CHAPTER<br > 1<br > How Heart Disease<br > Runs in the Family<br > EOPLE tend to think of genetic illness as SOmething<br > they re helpless to do an-~hin ~<br > y~ g a~out， that if a disease<br > is "in their genes，" their fate is somehow sealed. So it may<br > be more than a little unsettling to learn that coronary heart<br > disease--the leading cause of death in America today--is<br > hereditary. In fact， coronary heart disease may be one of<br > the most common inherited illnesses.<br > This fact may be especially disconcerting when heart dis-<br > ease hits close to home: Someone in your own family--a<br > parent， grandparent， or sibling--suffers a heart attack or<br > is diagnosed with coronary heart disease before age 50.<br > After the crisis has passed and the initial shock has worn<br >off， you may begin to feel a little more vulnerable yourself.<br >You may start to wonder， too， if there are steps you can<br >take to protect yourself and other family members from a<br >similar fate.<br > Take heart. Physicians and researchers now know that<br >what you ve inherited is a genetic predisposition to heart<br >disease that can be triggered by such life-style factors as<br >YOur diet， And thanks to research on cardiovascular disease<br >OVer the last 20 years， they know more than ever about what<br >those influences are. Most of them--your diet， activity level，<br >