LOS ANGELES, Jun 17, 2009 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- Lifestyle may affect genes that predispose people to high blood pressure, a new study has found.

People born with high blood pressure genes are not doomed to have the problem if they have a healthy lifestyle, according to the study by researchers at the University of North Carolina.

The researchers based their study on data from the Strong Heart Family Study, which has been looking at diabetes and high blood pressure among American Indians in Arizona, North and South Dakota and Oklahoma, an ethnic group in which the incidence of both is high. The study now includes more than 3,600 people aged 14 to 93.

Different lifestyles and socioeconomic status influence the effect of inherited genetic patterns, according to the study published by HealthDay News on Wednesday.

The study linked the effects of three behavioral traits -- drinking, smoking and exercise -- with that of the genes. It also looked at education level, a socioeconomic factor.

"It's been known for many years that blood pressure is affected by genes," said Dr. Nora Franceschini, an assistant professor of epidemiology who led the study.

"It's also known that lifestyle affects blood pressure. Now we are showing that they interact, and that the effect of those genes varies among individuals who have different behaviors."

It's an important finding because high blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases, health experts said.

The study "reinforces the message that lifestyle changes can alter the effect of genetics," Franceschini said.

About 15 percent of the variation in diastolic blood pressure, the lower of the two numbers in a blood pressure reading, is because of genes, Franceschini said.

The study found that genes for high blood pressure have a greater effect in smokers than nonsmokers, Franceschini said. It also found a similar effect for physical exercise.

Blood pressure among drinkers is affected by different genes than in people who quit drinking or never drank, Franceschini added.

"Our study shows a comprehensive effect across multiple behaviors," she said.

The next step in the study is an effort to identify the specific genes that interact with each of the behavioral traits to increase blood pressure, according to Franceschini.

Analysis of the entire genome "may allow us to identify the particular genes that account for the interaction," she said.