LIFESTYLE AND ENVIRONMENT IMPACT HEALTH AND LONGEVITY MORE THAN GENES

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 LIFESTYLE AND ENVIRONMENT IMPACT HEALTH AND LONGEVITY MORE THAN GENES






Want to live longer? According to groundbreaking research from Oxford Population Health, your daily habits matter more than your DNA. The study, which tracked nearly half a million people, shattered some common myths about what determines our health and lifespan.

The surprising part is that while we often blame our genes for health problems, they only account for about 2% of the factors determining when we die. The real heavy hitters are our choices and world, which drive about 17% of mortality risk.

The researchers examined everything from smoking habits to bank accounts, tracking 164 environmental factors and genetic markers for 22 major diseases. What they found was striking: Your zip code might matter more than your genetic code.

Smoking topped the list of health villains, linking to a staggering 21 different diseases. But it's not just about personal choices. Your bank account, whether you own or rent your home, and your job status were tied to 19 diseases. Physical activity wasn't far behind, connecting to 17 health conditions.

Perhaps most fascinating was how early life experiences cast long shadows. Your weight at age 10 or whether your mother smoked during pregnancy can echo through decades, affecting your health 30 to 80 years later. It's like your body keeps a detailed memoir of every significant life event.

"We've been looking in the wrong place," says Professor Cornelia van Duijn, who led the study. "While genes certainly matter for some conditions like dementia and breast cancer, we have far more control over our health destiny than we thought." The research shows that lung, heart, and liver diseases - some of our biggest killers - are primarily influenced by how we live, not what we inherited.

The scientists didn't just rely on death certificates to reach these conclusions. They developed a sophisticated "aging clock" that measures how quickly people age by examining bloodd protein levels. Think of it as your body's speedometer again —and it turns out the environment has its foot on the gas pedal more often than your genes do.

The study's lead author, Dr. Austin Argentieri, says, "We've created the most comprehensive map of what drives aging and early death. The good news is that most of these factors are things we can change."

Professor Bryan Williams of the British Heart Foundation adds a sobering note: "Your income and background shouldn't determine how long you live. But right now, they do." This is a stark reminder that health isn't just about personal choice—it's deeply tied to social and economic conditions.

What makes this study different is that the researchers examined how multiple environmental influences work together over a lifetime instead of examining single factors in isolation. This is like seeing the forest instead of just individual trees, and it's changing how we think about preventing disease and early death.

The research team isn't done yet. They're now focusing on new environmental challenges - from emerging viruses like COVID-19 to the effects of pesticides and plastics. They're also exploring how innovative technology might help us better understand the daily environmental factors that shape our health.

Published in Nature Medicine, this research offers new insights and hope. While we can't change our genes, we can change many factors that matter most for a longer, healthier life.

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