From the age they lost their teeth to whether they suffer heartburn... TEN questions to ask your parents to improve your health
Question time: Knowing the medical history of your family is important as many diseases are inherited
Knowing your family's medical history is important because many diseases are inherited. But while it's clear your mother or father has diabetes, for instance, what less obvious ailments should you ask about?
Have you ever had a cancer scare?
Our parents may not want to worry us by telling us about cancer scares, but this can give us life-saving information, says Jean Slocomb, senior information nurse at Cancer Research UK.
This is particularly true for some conditions, such as bowel cancer.
'This usually develops from non-cancerous growths, known as polyps, in the bowel. If polyps are found through a colonoscopy (where the bowel is examined using a tiny camera) and reduced, that stops cancer developing,' she says.
'But you could inherit that tendency to develop polyps, putting you at an increased risk of bowel cancer.
'It's also thought that women whose mothers have had abnormal cervical cell changes (which can lead to cancer if untreated) are also more at risk of this, so it's crucial to be prudent about smear tests.'
When did you start losing your hearing?
Family history is significant for the age our hearing deteriorates and scientists are finding genes to explain why, says John Phillips, a consultant ear, nose and throat surgeon at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital Foundation Trust.
From the age of 60, people start losing hearing due to wear and tear of the ear's nerves.
'But some naturally lose their hearing earlier, which is often linked to family history. If both parents wear hearing aids at 60, there's a good chance you will, too,' he says.
If your parents experienced hearing loss from their 30s onwards, it could be otosclerosis - a condition where a bone in the middle ear stiffens and can't vibrate, causing gradual hearing loss in one, then both ears.
Affecting one in 100 people, it has strong genetic links. Removing the bone in surgery rectifies it. If early hearing loss or otosclerosis runs in the family, get regular hearing tests from a younger age and reduce exposure to loud noises, says Mr Phillips.
Has any relative died suddenly?
Sudden death: For people under the age of 40, such a thing can be caused by inherited heart conditions
Sudden deaths under the age of 40 in people who don't have obvious risk factors, such as obesity, can be caused by inherited heart conditions.
Many thousands have these conditions, but don't know it as they often have few symptoms.
The most common is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (where the heart muscles thicken and can't pump as efficiently, causing abnormal heart rhythms), arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (when muscles in the heart's right chamber become enlarged), and long QT syndrome (which affects the heart's electrical activity).
While the risk is stronger if the relative is closer - for instance, a sibling - distant relatives, such as a second cousin, can also reveal family heart problems.
If there are cases of sudden death in the family you can get screened for coronary conditions with an electrocardiogram (ECG) to measure your heart's electrical activity after a GP referral, and have monitoring and medication if diagnosed.
Have you ever had prostate problems?
It's useful for men to ask their fathers if they've had a PSA (prostate specific antigen) reading of four of more that can indicate a benign enlarged prostate or cancer, says Professor Roger Kirby, director of the Prostate Centre, London.
If your father or his direct relatives have had prostate cancer, your risk is increased by 2.6 times and there are about 70 genes that make men susceptible to it.
'Men don't like talking about it,' he says. 'But they should ask if there are any prostate problems in the family, even if benign.
'It's useful to know about high PSA readings because even if it wasn't cancer, they can indicate a problem with the prostate.'
If you know there is a family history of high PSA readings or prostate cancer, then it could be worth being screened from 40 onwards, says Professor Kirby, so you should inform your GP.
You can also change diet, cutting down on red meat and saturated fats, take lycopene supplements (extracted from tomato skins and thought to protect against prostate cancer) and exercise more.
How healthy is your thyroid?
Thyroid disease: Healthy thyroid function is crucial for the baby's growth during the first trimester of pregnancy
One in 20 women has thyroid disease, an auto-immune disease that affects the thyroid gland, which produces hormones to regulate the body's metabolism, affecting growth and other functions.
Your risk of developing it increases by 20 per cent if an immediate relative has it.
Women should find out before they conceive because healthy thyroid function is crucial for the baby's growth and development during the first trimester of pregnancy (after this, the baby's own thyroid can produce the hormone).
'Tell your doctor if you're at risk and check thyroid function through a blood test so levels can be corrected with hormone replacement before conception,' says Dr Mark Vanderpump, a consultant endocrinologist at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust.
Symptoms of thyroid disease are wide ranging, so telling your GP it runs in the family should widen the diagnostic tests you're offered in order to detect it.
Do you get heartburn?
Heartburn can be a family trait. If you have a weak oesophageal sphincter - the valve that separates the stomach from the gullet (or oesophagus) - stomach acid can splash into the gullet, causing heartburn, says Dr Nick Read, gastroenterologist and adviser for The IBS Network.
So if your mother or father has suffered from heartburn all their life, there is more chance that you will get it. The risk with chronic heartburn is that cells in the gullet change, becoming pre-cancerous, a precursor to oesophageal cancer.
Knowing the risk means you can avoid high-fat foods, coffee, alcohol, chocolate and tobacco - all known to increase heartburn - as well as keep in shape.
Did your granny stoop?
Keeping it in the family: If a relative has osteoporosis, you have an 80% chance of developing it
You have an 80 per cent chance of developing osteoporosis (low bone density) if it runs in the family, says Dr Sally Hope, medical adviser to the National Osteoporosis Society. So it's important to find out if previous generations had porous bones, which leads to bent backs, but many older people think stooping is just a sign of old age, she says.
Eighty per cent of those affected by osteoporosis are women. If your mother had an early menopause that's a big risk factor because oestrogen helps keeps bones strong. But there is also an increased risk if your male relatives had osteoporosis.
If it runs in your family, it's sensible to adopt a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D, says Dr Hope. 'I would also advise women to get a DEXA scan - to measure bone density - around the time of the menopause.'
If a diagnosis is made, medication such as strontium ranelate can prevent bones weakening any further.
And the age at which your parents developed creaky joints is also important.
Arthritis has strong genetic links - especially between mothers and daughters - and there's a connection between developing it at the same age as your parents and in the same joints, says John Loughlin, professor of musculoskeletal research at Newcastle University and Arthritis UK spokesman.
'If someone develops it for no obvious reason, it's likely to be genetic and develop in a style similar to how it did in their parents.
'People often think it's a natural part of ageing, but the penny drops when they realise it runs in the family.'
Do you have high cholesterol?
High cholesterol can be hereditary and leads to coronary heart disease - the biggest cause of death in Britain - and heart attacks.
Ask if many family members suffer from it, which could indicate familial hypercholesterolaemia (uncontrollable high levels of cholesterol even if you have a healthy lifestyle).
If this runs in the family, you are 50 per cent likely to have it, too, says Dr Narain. If there are lots of relatives with it, it's vital to have your cholesterol checked once you're 18 - it's usually treatable with statins.
When did you start the menopause?
If your mother had an early menopause - under 40 - there's robust evidence of a significant genetic link, which means you may have an early menopause, too, says Dr Vanderpump.
If there is a family link to an early menopause, you can assess your fertility with hormone tests including FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone) which determines the quality of egg production.
'You can't control when you have the menopause, but if an early menopause seems likely consider starting a family earlier,' says Dr Vanderpump.
Having an early menopause can also carry health risks, giving you a higher risk of developing osteo-porosis because oestrogen keeps the bones strong, and there is a theory that the menopause changes women's cardiovascular risk, says Dr Vanderpump.
Have you lost any teeth?
Not so toothsome: If your parents have lots of fillings or false teeth, it's likely you will too
There's evidence of a genetic link behind tooth decay and gum disease, says Professor Andrew Eder, of the London Tooth Wear Centre. 'Both can be down to someone's reaction to bacteria, and this could be the same as your parents,' he says.
'The theory is it's related to how efficient your saliva is in combating bacteria in the mouth, which may have a genetic link.'
So, if your parents have lots of fillings or false teeth, it's likely that you will, too.
Clean your teeth meticulously to avoid tooth decay and gum disease - this will minimise plaque and bacteria, which cause these conditions, says Professor Eder.