May 9, 2024: Were you born with family genes that predict a short life? Do not fear; It turns out that having those genes is not a death sentence but an opportunity.

In fact, new findings suggest that adopting and sticking to a combination of lifestyle changes may be one of the most important ways to challenge these “bad” family genes.

The study, which was published in late April, analyzed the combined effect of lifestyle and genetics on human life expectancy based on records of more than 350,000 people of European ancestry who were followed for an average of 13 years.

After dividing people in the study into three groups based on expected life expectancy (long, intermediate and short), the researchers found that those who had a high genetic risk for a short life expectancy faced a 21% increased risk. of premature death, compared to those with low genetic risk, regardless of lifestyle. In addition, people with lifestyle habits considered unhealthy had a higher risk of dying prematurely by 78%. But following a healthy lifestyle appeared to change the genetic odds by up to 62% and add 5.2 years to life.

“There’s a tremendous amount of literature that has looked at lifestyle, longevity, genes and longevity,” said Pam Factor-Litvak, PhD, professor of epidemiology at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. New York City. She said gene expression can be altered by environmental factors (for example, smoking or diet). Factor-Litvak also explained that markers of healthy aging called telomeres (DNA and protein structure responsible for cell division) are also affected by lifestyle factors. A healthy lifestyle lengthens telomeres and prolongs the life and division capacity of cells, while an unhealthy one shortens them, causing cells to die and tissues to age.

“The sooner you start living a healthy lifestyle, the better off you will be,” he said.

According to Factor-Litvak, the limit used in the study was 40 years, and the findings show that people with good life expectancy genes and healthy lifestyle habits had an average increase of 6.69 years in life expectancy, in comparison with people with bad life expectancy genes and unfavorable lifestyle. habits.

Bad behaviors go together

One bad habit tends to lead to another, which in turn leads to another, and so on.

“That’s one of the reasons why the combination of the big four (smoking, physical activity, sleep and healthy diet) is greater than the individual effects,” Factor-Litvak said.

The study authors referred to habits as “the optimal lifestyle combination.”

Notably, these big four were also shown to offer better benefits for longer life than other combinations, according to the study results. But just as bad behaviors go hand in hand, so do healthy ones.

“Typically, when people lose 10% to 15% of their initial body weight, they begin to experience significant improvements in their mobility and joint function. And because of that, they are more inclined to engage in higher levels of physical activity, where there is a really positive cascading effect,” Rajagopal said.

The challenge is that few people are able to follow a composite healthy lifestyle like the one tested in the study. “What I remember is that about 25% of people do all of these healthy lifestyle practices simultaneously,” Yancy said. To that end, there may be something to be gained by starting small.

“It is unrealistic and unsustainable for someone in the modern era, with many life commitments and stressors, to do all things well. Instead, start with a few small, meaningful, and doable items that he can accomplish. Then make it a part of who you are (it usually takes 8 to 10 weeks to form a habit),” Rajagopal said.

So? “Once you’ve accomplished that, check a box for the next thing and have an accountability partner who can walk this path with you,” he said.