What REALLY runs in your family?

What REALLY runs in your family?

It was once thought that if an illness such as diabetes or heart disease "runs in our family" that we would be destined to suffer the same fate. But contrary to what we once believed, thanks to the field of epigenetics, we now know that our genetic predisposition to certain diseases is not set in stone.

Genes can be expressed or silenced by our environment; and by that I mean our nutrition, activity levels, chemical exposure, sleep, stress levels and so much more!

So just because heart disease "runs in the family" does not mean that you are destined for a heart attack or stroke. What it DOES mean is that you have the power (and maybe even the necessity) to adapt your lifestyle to silence those inherited genes.

And on the subject of disease "running in the family", sometimes it's more than genes that are passed down from parent to child. Take a moment to reflect:
Does type 2 diabetes run in your family? Or does poor food choices and inactivity?
Does hypertension run in your family? Or does salty food, excessive alcohol consumption and poor stress management?

Food for thought....