Slavery bestowed long legacy of heart risk

"Lingering genetic effects from ancestors' slavery days may be part of the root of the current higher cardiovascular health risks for black women compared with Caucasians, researchers have said. In addition to genetic factors, environmental conditions can influence epigenetic factors, such as methylation of sections of DNA, which can manifest themselves among African Americans in maternal stress, nutrition, and healthcare, found Christopher W. Kuzawa, Ph.D., and Elizabeth Sweet, Ph.D., of Northwestern. These findings from a review article were published online in a special issue of the American Journal of Human Biology. A second review in the same issue similarly linked cardiovascular risk from low birth weight to generational effects of slavery among African Americans"