Healthy Lifestyle in Spite of Genetic Test

After reading a recent article on research about genetic testing and high blood pressure, Lifestyle May Counter Blood Pressure Genes, I started wondering if maybe lifestyle really does have a bigger impact than genes do on whether someone suffers from a disease.

Since most genetic markers for disease only tell you that you may be susceptible to it and not that you will absolutely suffer from it, it makes you wonder if you really need to know whether you have a genetic marker at all.

In a past post, I discussed that some doctors are relying more on family history than on genetic testing because it’s cheaper and family medical history tells enough about susceptibility so that he/she can treat the patient to prevent an inherited disease. Furthermore, much of the prevention of a disease that could come about later in life has to do with changing your lifestyle to a healthier one…but shouldn’t everyone be living a healthy lifestyle…genetic marker or not?

As genetic testing advances and more people get it done, these people may start to rely on it a bit too much and this actually may have a negative impact on their life. How so? If someone gets a genetic test negative for high blood pressure, the person may think he/she is in the clear and begin eating unhealthy foods and not exercise as much as he/she would if told he/she was susceptible. This means that the person may be putting him/herself at risk for other illnesses such as heart disease or high cholesterol.

What needs to be remembered is that a healthy lifestyle should be lead no matter what your genetic test comes back as. The genetic test should help you receive medical prevention treatment as well as structure your diet and exercise a bit more to cater to the prevention of disease. It does not mean that you should think you have a “get out of a jail free” card.

(Photo Credit: http://news.health.com/2009/06/17/lifestyle-may-counter-blood-pressure-genes/)

June 29th, 2009 by Marcelina Hardy | Posted in Genetic Testing | (0)