From: John Hernried, M.D.
The Holidays are a time when families gather to celebrate. What a great opportunity (and gift idea) to create a family health history.
Many diseases, including obesity, are influenced by genetics. For instance, a person’s risk for developing type 2 diabetes is 7%-14% if one parent has diabetes. It skyrockets to 50% if both parents have diabetes.
I always say, “Too bad you can’t pick your parents!” While we have no control of our genetic makeup, 
we certainly have control of our lifestyle. For instance, the Diabetes Prevention Program showed that daily aerobic exercise prevented the onset of diabetes by nearly 40%. Knowing that there are strong genetic influences in your family, is a good thing to know to prevent your own disease or those of your family.
The Surgeon General’s website has developed an easy to use tool to collect your family health history: https://familyhistory.hhs.gov/ Once you have obtained this information, you can enter it into the website and share it with your family. The information will also help your doctor order the appropriate preventive health tests.
Amidst your holiday celebrations or at half-time of a bowl game, spend a few minutes collecting this information. It just may save a life! What could be a better gift?
