May 9, 2024 – Were you born with family genes that predict a brief life? Fear not; it seems that having such genes will not be a death sentence, but a possibility.
In fact, latest evidence suggests that adopting and maintaining a mix of lifestyle changes could also be one of the crucial necessary ways to defy those “bad” family genes.
The study, which was published At the tip of April, the combined effect of lifestyle and genetics on human life expectancy was examined. The study was based on the records of over 350,000 people of European descent who were followed for a median of 13 years.
After dividing study participants into three groups (long, medium and short) based on their expected lifespan, researchers found that those with a high genetic risk for a brief lifespan had a 21% increased risk of early death than those with a low genetic risk, no matter their lifestyle. In addition, individuals with lifestyle habits considered unhealthy had a 78% increased risk of early death. However, a healthy lifestyle appeared to extend genetic odds by as much as 62% and extend life by 5.2 years.
“We have identified an optimal lifestyle combination of four lifestyle factors that provides better benefits for extending human lifespan: not smoking, regular physical activity, adequate sleep duration and a healthy diet,” said Xue Li, PhD, study co-author and professor of massive data and health sciences at Zhejiang University School of Medicine in Hangzhou, China. “Our advice is to focus on building and maintaining healthy habits, no matter what your genes say.”
The early bird catches the worm
For the study, researchers used an index called the Polygenic Risk Score (PRS) to find out an individual's overall genetic tendency toward a brief or long life. The rating combines several changes in DNA (called variants) that affect life expectancy. Li said using this tool together with screening and genetic counseling could help people make informed decisions about their health.
However, this approach could also be difficult to copy. Not only is the PRS not a part of routine clinical practice, but genetic counseling will not be routinely offered. And testing through private firms might be costly. But don't worry. There are many more steps you’ll be able to take.
“There is a tremendous amount of literature looking at lifestyle and longevity and genes and longevity,” said Dr. Pam Factor-Litvak, a professor of epidemiology at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York City. She said gene expression might be altered by environmental aspects (smoking or weight loss program, for instance). Factor-Litvak also explained that markers of healthy aging called telomeres (DNA and protein structure chargeable for cell division) are also affected by lifestyle aspects. A healthy lifestyle lengthens telomeres, extending a cell's life and talent to divide, while an unhealthy lifestyle shortens them, resulting in cell death and tissue aging.
“The sooner you start a healthy lifestyle, the better,” she said.
Factor-Litvak points out that the age limit utilized in the study was 40 years. The results showed that individuals with good lifespan genes and healthy lifestyle habits had a life expectancy 6.69 years higher in comparison with individuals with poor lifespan genes and unfavorable lifestyle habits.
But older people may also profit, because the results of a way of life change add up like dominoes.
William Samuel Yancy Jr., MD, an internist and medical director of the Duke Lifestyle and Weight Management Center in Durham, North Carolina, said he treats many individuals of their 70s and 80s who feel higher and get stronger once they incorporate certainly one of the 4 lifestyle aspects cited within the study: healthy eating.
“They're more energetic, they're getting stronger, they're getting injured less often and they're falling less often; there are pretty immediate benefits,” he said. “And of course there are some long-term benefits in the years that follow, depending on what changes they make.”
Yancy also said that as people age, they’ll prioritize their health, which helps them maintain a healthier lifestyle.
Selvi Rajagopal, MD, MPH, an assistant professor of drugs at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and an obesity medicine specialist in Baltimore, said she has also had older patients who’ve been helped by lifestyle changes, particularly when it comes to strength and resistance training. “We know that falls are one of the major risk factors for early death,” she said.
Bad behavior goes hand in hand
One bad habit tends to guide to the following, which ends up in the following, and so forth.
“This is one reason why the combination of the 'big four' – smoking, physical activity, sleep and healthy diet – is greater than the individual effects,” said Factor-Litvak.
The study authors called these 4 habits “the optimal lifestyle combination.”
According to the study results, these 4 major behaviors also provided higher longevity advantages than other mixtures. But just as bad behaviors go together, so do healthy behaviors.
“When people lose 10 to 15 percent of their original body weight, they typically see a significant improvement in their mobility and joint function. And so they feel more inclined to do more physical activity, which has a really positive cascading effect,” Rajagopal said.
The challenge is that few individuals are able to take care of a combined healthy lifestyle just like the one tested within the study. “From what I remember, about 25% of people practice all of these healthy lifestyle habits at the same time,” Yancy said. In that respect, starting small might be quite helpful.
“For someone in this day and age with so many commitments and stressors, getting everything right is unrealistic and unsustainable. Instead, start with a few small, meaningful and actionable things you can do. Then make it a part of who you are (it usually takes 8 to 10 weeks to form a habit),” said Rajagopal.
And then? “When you've accomplished that, check the box for the next thing and find a partner to support you along the way,” she said.