I always wondered this, but I never knew what the answer to this was. for example if my relative developed diabetes after I was born, would I be still be at higher risk at getting it. something like that. if that is true, then how does it work? sorry if I sound stupid
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Generally speaking, your DNA (your genes) do not change throughout your life. Whether you have a child at 20, 30 or 40, that child is inheriting the same genes. Or, to be more precise, the child is still inheriting some random chunk of your DNA (as the child isn’t inheriting ALL your DNA).
It’s a little like drawing cards from a deck. You can draw the cards today, or tomorrow, or the day after, but you’re still drawing from the same deck. If the deck happens to have a lot of aces, then your chances of drawing those aces are still high whether you draw today or tomorrow.
In other words, if there is something genetic that causes diabetes in your family, then it’s possible to pass that down (or inherit it) before anyone shows any symptoms. Showing symptoms has little to do with whether the vulnerability is coded in the DNA and inheritable.
There are also non-genetic factors to consider. Family members often have similar diets, live close together, etc. That means they may be exposed to similar environmental factors that make particular illnesses more likely.
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