Smoking, drinking, lack of exercise interact with genes to increase risk of hypertension

Cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption and lack of exercise can interact with genes to influence a person's risk of developing high blood pressure, according to a report published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Genetics. "The three lifestyle characteristics are well-known risk factors for high blood pressure," said Nora Franceschini, M.D, lead author of the study and assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. "What's new is that we are showing that these behaviors interact with your genes to influence blood pressure levels" - AHA