Lifestyle and environmental factors have a greater impact on health and ageing than genetics

Are our health outcomes predestined by our genes? Probably not.

 

A British study published in Nature Medicine concludes that environmental and lifestyle factors, such as smoking, physical activity and living conditions, play a much more significant role in how well we age and in the risk of premature death than our genetics.

 

The researchers analysed data from nearly half a million participants to evaluate the impact of 164 environmental factors and genetic risk scores for 22 major diseases on ageing, age-related diseases and premature death (before the age of 75).

 

They identified 25 environmental factors that influence ageing, major diseases and premature mortality. Among these, smoking, socioeconomic status, physical activity and living conditions had the greatest impact on mortality and biological ageing. Of these 25 factors, 23 were modifiable.

 

Smoking alone was linked to 21 diseases, while socioeconomic factors such as household income, homeownership and employment status were associated with 19 diseases. Physical activity was connected to 17 diseases. Environmental factors accounted for 17 per cent of the variation in the risk of death, while genetic predisposition explained less than 2 per cent. Early life exposures, such as body weight at age 10 and maternal smoking around birth, were found to influence ageing and the risk of premature death 30 to 80 years later.

 

Environmental exposures had a more significant impact on diseases of the lung, heart, and liver, while genetic risk played a larger role in dementia and breast cancer.

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