Bad Genes and Short Telomeres

We have a tendency in our society to blame our own health problems on other people. High cholesterol? I must have got that from all my great aunts who have died from heart disease. NO! This is probably one of the most annoying things I see in health care. Someone eating a fried chicken sandwich with extra bacon and cheese, blaming their heart disease on bad genetics. It's an excuse to keep this person from making difficult changes with their habits. While your genes are important, they don't necessarily determine your destiny. Your genetics make you more or less predisposed to health-related problems. But you can modify  and make adjustments to protect yourself from the abnormalities found in your genes. When it comes to your body, here's what we know, primarily through studies of identical twins:your longevity is based one-quarter on your genetics and three-quarters on your behaviors and lifestyle choices. It's not about what genes you have but how you express them. Genes work by manufacturing proteins, but whether or not a specific gene is turned on or off is largely under your control. So, maybe you've been dealt a bad hand of genetics, but that doesn't mean you can't exchange a few cards, or at least change how you play them.