The Food You Eat Can Affect Your Genes

You may not be able to change your family, but you can change the impact of the genes you were dealt.

If you’ve inherited a genetic predisposition to heart disease, you can lower your risk by eating a healthy diet rich in produce, according to researchers at McGill and McMaster Universities in Canada. Although carrying the 9p21 gene increases your risk of developing heart disease, consuming a diet that’s mainly raw vegetables, fruits and berries may weaken the effect of this destructive gene, say researchers.

With a plant diet like this, your heart disease potential may be reduced to a level similar to that of people with low-risk genes, according to researchers who recently published their findings in the journal PLoS Medicine.