Want a Longer Life? Change Your Lifestyle.

A new study published in the journal Nature Medicine found that when it comes to longevity, your lifestyle and environment matter more than your genes.

The research, led by researchers from Oxford Population Health, looked at extensive data from over 490,000 people in the UK Biobank, including their detailed medical histories and gene sequencing, as well as their environmental exposures.

The researchers then explored the influence of genetic versus environmental factors on mortality and proteomic aging.

Want a Longer Life? Lifestyle Is More Important Than Genetics.

Through the research, “We can get an estimation of how quickly or slowly each participant is aging biologically compared to their chronological age,” said lead author Austin Argentieri, a research fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital. 

“This is referred to as the ‘proteomic age gap,’ since it’s the gap in years between protein-predicted age and chronological age,” Argentieri continued. “[It] is a very strong predictor of mortality … [and] it is also associated strongly with many important aging traits like frailty and cognitive function.”

To further explore the cause of an individual’s proteomic age gap, the researchers considered both environmental and behavioral exposures, including income, marital status, diet, exercise habits, neighborhood, and more.

On the flip side, they also factored in the individuals’ genomes and genetic markers for various diseases.

The results?

“Environmental factors explained 17% of the variation in risk of death, compared to less than 2% explained by genetic predisposition,” the press release reads. 

Additionally, smoking, socioeconomic status, physical activity, and living conditions were the most impactful environmental factors on mortality and biological aging.

“Our research demonstrates the profound health impact of exposures that can be changed either by individuals or through policies to improve socioeconomic conditions, reduce smoking, or promote physical activity,” said Professor Cornelia van Duijn, St Cross Professor of Epidemiology at Oxford Population Health and senior author of the paper.

“While genes play a key role in brain conditions and some cancers, our findings highlight opportunities to mitigate the risks of chronic diseases of the lung, heart, and liver, which are leading causes of disability and death globally.”

“Our exposome approach allowed us to quantify the relative contributions of the environment and genetics to aging, providing the most comprehensive overview to date of the environmental and lifestyle factors driving aging and premature death,” added Argentieri.

“These findings underscore the potential benefits of focusing interventions on our environments, socioeconomic contexts, and behaviors for the prevention of many age-related diseases and premature death.”