Four Lifestyle Changes to Outrun Genes and Add 5 Years to Your Life

Genetic Predisposition and Healthy Lifestyle

Are you genetically predisposed to a shorter lifespan? Your lifestyle could change that. According to a study, people with such genetic predisposition can add up to five years to their lives if they maintain a healthy lifestyle. The first study of its kind, it aimed to determine how lifestyle elements like exercise, healthy eating, adequate sleep, and being smoke-free impact one’s survival odds.

The Impact of Genetics and Lifestyle on Lifespan

The research involved over 350,000 Brits and revealed that those with a high genetic risk of a shorter life have a 21 per cent higher likelihood of early demise than those with a low genetic risk, regardless of their lifestyle. However, people with unhealthy lifestyles have a 78 per cent increased chance of dying young, irrespective of their genes.

Combining Genetic Risks with Unhealthy Lifestyle

Having both an unhealthy lifestyle and genes indicative of a shorter lifespan increased the risk of early death by more than double compared with individuals with healthier lifestyles and favourable genes. However, the silver lining for people with a high genetic risk is that they have a significant degree of control over their fate through their lifestyle choices.

Healthy Lifestyle: A Game Changer

Experts from the University of Edinburgh and the Zhejiang University School of Medicine in China suggested that any genetic risk of a shorter lifespan or premature death could be offset by a healthier lifestyle by around 62 per cent. The secret to a longer life, according to them, lies in never smoking, engaging in regular physical activity, getting adequate sleep, and maintaining a healthy diet.

How Genetics and Lifestyle Factors Affect Lifespan

The researchers analysed the polygenic risk score of the participants, which estimates the risk of developing a specific disease based on thousands of genetic variants across a person’s genome. Each individual genetic variant has a small effect on a person’s disease risk, but when taken together, they can estimate the overall risk of developing a disease. Participants were grouped into three genetically determined lifespan categories—long, intermediate, and short—and into three lifestyle score categories—favourable, intermediate, and unfavourable.

Study Findings and Expert Recommendations

The study, published in the BMJ Evidence Based Medicine, tracked the participants for an average of 13 years, recording 24,239 deaths during this period. Matt Lambert, senior health information officer at the World Cancer Research Fund, stressed the importance of a healthy lifestyle, noting it can not only help us live longer but also reduce the risk of cancer.

What Makes a Balanced Diet?

Make sure to eat at least five portions of different fruits and vegetables every day, ideally with meals based on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta, or other starchy carbohydrates. It’s also crucial to consume 30 grams of fibre a day, some dairy or dairy alternatives with low fat and low sugar options, beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins, and unsaturated oils and spreads in small amounts. Adults should restrict their salt intake to less than 6g and saturated fat to 20g for women or 30g for men a day.