Family History of Cardiovascular Disease Not Enough to Make People Follow Healthy Lifestyle

Family history of cardiovascular disease is not sufficient to boost people to follow a healthy lifestyle, a study reveals.

The study, presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress, analyzed the data of 188,139 users who were a part of HeartAge.me - a free online tool that engages people in giving their personal cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors as their estimated heart age. They used this data to identify whether people with a family history of CVD are more likely to opt for medical examinations and blood pressure check-ups and adhere to a healthy lifestyle.

Dr. Mark Cobain, Chief Science Officer at HeartAge who led the research, said, "Our research challenges the idea that a family history of CVD may predispose individuals towards a healthier lifestyle. We see that even though people with family history of CVD are more likely to know their blood pressure and cholesterol numbers than those without, this alone does not appear to motivate them to adopt healthier habits. This could be because they believe that it is inevitable that they will develop CVD or doubt that it is preventable through risk factor control."

Out of the total, 38.5 percent had a family history of CVD in at least one parent and 7 percent of the subjects had in both parents. The researchers noted that subjects with family history of CVD were more likely to know to the values of blood pressure and cholesterol when compared to people without history of CVD, indicating they were more likely to get themselves tested regularly.

But, there was no link between awareness of risk factors and reduced CVD risk. Higher heart age (heart observed as older than real age) was witnessed in those with family history of CVD when compared to those with no family history of CVD. Subjects who did not have family history of CVD, 2.5 percent of the subjects, scored poorly on diet and lifestyle index as compared to 32 percent of those with CVD in both parents.

Cobain added: "Previous research 2 indicates that making CVD risk personally relevant by giving an individual their heart age promotes behaviour changes and improved outcomes. Such a strategy may prove effective in communicating risk and motivating lifestyle change for those with a family history of CVD."

In research 3, which included same subjects, the risk of CVD drops by changes made in diet and lifestyle, clearly indicating these changes offer similar or greater effect than drugs like statin.

When they looked at the impact of lifestyle changes on CVD risk, the researchers noted that in people with hypertension, healthy diet cuts the heart age by an average of 2-6 years. In overweight or obese people, 5kg weight loss lowered the heart age by 2-4 years. In those with high cholesterol, statin use lowered heart age by 3-6 years.

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