{"id":24363,"date":"2023-03-16T18:37:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-17T01:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/?p=24363"},"modified":"2024-02-08T16:09:00","modified_gmt":"2024-02-09T00:09:00","slug":"healthy-habits-can-help-offset-genetic-risk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/news\/healthy-habits-can-help-offset-genetic-risk\/","title":{"rendered":"Healthy Habits Can Help Offset Genetic Risk"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article\">\n\t<header class=\"header\">\n\t\t<span class=\"type\"><\/span>\t\t<h1>Healthy Habits Can Help Offset Genetic Risk<\/h1>\t\t<time>March 16, 2023<\/time>\n\t<\/header>\n\t<div id=\"block_c2a7e38ca776154a2ffc15a291597c4c\" class=\"shs-block block-news-article entry-content\">\n\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<p>If health were determined solely by genetics, then what you eat<br>or if you exercise would not matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And wouldn\u2019t it be great if healthy habits alone could prevent<br>diseases like cancer, heart disease and diabetes?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When it comes to staying healthy, lifestyle and genetics are<br>both important factors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, recent studies have shown that lifestyle has an<br>even bigger effect on our health than previously thought.<br>Unlike genetics, habits are things you can change, so<br>health care providers are talking to patients about healthy<br>lifestyle improvements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cLifestyle changes can have a tremendous impact on our<br>health,\u201d said <a href=\"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/patients-visitors\/find-a-doctor\/boller-brandi-1528034683\/\">Brandi Boller, DO<\/a>, a family physician at Samaritan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even small steps can lead to lasting health results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAdding a few minutes of walking to your day, drinking more<br>water and consuming less processed food can really add up,\u201d<br>Dr. Boller said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. Boller often counsels patients about diet, sleep and<br>exercise, as well as tobacco and alcohol use. These<br>conversations are guided by a person\u2019s goals, circumstances<br>and motivation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSome people want to feel better, or breathe better or have<br>more strength, energy or endurance,\u201d she said. \u201cOthers<br>want to take less medication or increase their longevity and<br>quality of life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Prevention and early detection are keys to maintaining health<br>through regular checkups and health screenings. Because<br>there is a hereditary component to conditions such as cancer,<br>heart disease and diabetes, care providers pay attention to<br>family health histories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Having a genetic predisposition to a medical condition does<br>not always mean you will develop that condition. It is often<br>lifestyle that determines whether the illness will manifest.<br>Many chronic, genetic conditions, including diabetes and<br>hypertension, can be reversed with lifestyle changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Samaritan Endocrinologist <a href=\"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/patients-visitors\/find-a-doctor\/jackson-melanie-1659711463\/\">Melanie Jackson, MD<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/patients-visitors\/find-a-doctor\/jackson-melanie-1659711463\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">,<\/a> focuses on<br>lifestyle interventions first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe see where they are with their health now and help them to<br>see what the next step might be,\u201d Dr. Jackson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There isn\u2019t one plan for ideal health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWith managing conditions like diabetes, the work is on the<br>patient and I\u2019m giving them education and advice,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Genes do play a role in the risk for many diseases, including<br>heart disease, the leading cause of death for both men and<br>women in the U.S. But research has shown that up to 80% of<br>heart disease may be preventable through lifestyle changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Samaritan Cardiologist <a href=\"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/patients-visitors\/find-a-doctor\/earley-tyler-1598142614\/\">Tyler Earley, DO<\/a>, chose his specialty<br>to help people prevent heart disease. He assesses the risks<br>of heart disease through a patient\u2019s personal risk factors or a<br>cardiac CT. This scan can visualize plaque buildup in the heart,<br>which is used to guide treatment options, such as lifestyle<br>interventions and medicines when necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cExercise and nutrition are proven to help people live longer<br>and better,\u201d Dr. Earley said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Samaritan Internist <a href=\"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/patients-visitors\/find-a-doctor\/braff-stacy-1780607606\/\">Stacy Braff, MD<\/a>, transformed her life from<br>\u201csemi\u2011couch potato\u201d to triathlete and ultramarathon runner.<br>She now helps patients address the root cause of many of their<br>illnesses through lifestyle changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI made some life changes that will likely keep me healthier and<br>prolong my lifespan,\u201d Dr. Braff said. \u201cWhether your desire is to<br>walk around the block without having to stop, improve chronic<br>medical problems, be around to watch your grandchildren<br>grow or even run a marathon, your doctor can help you<br>achieve your goals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<aside>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/adult-daughter-hugging-mother-001-CO.jpg\" class=\"attachment-cta size-cta wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/adult-daughter-hugging-mother-001-CO.jpg 360w, https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/adult-daughter-hugging-mother-001-CO-300x250.jpg 300w, https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/adult-daughter-hugging-mother-001-CO-120x100.jpg 120w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 360px) 100vw, 360px\" \/><\/figure><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/dad-and-his-adult-son-CO.jpg\" class=\"attachment-cta size-cta\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\t\t<\/aside>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn why lifestyle and genetics are both important factors when it comes to staying healthy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":13351,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","_shs_workflow_notes":"","_shs_exclude_from_navigation":false,"_shs_promote_article_on_blogs":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"news-topics":[293],"news-types":[272],"services":[238,230,236,245],"specialty":[9,30,51,18],"class_list":["post-24363","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","news-topics-wellness","news-types-news","services-family-medicine","services-cardiac-rehabilitation","services-endocrinology","services-internal-medicine","specialty-family-medicine","specialty-cardiovascular-disease","specialty-endocrinology","specialty-internal-medicine"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24363","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24363"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24363\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13351"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24363"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24363"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24363"},{"taxonomy":"news-topics","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-topics?post=24363"},{"taxonomy":"news-types","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-types?post=24363"},{"taxonomy":"services","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/services?post=24363"},{"taxonomy":"specialty","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/specialty?post=24363"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}