Maybe you know a smoker who never exercises and is living happily into old age. Or perhaps you read about a veggie-loving marathon runner who had aThese kinds of stories can’t help but make you think: If your health is simply written into your genes, what’s the point of all that exercise and healthy eating? Why not just do what you want?
Your genes, Zimmerman says, can raise your risk for many diseases. But they do not typically work alone. And it’s rarely a single gene that determines whether you will get a disease or not. More often you inherit some genetic characteristics that make you moreAnd even that’s not written in stone. That is, these genetic characteristics might not affect you at all unless they are triggered by certain aspects of your surroundings or your lifestyle.
They play such a big role in so-called “diseases of aging” – like diabetes and heart disease, Kelly says, that they are better described as “diseases of toxic lifestyle over time.”For example, heart disease is the No. 1 killer of both men and women in the U.S. Yet some research shows it may be possible to prevent 80% of heart disease. Why?
For optimal heart health, experts recommend a plant-based diet. That doesn’t necessarily mean you have to go vegan or even vegetarian, says Zimmermann. “The goal is to replace some processed foods with whole foods, including fruits and vegetables.” Look for whole grains, lean protein , and check packaging for added salt and sugar. Talk to your doctor if you’re unsure about how to design your own heart-healthy diet.
Perhaps more importantly, there’s evidence that good lifestyle habits can help lower cancer risk for people with and without a genetic predisposition to various types of cancer.
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