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ave had d by 2.6 times and there are about 70 potentially inherited genes that make men susceptible to it. If you know there’s a family history of high PSA readings or prostate cancer, then it could be worth being screened from 40 onwards, so speak to your GP. You can minimise your risk by changing your diet, such as cutting down on red meat and saturated fats, taking lycopene supplements (extracted from tomato skins and thought to protect against prostate cancer) and exercising more.

High cholesterol leads to coronary heart disease – the biggest cause of death in Britain – and heart attacks. And it’s strongly hereditary – especially the form called familial hypercholesterolaemia which is usually treatable with statins.

Making lifestyle changes – adopting a low-fat diet and regularly exercising – can help. But this form often strikes in the young and seemingly healthy, so it is best to have a good idea of what you’re facing beforehand.

If this does run in the family you’ve a 50% likelihood of having it too, so get your cholesterol checked once you’re 18 and regularly after that too.

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.

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.

If your mum went through ‘The Change’ before 40 there’s a strong chance you will too. If this is the case, assess your fertility with hormone tests. An FSH ( follicle-stimulating hormone) test will determine the quality of egg production.

In the case of bad news, the advice if you’re wanting to have kids is to do it before your egg supply runs dry. And because of links between having an early menopause and health issues such as osteoporosis and heart disease, you can take pre-emptive action on those fronts too.