Young hearts at risk: How genomics can help

Heart attacks and cardiovascular disorders are becoming more common among younger persons in their 20s and 30s, and they are no longer limited to the elderly.

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In addition to lifestyle factors including stress, poor diet, and sleep patterns, genetics also plays a significant part. Renowned genomic biohacker Dr. Sajeev Nair, founder and chairman of health tech startup Vieroots in Bengaluru, discusses how biohacking and genetic testing might help avoid earlyonset heart disease. Personalised genomic lifestyles, wearable technology, and Aldriven health solutions can enable young people to take proactive measures to protect their heart health and general well-being, he emphasises in this Q&A.

How can genetic testing help in preventing heart disease early?

Heart disease, as well as most such lifestyle diseases, doesn't appear out of the blue. It is a long process in the making right from birth, or maybe even from the time of fertilization of the embryo when the genes are determined. Each child inherits the genetic variants responsible for a few diseases from their parents or ancestors.

Until genetic testing came along, people were ignorant of such hard coded disease risks in their genes. If an infant is, say, born with the genetic risk for coronary artery disease (CAD), apparently nothing may happen in his childhood, youthful years, and may be even until middle age. But then if he triggers these genetic variants through poor lifestyle, CAD slowly gets triggered.