Fainting- If one of your parents has a history of unexplained fainting or losing consciousness during times of extreme emotion or after exercise, then those are the symptoms of a heart-rhythm disorder known as long QT syndrome. The syndrome is sometimes caused by a genetic mutation that could then be passed down to you. Other potential causes include certain medications and electrolyte imbalances.
Moles- Lisa Anthony, MD, an assistant professor of dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and a dermatologist at Mount Sinai Hospital says, “People with more than 50 to 100 moles are at an increased risk for melanoma, and the “risk is even higher when there is a family history of atypical moles or melanoma,” says An atypical mole is an unusual-looking mole that has some of the characteristics of melanoma, such as dark color or irregular borders, but is not actually cancerous. “‘Mole-y’ people are also at risk for other, more common skin cancers such as basal cell skin cancer,” says Dr. Anthony.
Seasonal allergies- “Generally, food and environmental allergies are genetic, although there are definitely external environmental factors that can make allergies or asthma worse, such as viral infection, tobacco smoke, living with allergens such as cats, dogs, rodents, or cockroaches,” says Dr. Ogbogu. One allergy that doesn’t typically run in families? Medication allergies, she says. “People often worry that if one family member has an allergy to a medication, others will have it. But this isn’t necessarily the case.” Still, she says, “it is important to provide your family history so your provider can determine if you should have additional testing for allergies.”
Body shape- An apple-shaped body may be more dependent on genes than being pear-shaped or straight up and down. A larger middle is something to take note of, since an apple shape is linked to heart disease and type 2 diabetes. You have to do is look at some parents and children to know that body shape and size is genetic. Some research suggests that certain body types are more likely to be inherited than others.
Weight- According to the CDC, “Decades of studies done on twins and family members have led researchers to conclude that a significant part of a person’s weight could be due to genetics. That’s because your weight is based not only on lifestyle choices such as diet and physical activity, but also on other genetic traits such as appetite, a natural tendency to store fat (or not), and other metabolic factors”. Familial obesity is rarely due to just one gene; it probably comes down to interactions between your environment and a variety of genetic factors. No matter what your genes or body size may be.
