Once you understand that most diseases are preventable with a proper diet and lifestyle intervention, it becomes pretty clear (pretty quick), that a family history of heart disease, diabetes, and dementia – or what they sometimes refer to as genetic predisposition – is a giant load of crap.
Especially when you consider the desired outcome (pharmaceutical intervention), and the financial incentives and consistent lobbying to increase the likelihood of that result.
This is especially the case with heart disease – which will dominate today’s discussion – but that’s not to say that a similar framework won’t be (and hasn’t been) applied to type 2 diabetes, and mental health issues.
And similarly, won’t be applied to other diseases of degeneration, once they come up with the super pill to save us all!
In 2015, the Journal of the American Medical Association released a paper estimating the diabetic and prediabetic population to be at roughly 65% of the population – and that’s not including those with elevated insulin and normal blood glucose.
Fortunately, we won’t get into the issues with pharmaceutical intervention (and specifically statin use) today, as I’ve discussed that in great length in the past. And we also won’t get into the sad reality that elevated cholesterol is not associated with heart disease (and how trying to lower cholesterol with or without pharmaceuticals is likely more damaging), as that’s all covered in my free e-book, Eat Meat And Stop Jogging.
Though what we will get into, is the fact that checking the box for Family History of Heart Disease at your annual check-up instantly triples your risk – regardless of how your current behavior, and current blood markers, differ from that mother, father, or grandparent that had a heart attack.
Meaning, if mommy and daddy ate like crap, never exercised, led a stress-filled life, and smoke and drank themselves into a stupor every night, you’re automatically assigned to the same category. With smoking being the giant elephant in the room for anyone that’s a baby-boomer now, and watched their parents smoke for 60+ years.
And the other giant elephant in the room (or should I say pre-diabetic, obese elephant), is that the next generation will inherent the family history of the baby boomer. Who, unfortunately also has an elevated risk of heart disease. Since they’ve lived through the low-fat, high-sugar, vegetable oil recommendations of the last 40+ years that has left them fat, insulin resistant, and artery clogged.
But more importantly, they’ve all been automatically assigned to because of their family history of heart disease, and elevated blood markers. Resulting in an ever-expanding market share for pill pushers and a slippery slope of family history that continues to eternity.
Put another way, the only viable screening for family history would be some sort of genetic test to asses whether there’s a polymorphism that exposes individuals of that lineage to a greater risk of heart disease. And even then, these genes have to be turned on (in most cases), and/or only start to play a damaging role, when certain behavioral criteria are met – like the dietary intake and lifestyle choices of the individual.
Meaning, you can either accept grandma and grandpa’s bad behavior as your own, go on a statin cause of a predisposition that you’re not predisposed to, and waste your life worrying about some genetic variant that may or may not affect you. OR, you can start eating better, and living better than your parents (and parents’ parents), and start doing everything you can to make sure you’re genes won’t play a factor…or play far less of one.
Stay Lean!
Coach Mike
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