Healthy Lifestyle Helps Beat Even Genetic Heart Disease

                Is genetic destiny when it comes to heart disease? A new analysis of data from more than 55,000 people provides an answer. It finds that by living righty – by not smoking, by exercising moderately and by eating a healthy diet heavy in fruits, vegetables and grains – people can tamp down even the worst genetic risk. DNA is not destiny; it is not deterministic for this diseases. You do have control over the problem, even if you have been dealt a bad genetic hand. The research is the first attempt to use large data sets to tease apart the effects of genes and lifestyle in heart diseases. About 365,000 people die of coronary heart disease – the most common type – annually in the United States and 17.3 million worldwide, making it one of the biggest killers. The investigators found that genes can double the risk of heart disease, but a good lifestyle cuts it in half.