Although genes are passed from the parents, a person cannot alter the genes inherited, but rather the way they are functioning. Still today, the thought of needing a genetic type to determine our destiny still exists, this means behavior, diet, and lifestyle today play a major role in the determinant of an individual’s health despite any form of genetic predisposition.
A new and very comprehensive review was published in 2024 that casts more light on the standpoint that genetics as well as lifestyle factors have on the lifespan of individuals.
The investigators extracted information from three large-scale population studies, among which the participants were over 350,000 Europeans. They assessed participants’ genetic risk for a shorter lifespan, as well as their scores for six key lifestyle factors: habits in smoking, exercise, eating, drinking, building, and sleeping.
The findings were clear:
Mr. Jones proffered that an unfavorable lifestyle decreases lifespan, including those with genetic predispositions.
Thus, while increasing the genetic risk to emerge with a shorter lifespan, the risk of dying young also rose.
Thus, when individuals possess negative genetic factors that denote a short life expectancy, they could gain 5 or more years if they have a favorable lifestyle compared to an unfavorable one.
Having a genetic risk showed a 21% possibility of early death and a 78% increase in the mortality rate if an individual had an unfavorable lifestyle.
In those who had both the genetic expression to premature death and unfavorable environmental factors, the risk of death was more than doubled for those with a gene pool for longevity in favorable conditions.
The key takeaway? Regardless of your family predispositions to a short life, you can cut this risk by as much as 62% by trying to adopt healthier measures. It is imperative to emphasize that although everyone is different genetically, your lifestyle plays a massive role in how healthy you are.
This does not mean that you can fully eradicate the given genetic predispositions. But it does point out the fact that people have far more influence over their possible lifespan and degree of living than one would assume. Long-term, gradual adjustments to the behaviors a person follows in their daily life including exercise, cooking, eating habits, and sleep can help a person get the most out of the genes they possess.
Certainly, there are signs that at any age it is possible to begin to make some changes towards a healthier lifestyle. First, select one of the goals in which you would like to upgrade, and then take little steps to remodel that habit. In turn, you can keep making additional beneficial lifestyle small shifts to start stacking the deck in your favor even if your genes are not entirely cooperating with you. Depending on certain factors, your future health, and longevity may depend on it.