Even if they haven’t figured out the key to eternal youth, scientists are becoming more and more curious about how lifestyle choices affect lifespan.
A group of researchers from China and Scotland has now reported that leading a healthy lifestyle may even be able to offset a poor genetic tendency, which is consistent with the many studies that have recently shown a connection between healthy behaviors and longevity.
Do we truly control our own fate? You’d better believe it if a recent study by scientists at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and Zhejiang University Medical School in China is any indication.
balanced diet, consistent exercise, and cessation of smoking
A healthy lifestyle, which includes a balanced diet, frequent exercise, and quitting smoking, may more than 60% counteract the effects of life-shortening genes, according to a study including over 350,000 participants.
These results highlight how crucial it is to make the proper decisions every day in order to maintain your health and extend your life.
The scientists used data from multiple related studies including 353,742 persons who were recruited through the UK Biobank between 2006 and 2010 and whose health status was tracked until 2021 for their research.
Both polygenic risk scores—which indicate a person’s genetic propensity to live a longer life or not—and a score linked to leading a healthy lifestyle—which is determined by factors like quitting smoking, drinking alcohol in moderation, maintaining a balanced diet, getting regular exercise, and getting enough sleep—were computed. Over 24,000 volunteers lost their lives while the study was underway.
The study, which was published in the journal BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine, indicates that, regardless of the lifestyle choices made during their lifetime, individuals who were genetically predisposed to a shorter life expectancy were 21% more likely to pass away prematurely than those who were genetically predisposed to a longer life expectancy.
This research shows that a healthy lifestyle can more than 60% offset the hereditary risk of a shorter life expectancy or premature death, despite significant limitations such as the fact that lifestyle was only measured once during the trial or the lack of diversity among participants.
The researchers estimate that a healthy lifestyle could extend the lives of participants with a high genetic risk associated with a lower lifespan by approximately 5.5 years at the age of 40.
However, this research implies that in order to witness such a large rise in life expectancy, healthy practices must be adopted as soon as possible.
It should be mentioned that some lifestyle choices, like quitting smoking, exercising, getting adequate sleep, and maintaining a nutritious diet, were very crucial.
“This study elucidates the pivotal role of a healthy lifestyle in mitigating the impact of genetic factors on lifespan reduction. Public health policies for improving healthy lifestyles would serve as potent complements to conventional healthcare and mitigate the influence of genetic factors on human lifespan,” the study authors state in a news release.
Regardless of their genetic propensity, individuals with unhealthy lifestyles were found to have a 78% higher risk of dying young than those with healthy lifestyles.
A comparable study conducted in August of last year on almost 700,000 people aged between 40 and 99 revealed that men and women may live an average of 24 and 21 years longer, respectively, if they adopted eight healthy behaviors by the time they were 40 years old, compared to those who adopted none at all.
Once more, these included keeping an active lifestyle, abstaining from smoking, controlling stress, eating healthily, getting enough sleep, avoiding regular binge drinking, not becoming dependent on opioids, and fostering pleasant social interactions.