Unhealthy lifestyle raises heart disease risk more than genetics

Unhealthy lifestyle raises heart disease risk more than genetics

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By Sally Robertson, B.Sc.Sep 3 2019Reviewed by Kate Anderton, B.Sc. (Editor)

A new study has found that an unhealthy lifestyle increases a person’s risk of heart disease significantly more than a person’s genetic make-up. The research showed that physical inactivity, smoking, hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol all played more of a role in young patients with heart disease than genetics.

The findings, which were presented Monday at a meeting of the European Society of Cardiology in Paris, suggest that adopting healthy lifestyle habits should be a top priority for preventing heart disease, even among individuals with a family history of the condition.