A healthy lifestyle can counteract the negative impact of genes on health, according to a study from China and the UK. Healthy living can reduce the effects of life-shortening genes by over 60% and extend life expectancy by five years.
The study, published in the scientific journal BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine, looked at data from 353 742 people from the UK Biobank. The researchers looked at genes, education, socioeconomic status, lifestyle and medical history, and followed the participants for around 13 years. The participants were divided into categories of long, medium and short life expectancy.
Those with a high genetic risk of shorter life were on average 21% more likely to die prematurely than those with a low genetic risk, regardless of lifestyle. In contrast, people with an unhealthy lifestyle had a 78% increased risk of early death, regardless of their genetic risk.
However, the researchers say that the results of the study suggest that people can counteract their genetic risk factor by adopting a healthier lifestyle. The genetic risk of early death could be reduced by 62% if the person made healthier choices.
“Participants with high genetic risk could prolong approximately 5.22 years of life expectancy at age 40 with a favourable lifestyle”, write the researchers from Zhejiang University School of Medicine in China and the University of Edinburgh.
The most “optimal lifestyle combination” for a longer life was found to be “never smoking, regular physical activity, adequate sleep duration, and healthy diet”.
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