By Edward J. Thomas –
There is good news for those worried that genetics puts them at a disproportionate risk of premature death. Apparently, environmental factors largely within a person’s control have much more impact on a person’s health and chances of dying young. In fact, lifestyle has the greatest impact on health, meaning that the choices people make daily—such as diet, exercise, and stress management—play a far more significant role in overall well-being and longevity than genetic predisposition.
A research team reports that the environmental factors in play including lifestyle activities such as drinking, smoking and physical activity are significantly more important than a person’s genetic pool when it comes to their health and longevity.
These factors, in fact, explained 17 percent of the variation in premature death risk compared to less than 2 percent for genetic predisposition, according to the Oxford Population Health study. The results were established after researchers reviewed data from nearly half a million U.K. Biobank participants to assess the influence of 164 environmental factors and genetic risk scores for 22 major diseases on aging, age-related diseases and premature death.
“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,” reported the study’s senior author Professor Cornelia van Duijn.
“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. The early life exposures are particularly important as they show that environmental factors accelerate aging early in life but leave ample opportunity to prevent long-lasting diseases and early death,” he added.
Of the 25 independent environmental factors identified, smoking, socioeconomic status, physical activity and living conditions had the most impact on mortality and biological aging. The good news is that 23 of the factors identified are modifiable.
Smoking, for example, was associated with 21 diseases; socioeconomic factors such as household income, home ownership and employment status, were associated with 19 diseases; and physical activity was associated with 17 diseases.
Early life exposures, including body weight at 10 years and maternal smoking around birth, were also shown to specifically influence aging and risk of premature death 30-80 years later. Environmental exposures did have a greater effect on diseases of the lungs, heart and liver.
Genetics did have a greater increase in issues of dementia and breast cancer.
“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,” the study’s lead author Dr. Austin Argentieri noted. “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.”
The Oxford results align with a variety of WellWell reports on the impact lifestyle and diet can have on physical, mental and cognitive health. Excessive consumption of red meat, alcohol and highly processed foods all present significant health risks. Maintaining physical activity is also critical to health and longevity.
“We have long known that risk factors such as smoking impact our heart and circulatory health, but this new research emphasizes just how great the opportunity is to influence our chances of developing health problems, including cardiovascular disease and dying prematurely,” stressed Professor Bryan Williams, Chief Scientific and Medical Officer at the British Heart Foundation.
