Genetic Risk, Adherence to a Healthy Lifestyle, and Coronary Disease
N Engl J Med 2016 (Nov 13); [Epub] ~ FULL TEXT
Amit V. Khera, M.D., Connor A. Emdin, D.Phil.,
Isabel Drake, Ph.D., et. al.
Center for Human Genetics Research,
Massachusetts General Hospital,
185 Cambridge St., CPZN 5.252,
Boston, MA 02114
BACKGROUND Both genetic and lifestyle factors contribute to individual-level risk of coronary artery disease. The extent to which increased genetic risk can be offset by a healthy lifestyle is unknown.
METHODS Using a polygenic score of DNA sequence polymorphisms, we quantified genetic risk for coronary artery disease in three prospective cohorts — 7,814 participants in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study, 21,222 in the Women’s Genome Health Study (WGHS), and 22,389 in the Malmö Diet and Cancer Study (MDCS) — and in 4,260 participants in the cross-sectional BioImage Study for whom genotype and covariate data were available. We also determined adherence to a healthy lifestyle among the participants using a scoring system consisting of four factors: no current smoking, no obesity, regular physical activity, and a healthy diet.
RESULTS The relative risk of incident coronary events was 91% higher among participants at high genetic risk (top quintile of polygenic scores) than among those at low genetic risk (bottom quintile of polygenic scores) (hazard ratio, 1.91; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.75 to 2.09). A favorable lifestyle (defined as at least three of the four healthy lifestyle factors) was associated with a substantially lower risk of coronary events than an unfavorable lifestyle (defined as no or only one healthy lifestyle factor), regardless of the genetic risk category. Among participants at high genetic risk, a favorable lifestyle was associated with a 46% lower relative risk of coronary events than an unfavorable lifestyle (hazard ratio, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.47 to 0.63). This finding corresponded to a reduction in the standardized 10-year incidence of coronary events from 10.7% for an unfavorable lifestyle to 5.1% for a favorable lifestyle in ARIC, from 4.6% to 2.0% in WGHS, and from 8.2% to 5.3% in MDCS. In the BioImage Study, a favorable lifestyle was associated with significantly less coronary-artery calcification within each genetic risk category.
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CONCLUSIONS Across four studies involving 55,685 participants, genetic and lifestyle factors were independently associated with susceptibility to coronary artery disease. Among participants at high genetic risk, a favorable lifestyle was associated with a nearly 50% lower relative risk of coronary artery disease than was an unfavorable lifestyle. (Funded by the National Institutes of Health and others.)
From the FULL TEXT Article:
BACKGROUND
Both genetic and lifestyle factors are key drivers of coronary artery disease, a complex disorder that is the leading cause of death worldwide. [1] A familial pattern in the risk of coronary artery disease was first described in 1938 and was subsequently confirmed in large studies involving twins and prospective cohorts. [2–6] Since 2007, genomewide association analyses have identified more than 50 independent loci associated with the risk of coronary artery disease. [7–15] These risk alleles, when aggregated into a polygenic risk score, are predictive of incident coronary events and provide a continuous and quantitative measure of genetic susceptibility. [16–24]
Much evidence has also shown that persons who adhere to a healthy lifestyle have markedly reduced rates of incident cardiovascular events. [25–30] The promotion of healthy lifestyle behaviors, which include not smoking, avoiding obesity, regular physical activity, and a healthy diet pattern, underlies the current strategy to improve cardiovascular health in the general population. [31]
Many observers assume that a genetic predisposition to coronary artery disease is deterministic. [32] However, genetic risk might be attenuated by a favorable lifestyle. Here, we analyzed data for participants in three prospective cohorts and one cross-sectional study to test the hypothesis that both genetic factors and baseline adherence to a healthy lifestyle contribute independently to the risk of incident coronary events and the prevalent subclinical burden of atherosclerosis. We then determined the extent to which a healthy lifestyle is associated with a reduced risk of coronary artery disease among participants with a high genetic risk.
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