Healthy Lifestyle Can Overcome Genetic Predisposition to Premature Death

WEDNESDAY, May 1, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Adherence to healthy lifestyles can largely overcome the genetic risk for a shorter lifespan, according to a study published online April 29 in BMJ Evidence Based Medicine.

Zilong Bian, from the Zhejiang University School of Medicine in Hangzhou, China, and colleagues investigated associations of genetic and lifestyle factors with lifespan using data from 353,742 adult participants in the U.K. Biobank. Participants were categorized by lifespan categories, polygenetic risk score, and lifestyle score.

The researchers found that the risk for death for individuals with a genetic predisposition to a short lifespan was higher versus those with a genetic predisposition to a long lifespan (hazard ratio, 1.21). Unfavorable lifestyle classification was also tied to a higher risk for death (hazard ratio, 1.78) than that seen in the favorable lifestyle category. The combination of a genetic predisposition to a short lifespan and an unfavorable lifestyle raised death rates 2.04-fold compared with that seen in individuals with a genetic predisposition to a long lifespan and a favorable lifestyle. The combined lifestyle factors of never smoking, regular physical activity, adequate sleep duration, and a healthy diet decreased the risk for death before age 75 years.

"Public health policies for improving healthy lifestyles would serve as potent complements to conventional health care and mitigate the influence of genetic factors on human lifespan," the authors write.

One author disclosed financial ties to BioAge Labs.

Abstract/Full Text