Scientists find answer to what is more important for longevity – genes or lifestyle
Scientists have determined the impact of genetics and environment on lifespan (photo: freepik.com)
The lifespan of each person depends on many factors, including genetics, lifestyle, ecology, nutrition, stress levels, and more. For many years, scientists believed that genetics had a significant impact, but a new study has changed this view.
Nature Medicine reveals what most influences a person's lifespan.
Genetics or lifestyle
According to the results of a study by British scientists, the biggest influence on human longevity comes from the environment and lifestyle rather than genetic inheritance. Genetics accounts for only 2% of the process.
During the study, researchers conducted a large-scale analysis of hundreds of thousands of individuals. They processed medical data from a biobank, which included genetic information, medical records, and detailed lifestyle data. Blood samples from nearly 50,000 participants were subjected to "proteomic profiling" — a technique that studies protein changes over time.
Proteomic profiling allowed scientists to determine the biological age of participants, and unlike chronological age, biological age shows how quickly the body ages at the molecular level. This method provided a more accurate assessment of the aging process.
The environmental factors included more than 164 variables, along with genetic markers for diseases. These factors covered lifestyle, social influences, and early childhood factors.
What the study showed
The results were shocking to all - environmental factors explain about 17% of the variation in lifespan, while genetic factors account for only 2%.
Age and gender explain about half of the variation in lifespan, which was not a surprise to scientists as it was expected. However, the high percentage of environmental factors was a surprise, as it confirms that lifestyle has a greater impact on health and longevity than genetics.
The study also revealed different combinations of influences for various diseases. Environmental factors had the greatest impact on lung, heart, and liver diseases, while genetics played a key role in determining the risk of breast, ovarian, and prostate cancer, as well as dementia.
Among the environmental factors, the most significant influences were:
- smoking;
- socioeconomic status;
- physical activity level;
- living conditions.
These factors were most strongly correlated with premature death and biological aging.
The study also uncovered several interesting and unexpected connections. For instance, a greater height at the age of 10 was associated with a shorter lifespan. Although scientists do not yet have an explanation for this.
A higher weight at the age of 10 also correlated with a shorter lifespan. Additionally, maternal smoking during pregnancy or when the child was an infant had a negative impact.
"The results of the study give hope that longevity largely depends on the choices we make. This is great news, unless you have good genes and are hoping they’ll do all the hard work for you," said one of the study's authors, Hassan Valli, an associate professor at Deakin University.
Impact of nutrition is greatly overestimated
However, the biggest surprise for scientists was the absence of a link between diet and markers of biological aging. This contradicts numerous pieces of evidence about the important role of nutrition in shaping the risk of chronic diseases.
The study revealed that aging-related diseases are associated with a number of social factors, such as income, housing, and employment status. However, these factors are not always under an individual’s control.
"The results of this study support the idea that, although we may inherit certain genetic risks, how we eat, move, and interact with the world seems to have more influence in determining how healthy we are and how long we live," concluded Hassan Valli.
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