Tech Explorist: Heart disease is the leading cause of death today, killing 17.7 million people a year.
Our genes also interact with traditional lifestyle risk factors, such as smoking, obesity and/or sedentary life. These factors lead to an increased risk of heart disease. Moreover, it is also suggested that the gene-environment interaction before birth may be just as, if not more, important in ‘programming’ future heart health and heart disease.
For example, human studies in siblings show that children born to a mother who was obese during pregnancy are at greater risk of heart disease.
than siblings born to the same mother after bariatric surgery to reduce maternal obesity.