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Genes not destiny for heart disease
Dr. Robert Hegele of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada says for about 5 percent of heart patients, the effect of genetics is so strong there is little than can be done via lifestyle, but that 95 percent can override genes by following a healthy lifestyle.
"Even if you've been dealt a bad hand of genes, it's not a life sentence for most people," Hegele, director of the Martha G. Blackburn Cardiovascular Genetics Laboratory at Robarts Research Institute in Edmonton, Alberta, says in a statement.
"Simple actions -- basic things like smoking cessation, following a healthy diet and physical activity -- are the key to overturning genetic predisposition."
Hegele tracks down unique gene mutations that predispose people to heart disease risk factors such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure.
It's ironic that it took high-tech findings from the Human Genome Project to point us to the simple low-tech solution of following the advice moms have been giving for years, Hegele said.
Hegele is scheduled to speak at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress, the largest scientific conference involving 3,500 heart-health professionals in Canada, in Edmonton Sunday.
Copyright 2009 by United Press International
This news arrived on: 10/23/2009
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Posted Comments:
10-28-2009 10:45
wrote:
Jim Fixx, author of "Art of Running", died young as a result of a heart attack. He couldn't outrun his genes.
10-28-2009 05:23
Charles Barnard wrote:
Ironic? Hardly.
Verifying that conventional wisdom is correct is one of the many jobs of scientific research.
Besides, we've seen hundreds of other studies which show that genetics are only a part of who we are and what we become...unsurprising, since a large portion of each human is composed of bacteria, which have yet to be analyzed for their genes or their functions.
Besides, we've seen hundreds of other studies which show that genetics are only a part of who we are and what we become...unsurprising, since a large portion of each human is composed of bacteria, which have yet to be analyzed for their genes or their functions.
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