Sleep and Exercise May Ease Some Gene-Linked Heart Risks

Sleep and exercise may help weaken the effect of some gene changes that raise the risk of heart disease and stroke. These changes can build up in immune cells over time and increase inflammation, even apart from common risk factors such as smoking, diabetes, or high cholesterol. Researchers looked at data from more than 91,000 adults in the United Kingdom and the United States. In the more active group, the share of people with certain changes was 13 percent lower. Mouse tests gave a clearer result. Mice with these gene changes had less artery disease when they exercised, and they had more disease when their sleep was disrupted. The effect varied depending on the gene change.