was sure my mom would have alzheimers and my dad would die of a heart attack by age 70 at the latest. Instead, my dad died from alzheimers at 82 and had a healthy heart.  But my brother had a heart attack (survived) at 52, so the heart issues didn't disappear, just skipped my dad.  My mom is 83 and doesn't have alzheimers, but my brother has early signs of it and has been on aricept for a number of years already.

 

My sister's boyfriend is about 50 and has had at least two heart attacks already. He is diabetic, and his heart disease is progressing rapidly. He lives a healthy lifestyle, so there's not really anything he can do to slow it down. His mother smokes like a smokestack and is perfectly healthy.  He didn't get her genes.

[DawnM]

Don't know, I was adopted.

 

However, my mother's family has quite a few health issues.  Cancer, mental issues, autoimmune issues, and general overall health problems.  

 

Dawn

[Paige]

I think genetics has more to do with it than we'd like to think. It makes us feel more powerless than if environmental factors controlled most everything.

 

It may be a silly comparison, but I think about my dogs. They were littermates and we had them from the time they were 6 weeks. They had the same food, the same shot schedules, the same walks and exercise, the same environment in every way, yet one is still running around like a puppy at almost 17yrs old and the other passed away last year after numerous illnesses and chronic health problems that began when he was rather young. He obviously lost the genetic lottery. These dogs were also obviously not identical twins or anything. Their mother had a litter of mutts and all of the puppies looked very different.

[Heather in Neverland]

I think genetics has more to do with it than we'd like to think. It makes us feel more powerless than if environmental factors controlled most everything.

 

It may be a silly comparison, but I think about my dogs. They were littermates and we had them from the time they were 6 weeks. They had the same food, the same shot schedules, the same walks and exercise, the same environment in every way, yet one is still running around like a puppy at almost 17yrs old and the other passed away last year after numerous illnesses and chronic health problems that began when he was rather young. He obviously lost the genetic lottery. These dogs were also obviously not identical twins or anything. Their mother had a litter of mutts and all of the puppies looked very different.

 

I agree and there's billions of dollars being made from our desire to think we can fight genetics.

[wapiti]

I think it only makes sense that we *do* try to fight genetics, meaning, we take our own personal genetics into account when making various health decisions.  We don't simply give up.  Often, we just don't know what the best course of action is, or what impact certain environmental factors will have on our genetics, but we make our best guess.  Unfortunately, sometimes clear, accurate information on what we ought to do is unavailable or worse, we are misinformed.

 

For example, I have a ds with a particular genetic heart condition that comes with a risk of a sudden cardiac event.  The recommendations involve avoiding certain activity (burst exertion, which essentially means most sports are out).  So, I'm not allowing him to attend a roller skating party.  Bummer, but we are using the information we have in the hope that all stays well for as long as possible; it's a judgment call in the moment.  (Someone please remind me of this every time I want to eat sweets.)  Knowledge is power.

[Greta]

My paternal grandmother died from complications of diabetes, so this disease is something I pay attention to. If I were to eat a breakfast of oatmeal and toast, my blood sugar would shoot up to 160, and then crash down to 60. I checked my father's blood sugar once after he ate precisely this meal, and his stayed rock steady in the upper 90's. My father and I have a pretty similar genetic makeup, and if anything, he should have more of my grandma's "diabetes genes" than I do. So why do I have blood sugar problems and he does not? (Absolutely NO diabetes on my mom's side of the family, btw.)

 

I think it is because when he was growing up, access to sweets and refined carbs was more limited. When I was growing up, I ate sugary cereal for breakfast every morning, and had dessert with lunch and dinner, and often a sweet snack too. Then, in my late teens and early twenties, I became a very unhealthy vegetarian, subsisting mostly on French fries and cheesecake. I think that five years of too little protein, the wrong kinds of fats, and most importantly TOO MANY CARBS, ruined my metabolism. Now, in order to not be sick all the time, I have to restrict my carb intake drastically. My dad may be able to healthfully eat toast and oatmeal for his whole life. I cannot do so even once without paying a hefty price.

 

I heard somewhere recently that the relationship between sugar intake and diabetes is as strong as the relationship between smoking and lung cancer. There is no doubt that there is a genetic component (Native Americans, for example, are far more likely to develop it than Asians) but it is very much a lifestyle disease.

 

Oh, and by the way, carbohydrate intake is not just about diabetes. It is also very strongly correlated to blood pressure. MUCH more strongly than sodium intake is. My brother-in-law found that he could go off of his blood pressure meds when he reduced his carb intake. And his experience is far from unique.

 

:grouphug: I hope that your issues prove to be mild and treatable.

[Pawz4me]

It may be a silly comparison, but I think about my dogs. They were littermates and we had them from the time they were 6 weeks. They had the same food, the same shot schedules, the same walks and exercise, the same environment in every way, yet one is still running around like a puppy at almost 17yrs old and the other passed away last year after numerous illnesses and chronic health problems that began when he was rather young. He obviously lost the genetic lottery. These dogs were also obviously not identical twins or anything. Their mother had a litter of mutts and all of the puppies looked very different.

 

For the most part I agree with you, but I do feel it necessary to point out that a litter of puppies can be sired by more than one dog.  So unless the breeding was supervised, it's possible your puppies inherited different paternal genes.

 

My paternal grandmother died from complications of diabetes, so this disease is something I pay attention to. If I were to eat a breakfast of oatmeal and toast, my blood sugar would shoot up to 160, and then crash down to 60. I checked my father's blood sugar once after he ate precisely this meal, and his stayed rock steady in the upper 90's. My father and I have a pretty similar genetic makeup, and if anything, he should have more of my grandma's "diabetes genes" than I do. So why do I have blood sugar problems and he does not? (Absolutely NO diabetes on my mom's side of the family, btw.)

 

I think it is because when he was growing up, access to sweets and refined carbs was more limited. When I was growing up, I ate sugary cereal for breakfast every morning, and had dessert with lunch and dinner, and often a sweet snack too. Then, in my late teens and early twenties, I became a very unhealthy vegetarian, subsisting mostly on French fries and cheesecake. I think that five years of too little protein, the wrong kinds of fats, and most importantly TOO MANY CARBS, ruined my metabolism. Now, in order to not be sick all the time, I have to restrict my carb intake drastically. My dad may be able to healthfully eat toast and oatmeal for his whole life. I cannot do so even once without paying a hefty price.

 

I heard somewhere recently that the relationship between sugar intake and diabetes is as strong as the relationship between smoking and lung cancer. There is no doubt that there is a genetic component (Native Americans, for example, are far more likely to develop it than Asians) but it is very much a lifestyle disease.

 

Oh, and by the way, carbohydrate intake is not just about diabetes. It is also very strongly correlated to blood pressure. MUCH more strongly than sodium intake is. My brother-in-law found that he could go off of his blood pressure meds when he reduced his carb intake. And his experience is far from unique.

 

:grouphug: I hope that your issues prove to be mild and treatable.

 

I can't really agree with that.  My dad was a thin, active Type 2 diabetic.  I do not believe anyone knows what "eating right" really means, since I've seen so many recommendations and food fads come and go over my life time.  But he was certainly a healthful eater.  Lots of veggies, some protein and a little fruit.  Very little of what most people would classify as junk.  And he was very physically active.  Not a go to the gym for an hour a few times a week and sit the rest of the time type, but someone who was very active throughout the course of almost every day due to his job and hobbies.  For him there's no way I can see that diabetes was a lifestyle disease.  Absolutely no way.

 

His sister was an overweight, sedentary, very out of shape Type 2 diabetic who ate whatever she wanted, which always seemed to include lots of sweets.  So for her, maybe lifestyle was a factor.

 

I tend to think the most likely answer is that both of them were genetically "doomed" to develop diabetes, and that's why their almost totally opposite lifestyles apparently made no difference.

 

I've always eaten a high carb diet.  Not sugar (I don't have much of a sweet tooth at all), but lots of whole grains.  I seem to thrive on it, and despite the current "carbs are evil" fad, I've yet to see any credible studies that indicate that a diet high in complex carbs isn't a healthful way of eating for the vast majority of people.  My blood sugar stays rock steady in the low normal range.  I'm 51 now and that could certainly change any time, but it's also possible I "won" the diabetes lottery by getting my mother's genes that influence that.  But then her side of the family has more cancer and heart disease than my father's, so it certainly may not be an overall "win." ;)

[Melissa in Australia]

I just hope that I take after my mother's side of the family, thought there are a few that died young, my cousin at 26 from an aneurism, my mother's aunt  who died in her late 60s from a ruptured artery right at her heart , and a few strokes spread around relatives from their 70s onwards.

 

 On my fathers side, of his 5 siblings, only one lived past 40. The rest died of things like strokes and suicide. lots of suicide.

[Joyofsixreboot]

Even if you are genetically predisposed to a disease I don't think loading up on the salty, sugary processed foods and avoiding exercise is going to HELP you.  Instead of developing the disease at 50 it might have shown up in your 30's.  

[wapiti]

I do not believe anyone knows what "eating right" really means, since I've seen so many recommendations and food fads come and go over my life time. 

 

Therein lies the rub.  I hope this is studied extensively in the near future so that there is more info available for our kids.  Complicating the difficulty in setting up good studies is that there are so many differences among individuals.  There is no one-size-fits-all diet.

 

 But he was certainly a healthful eater.  Lots of veggies, some protein and a little fruit.  Very little of what most people would classify as junk.  And he was very physically active.  Not a go to the gym for an hour a few times a week and sit the rest of the time type, but someone who was very active throughout the course of almost every day due to his job and hobbies.  For him there's no way I can see that diabetes was a lifestyle disease.  Absolutely no way.

 

His sister was an overweight, sedentary, very out of shape Type 2 diabetic who ate whatever she wanted, which always seemed to include lots of sweets.  So for her, maybe lifestyle was a factor.

 

I tend to think the most likely answer is that both of them were genetically "doomed" to develop diabetes, and that's why their almost totally opposite lifestyles apparently made no difference.

 

 

I agree that his diabetes was genetic and I do not consider it to be a "lifestyle" disease by any stretch.  My dad was very similar.  While his diet may have been what most people consider "healthy", unless it was actually LCHF (as in, very low carb, where energy from carbs is replaced with energy from fat), I'm not sure it's possible to say that diet couldn't have made a difference, just by the mechanics of metabolism.  (When carbs aren't the main source of energy, there's less need for insulin, and accordingly the pancreas is less likely to wear out, or perhaps might wear out more slowly.)  It may be a question of when is too late to make a difference.

 

Interestingly, many years ago before the development of insulin, the treatment for a diabetic was a LCHF diet.  Obviously the availability of insulin was a lifesaver because once the pancreas is worn out, for some people it is *completely* worn out and even a LCHF diet couldn't salvage the situation.  However, an interesting question is whether the LCHF "treatment" might be more successful if the potential for diabetes is predicted; in other words, whether one could prevent a situation of insulin resistance from wearing out the pancreas and deteriorating into type 2 diabetes in the first place.  FWIW, I'll find out over the next several years.  I can take metformin - and who knows what else - for the rest of my life or I can eat LCHF.  For now, I eat LCHF.  It is not an easy road as there is a frequent temptation to eat more carbs than what works for me, not because I get hungry but just because it's there  :tongue_smilie:

[Princess Ariel]

Google epigenetics.  There are a lot of fascinating articles out there and those who think these "markers" on our genes can be changed by our various  lifestyle choices.

[Slartibartfast]

I think it is a combination of genetics and lifestyle choices.

 

My family does have autoimmune issues and those can be traced to genetics. With advances in science many people are outliving their genetics. Genetic conditions that would have killed people born in the 70s are now battlefields instead of a death sentence.

 

 

[Ali in OR]

Obviously both genetics and environment have an active role in disease development. I recently read The Autoimmune Epidemic and the author stated that 25% of the population have a genetic makeup that predisposes them to autoimmune disease. The rest of the book is largely about changes to our environment (chemical exposure) that is triggering autoimmune disease more and more, certainly in that 25% of the population, but even the other 75% is more at risk than they used to be.

 

There was also a recent article that the super-long-lived population (people who top 100 years) can thank genetics. They don't typically have the pure lifestyle that would attribute it to that alone.

[Greta]

I can't really agree with that. My dad was a thin, active Type 2 diabetic. I do not believe anyone knows what "eating right" really means, since I've seen so many recommendations and food fads come and go over my life time. But he was certainly a healthful eater. Lots of veggies, some protein and a little fruit. Very little of what most people would classify as junk. And he was very physically active. Not a go to the gym for an hour a few times a week and sit the rest of the time type, but someone who was very active throughout the course of almost every day due to his job and hobbies. For him there's no way I can see that diabetes was a lifestyle disease. Absolutely no way.

 

His sister was an overweight, sedentary, very out of shape Type 2 diabetic who ate whatever she wanted, which always seemed to include lots of sweets. So for her, maybe lifestyle was a factor.

 

I tend to think the most likely answer is that both of them were genetically "doomed" to develop diabetes, and that's why their almost totally opposite lifestyles apparently made no difference.

 

I've always eaten a high carb diet. Not sugar (I don't have much of a sweet tooth at all), but lots of whole grains. I seem to thrive on it, and despite the current "carbs are evil" fad, I've yet to see any credible studies that indicate that a diet high in complex carbs isn't a healthful way of eating for the vast majority of people. My blood sugar stays rock steady in the low normal range. I'm 51 now and that could certainly change any time, but it's also possible I "won" the diabetes lottery by getting my mother's genes that influence that. But then her side of the family has more cancer and heart disease than my father's, so it certainly may not be an overall "win." ;)

I'm very sorry that your dad developed diabetes despite his good choices. If I sounded like I was blaming your father for his disease, let me assure you that was not my intention at all, and I sincerely apologize if that's the way that I came across. That truly was not what was in my heart. But it certainly wouldn't be the first time (and sadly, I'm sure it won't be the last) that I have expressed my thoughts poorly.

 

Let me clarify that I was not arguing that there isn't a genetic component to the disease. In fact I said that I had "no doubt" that there IS a genetic component. And in the case of someone like your dad who does all of the right things but develops the disease anyway, I think that's a pretty obvious example of the role that genetics play. But at the same time, I cannot accept a purely genetic explanation for the patterns that diabetes incidence shows. (And let me be clear that I'm just talking about Type II here, not Type I.) The rate of diabetes has increased concurrently with the consumption of sucrose and fructose, both in the US and in other countries as well. That fact absolutely screams "diet" rather than genetics.

 

Also, it was not a diet of "healthy whole grains" that I was blaming for my own metabolic problems. I said that I was stupidly eating sugary cereals, multiple desserts every day, junk food, etc. I realize that there is passionate disagreement about what constitutes a healthy diet. But I'm sure we can all agree that sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup are bad news.

 

It's not like sweets were scarce for my generation growing up. But their prevalence has certainly increased since I was a kid. The sheer *quantity* of sweets being consumed now is staggering. Yes, kids drank soda when I was growing up: eight ounces at a time, not 44. Kids ate candy bars back then too, but not "king size" ones. We ate cookies, which typically had a diameter of about two inches, not six. And what used to be referred to as "adult-onset" diabetes is now increasingly common among children and teens. I do not for one second believe that's because of a genetic change in the population. (Editing to add, I did not mean to imply that's what you were arguing. I'm only trying to explain my basis for saying that it is often a lifestyle disease.)

 

Again, though, I am sorry that I didn't do a better job of expressing myself from the beginning, and establishing the common ground and areas of agreement that I think we share.

[HollyDay]

Very interesting topic close to my heart at the moment. 

 

This past Jan., I had a hypertensive crisis and that landed me in the hospital.  184/115!  I'll probably be on antihypertensives the rest of my life. 

 

I have never smoked.  At the time I was within 5 lbs of goal weight (10lbs now but that is another story), cholesteral levels have always and continue to be very low. I exercise 5-6 times per week and pay attention to my nutrition.  Other than my much beloved m & m's, I avoid junk food.  Haven't had a soda in over 10 years.  Use coconut oil, whole wheat, eat lots of fresh fruit and veggies, limit my caffeine, etc. 

 

Looking over my medical history, the cardiologist thinks the fact I had pre-eclampsia and HELLP syndrome (and gestational diabetes) during pregnancy predisposed me to hypertension.  Also, my father had his first heart attack in his 50s.  He lived an active and productive life to the nice old age of 87.  In fact, he had his 3rd and final stroke at work.   So, the cardio is convinced the genetic clock "went ding" along with the history of pregnancy problems. 

 

I know people who are morbidly obese, eat terribly, never exercise, are older than me and don't have BP problems or diabetes.  I'm working hard at staying healthy and I'm not gaining any ground......

[Pawz4me]

I'm very sorry that your dad developed diabetes despite his good choices. If I sounded like I was blaming your father for his disease, let me assure you that was not my intention at all, and I sincerely apologize if that's the way that I came across. That truly was not what was in my heart. But it certainly wouldn't be the first time (and sadly, I'm sure it won't be the last) that I have expressed my thoughts poorly.

 

Oh, no worries.  :)  I didn't take your post as totally blaming it all on lifestyle.  I should have been more clear about that!!  I think for a lot of people diabetes certainly is a lifestyle disease.  But I think there are others who are genetically predisposed to the point that they'll likely develop it regardless of what they do or don't do.

 

This reminds me of a conversation I had last year with my doctor.  We were mainly talking about blood pressure (mine has slowly been edging up over the years), but he used that and cholesterol as examples.  He said many people who struggle with their blood pressure or cholesterol issues would very likely see improvement from changing their diet and exercise habits a little and losing just ten pounds or so.  But he said he had a couple of patients who struggled with those issues who were triathletes.  Obviously theirs was probably not lifestyle related, and no changes they could make were likely to improve things.

[LibraryLover]

On the up side, The Framingham Study showed that higher cholesterol was associated with longer life.  (A few extra pounds was also associated with longer life, so those last 10 pounds don't need to be lost for health reasons.)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-jonny-bowden/cholesterol-health_b_2035487.html

 

http://www.chicagolife.net/articles/show/708

 

I think it can sometimes be difficult to know what is genetic and what is caused by lifestyle. The days of making formula with Karo Syrup are not a terribly distant memory. ETA: I just looked up ingredients in Enfamil. One of the first ingredients is corn syrup. I didn't realize that.

[DianeW88]

A whole lot more than you might think.

 

A healthy lifestyle can help mitigate some things that are swimming in our gene pool, but not all of them.  A lot of the time it is what it is and there is nothing you can do to change or prevent certain conditions from occurring.

[LibraryLover]

Quick YouTube vid on Epigenetics:

 

[Greta]

Oh, no worries. :) I didn't take your post as totally blaming it all on lifestyle.

Oh, good. :)

 

I think for a lot of people diabetes certainly is a lifestyle disease. But I think there are others who are genetically predisposed to the point that they'll likely develop it regardless of what they do or don't do.

Agreed!

 

This reminds me of a conversation I had last year with my doctor. We were mainly talking about blood pressure (mine has slowly been edging up over the years), but he used that and cholesterol as examples. He said many people who struggle with their blood pressure or cholesterol issues would very likely see improvement from changing their diet and exercise habits a little and losing just ten pounds or so. But he said he had a couple of patients who struggled with those issues who were triathletes. Obviously theirs was probably not lifestyle related, and no changes they could make were likely to improve things.

Mysterious. And how frustrating for those who are doing everything right and still not getting the results that they expect. I get a little frustrated sometimes at how much more I have to restrict my diet than other people that I know, just to be as healthy as they are without effort. But, I am actually very fortunate that changing my diet did change my health.

 

A co-worker and acquaintance of my husband died this year from flu complications. She was only 50, maybe even late 40's, and she was an ultra-marathoner. She was active and energetic, definitely not the person I would have thought could die from the flu -- I picture that being infants and elderly and people whose immune systems are really compromised. Health and illness are very enigmatic.

[LucyStoner]

I agree and there's billions of dollars being made from our desire to think we can fight genetics.

Conversely, epigenetic research points to healthy living potentially helping not just ourselves but our children's children's children.