Heart & Vascular Program
Heart Health
Risk Factors: Family History
A strong risk factor can be your family history of disease. If a member of your immediate family has developed early heart disease, you have a five-fold increased risk of developing heart disease.
Lifestyle factors that run in families can also increase the risk of heart
disease. Overeating, high fat diets and physical inactivity often make obesity
a family affair. Parents who smoke also tend to have children who smoke. Even
if you have inherited a tendency towards heart disease, you can make lifestyle
changes that will positively impact your health.
