A new study published in Nature Medicine suggests that environmental factors play a more significant role than genetics in determining longevity. Researchers analyzed data from over 490,000 people and found that lifestyle choices, such as diet, exercise, and socioeconomic status, accounted for 17% of the risk of dying from disease. In contrast, genetic markers were responsible for just 2%.
The study used proteomic profiling to measure the biological age of participants, which was then compared to their chronological age. The results showed that environmental factors had a greater impact on diseases such as lung, heart, and liver disease, while genetics played a greater role in determining risk for breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers, plus dementia.
The study’s findings also highlight the importance of early life experiences, with high or low body weight at age 10 and maternal smoking around birth affecting health and mortality many decades later. Conversely, factors such as living with a partner, being employed, and having financial stability had a positive impact on extending lifespan.
Senior author Cornela van Duijn stated that the research demonstrates the significant health impact of exposures that can be changed through individual or policy-level interventions. The study’s authors plan to continue their work, exploring other factors such as diet, exposure to novel pathogens, and environmental pollutants to better understand their influence on lifespan.
Source: https://time.com/7261172/genes-vs-lifestyle-longevity-study