Genes are important. They guide what color hair you have, what mannerisms are innate, and the timbre of your voice. They’re also a blueprint for your health. But you don’t have to build on a faulty blueprint.
Just as important as genes — and, some would argue, even more important — is epigenetics. Epigenetics refers to the environment, habits, and behavior that influence the genes you inherited. Epigenetics turns genes on and off. While it can’t change your hair color, it can influence your heart health. So you can build from your own blueprint.
While expert cardiologist Dr. Ola Akinboboye always takes a family history as part of his intake evaluation, he assures you that your family’s fate doesn’t have to be yours. The habits and environment that surround you are just as important as the genes inside you.
At our office in Rosedale, Queens, New York, he and our team help you make healthy choices that use epigenetics to turn “bad” genes off and “good” genes on.
How can you keep your heart healthy, despite having genes that increase your risk for cardiovascular disease? Pay attention to epigenetics, starting here:
When you’re under stress, you clench your muscles and hold your breath, sending a message to your entire body that it’s not safe to relax. Chronic stress keeps you in a constant fight-or-flight state and releases hormones, such as epinephrine, that can strain your heart by forcing it to beat faster and harder.
Whenever possible, control your immediate environment to reduce stress. If you live in a polluted environment, consider air purifiers. Take walks in nature.
Learn techniques that help your body relax, even if everyone around you at work or in your social life is stressed. Deep breathing, meditation, and yoga all send relaxing signals to your body, including your heart.
Minimizing stress doesn’t mean vegging out or watching TV to take your mind off your troubles. Your heart and every other cell in your body need to be challenged with short-term stressors. Hormesis refers to short-term stressors that encourage your body to adapt and grow stronger.
One of the best forms of hormesis is exercise. When you force your body out of its comfort zone for brief periods, you build muscle and cardiovascular capacity. Other forms of hormesis include:
Of course, check with Dr. Akinboboye before adding hormetic stress to your daily routine. Some forms, such as saunas or spas, may not be safe at first because they raise your heart rate. You must also follow his advice on which stressors to consider and how long you should be exposed to them.
You’re probably already familiar with everything you need to do to use epigenetics in your favor. Every article you’ve read about improving your overall health is applicable to your heart’s health, too. Adopting these new habits and ditching unhealthy ones may override your family’s history of cardiovascular disease:
Quit:
Instead:
In addition, if you’re overweight or obese, you must commit to losing as many of those unhealthy pounds as possible. Changing your diet and exercise habits can go a long way to helping you shed excess fat. However, you may need some extra help, such as medications that help you burn fat, to jump-start your journey to a healthy heart.
The first step in reducing your risk of heart disease is to control as many epigenetic factors as possible through lifestyle interventions. But to reduce your risk further, you may benefit from medications that can counter genetic tendencies that endanger your cardiovascular health.
These drugs specifically target mechanisms that put you at risk. For instance, they may improve your DNA methylation (which turns genes on and off) or histone acetylation (which adds information to genes)processes. You may also need medications to control conditions you already have, such as high blood pressure, while you work to improve your health.
Don’t despair of the genetic hand you’ve been dealt; find out how epigenetics and cardiovascular care can improve your odds and heart health by phoning us at 718-208-4816 or filling out our online outreach form for a virtual cardiology consultation today.
