People genetically predisposed to a shorter life span can live about five years longer if they follow a healthy lifestyle, a study suggests.
In the first study of its kind, researchers wanted to assess how exercise, a healthy diet, getting enough sleep and not smoking can improve the odds of survival.
The study, which involved more than 350,000 Britons, showed that those with a high genetic risk of a shorter life are a fifth (21%) more likely to die young than those with a low genetic risk, regardless of your lifestyle
In the first study of its kind, researchers wanted to assess how exercise, a healthy diet, getting enough sleep and not smoking can improve the odds of survival. stock
Meanwhile, people with unhealthy lifestyles were 78% more likely to die prematurely, whether they had life-shortening genes or not.
Having an unhealthy lifestyle and genes indicative of a shorter lifespan doubled the risk of premature death compared to people with luckier genes and healthy lifestyles.
But the good news for these people is that lifestyle did have a significant degree of control over what happened, according to findings by experts from the University of Edinburgh and the University’s School of Medicine from Zhejiang in China.
Any genetic risk of a shorter life or early death can be offset by a healthier lifestyle by about 62 percent.
The experts said: “Participants at high genetic risk could extend their life expectancy by approximately 5.22 years at age 40 with a favorable lifestyle.”
The “optimal lifestyle combination” for a longer life was found to be never smoking, regular physical activity, adequate sleep duration and a healthy diet.
The researchers analyzed participants’ polygenic risk across thousands of genetic variants in a person’s genome to estimate their risk of developing a specific disease.
Each individual genetic variant has a small effect on a person’s risk of disease.
But by looking at all the variants together, scientists can estimate your overall risk of developing a disease.
People were grouped into three genetically determined lifespan categories, including long (20.1%), intermediate (60.1%), and short (19.8%), and into three lifestyle score categories , including favorable (23.1%), intermediate (55.6%). hundred), and unfavorable (21.3%).
They then looked at this along with lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise, sleep and whether they smoked.
Published in the journal BMJ Evidence Based Medicine, the study followed people for an average of 13 years, during which 24,239 deaths occurred.
Matt Lambert, senior health information officer at the World Cancer Research Fund, said: This new research shows that despite genetic factors, leading a healthy lifestyle, including eating a nutritious balanced diet and maintaining active, can help us live longer. We also know that it can reduce the risk of cancer.
HOW SHOULD A BALANCED DIET BE?
Meals should be based on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally wholegrain, according to the NHS
Eat at least 5 servings of a variety of fruits and vegetables each day. All fresh, frozen, dried and canned fruits and vegetables count
Meals are based on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally whole grains
30 grams of fiber per day: This is the same as eating all of the following: 5 servings of fruits and vegetables, 2 whole grain crackers, 2 thick slices of whole grain bread, and a large baked potato with the skin on.
Have some dairy or dairy alternatives (like soy drinks) by choosing lower-fat, lower-sugar options
Eat beans, legumes, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins (including 2 portions of fish each week, one of which should be fatty)
Choose unsaturated and spreadable oils and consume them in small amounts
Drink 6-8 cups/glasses of water a day
Adults should have less than 6g of salt and 20g of saturated fat for women or 30g for men per day.
Source: NHS Eatwell Guide
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