For Klosterman, his extended family shared a history of being athletes through their 20s and 30s, but not making daily exercise part of their 40s and beyond. And their shared eating habits were best described as being a traditional meat and potatoes diet. Today, Klosterman exercises four times a week; limits the amount of fat and red meat in his diet; eats whole grains, nuts and fish; and takes a daily cholesterol-lowering medicine. His cholesterol level today? A healthy 165.
When it comes to your health, knowing your family history is key, but, says Brandon Colby, M.D., author of Outsmart Your Genes, it’s not going to do a whole lot of good unless you use that knowledge to protect yourself.
For Sandra Collins, a 48-year-old advertising copywriter, that meant choosing menopause at age 35. “I always felt like cancer was this invisible family member sitting right there with us at family get-togethers,” says Collins
, who saw generations of women wracked by the disease. Her great-grandmother, mom and aunt all died young from breast cancer. Collins knew her chance of avoiding a diagnosis was slim, and chose to have her ovaries removed and have a double mastectomy. It wasn’t an easy decision, but for once, Collins felt this huge weight lifted. “There was no more thinking, ‘is today going to be the day they find the tumor?’”
Only 5–10 percent of breast cancer cases are hereditary, but people who carry these genes have a 50–85 percent chance of developing it. For Collins, the risk was too high to ignore. “This might be the hand I’m dealt, but it’s my decision what I do with it. I believe you are 100 percent responsible for the life you’re leading. and for people who say, ‘I can’t do anything about this,’ I hope they realize it is in their power. Life is bigger than their disease.”
For more information on family history and your health, see:
How to Record Your Family's Health History
In Your Genes: Breast Cancer
In Your Genes: Colon Cancer
In Your Genes: Diabetes
In Your Genes: Heart Disease