Study Finds Genes Don’t Predict Heart Risk

Family history is known to affect a person’s risk of heart disease. But gene tests may not predict that risk, new research suggests. The study included 19,000 women, who received gene tests. The tests looked for 101 specific gene mutations. Previous research had linked the mutations to a higher risk of heart disease. The women were given a score based on how many mutations they had. In the next 12 years, women with high risk scores were no more likely than others to have a heart attack or stroke. This was true after researchers adjusted the numbers for other risks such as high cholesterol. But women with a family history of early heart attack were much more likely to have a heart attack themselves. Family history might be related to shared behaviors and environment, as well as genes. The study appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association.