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Regular exercise and a healthy diet may be enough to offset the effects of genes that shorten your lifespan, according to new research published in 2006. BMJ Evidence-based medicine.
Meanwhile, an unhealthy lifestyle can increase your risk of dying prematurely by 78%, regardless of your genetic predisposition.
The first-of-its-kind study assessed the health data of 353,742 people from UK Biobank to discover how their lifestyle and genes influence their health.
Nurturing trumps nature
Researchers from China's Zhejiang University School of Medicine and the University of Edinburgh scoured the UK Biobank, excluding participants who did not provide genetic data or who died from COVID-19 or accidental causes. 353,742 participants remained. European heritage.
Using data from the LifeGen Cohort Study, polygenic risk scores were derived for long-term (20% of participants), intermediate-term (60%), and short-term (20%) lifespan risks.
Based on six healthy lifestyle habits (smoking cessation, drinking alcohol in moderation, regular physical activity, having a healthy body shape, getting adequate sleep, and eating a healthy diet), 23% of participants considered themselves to be in good shape. 56% were considered fair and 22% were considered good. considered disadvantageous.
During a mean follow-up period of 12.86 years, 24,239 of the participants died.
After comparing the genetic profiles of these participants and others with lifestyle classifications and risk scores, the researchers found that those who are genetically predisposed to short lifespans are also genetically predisposed to live long lives. They found that they were 21% more likely to die prematurely than others. their lifestyle.
Regardless of genetics, people with unfavorable lifestyles were 78% more likely to die prematurely than those with favorable lifestyles.
Participants with a high genetic risk for shortened lifespans and who had unfavorable lifestyles were genetically predisposed to live longer and were twice as likely to die compared to participants who had favorable lifestyles. was.
In particular, four factors seem to explain a healthier life: not smoking, regular physical activity, getting a good night's sleep, and eating a healthy diet.
Aiming for 5.5
Despite limitations of the study, including that it was observational and did not prove causation, and that all participants were of European ancestry, the researchers believe that the findings suggest that shortened lifespans may be inherited The authors claim that this study shows that the risks associated with a positive lifestyle can be offset by a favorable lifestyle. 62%.
“This study highlights the crucial role of a healthy lifestyle in mitigating the influence of genetic factors on shortened lifespans,” the researchers said. concluded.
The researchers found that people with a high genetic risk for shortened lifespans could increase their life expectancy by nearly 5.5 years by age 40 if they followed a healthy lifestyle. Given that lifestyle habits tend to set in place by middle age, measures will need to be taken by then to reduce the genetic predisposition to shorter lifespans.
Researchers say communication strategies and public health efforts could help spread awareness of the research findings and promote healthier lives.
“Public health policies to improve healthy lifestyles would be a powerful complement to conventional medicine and reduce the influence of genetic factors on human lifespan,” the researchers wrote.
reference: Bian Z, Wang L, Huang R et al. Genetic predispositions, modifiable lifestyle, and their joint influence on human lifespan: Evidence from multiple cohort studies. BMJ Evidence Bass Medicine. 2024. Doi: 10.1136/bmjebm-2023-112583
This article is a re-edited version of the press release below. british medical journal. Material has been edited for length and content.