Family History
Learn how family history fits in. Like they say, you can pick your friends but you can't pick your family. The same goes for your family history. Because of this, it's important that you know and understand any conditions that run in your family, including diabetes and heart disease. Talk to your parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, and uncles about who has had diabetes, a heart attack, stroke, or other serious health problems.
Based on this information, you and your doctor can work together to develop a plan to help improve your overall cardiometabolic health.
Here are a few questions to help you get to the bottom of your family history:
- Is there a family history of diabetes? If yes, who?
- Have family members developed type 2 diabetes after a certain age?
- Do you have a history of high blood pressure in your family?
- Have any of your family members had serious cardiovascular complications, including a heart attack or stroke?
- Most importantly, make sure you share this information with your doctor during your next visit so he or she can help you make a plan for keeping tabs on your cardiometabolic health.
You can't change your genes, but you can lower your cardiometabolic risk by knowing what runs in your family. For example, if you know diabetes runs in your family, you can lose a few pounds and stay active to lower your risk.
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