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(KSL News) -- Researchers say heart disease runs in the family.
A new study at the Framingham Heart group followed 25- hundred people who don't have heart disease, but have siblings who do.
They say people with a sibling who has cardiovascular disease, are 45- percent more likely to have a heart attack than people without cardiovascular disease in the family.
Joanne Murabito, M.D. - Framingham Heart Study: "We were surprised that sibling cardiovascular heart disease may actually be a stronger risk factor than parental cardiovascular disease."
Researchers think shared childhood eating and exercise habits, combined with genetics, could explain the risk.
This study is published in the Journal of American Medical Association.