- Individuals with life-shortening genes can extend their life with healthy habits, according to new research.
- Researchers say people with unhealthy lifestyles and genetic predispositions are twice as likely to die as those who have good habits and genes.
- They say not smoking, physical activity, sleep, and diet are the lifestyle factors with the greatest impact on longevity.
People who adopt healthy lifestyle habits can significantly offset their genetic risk for premature death, according to a new study published in the journal BMJ Evidence Based Medicine.
In it, researchers say that quitting smoking, moderating alcohol consumption, getting regular physical activity and adequate sleep, and adopting a healthy diet can reduce the effects of life-shortening genes by more than 60%.
The researchers noted that genes can influence the risk of dying from diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, among many others. However, they said, individuals with a high genetic risk could extend their lifespan by nearly 5.5 years by adopting a health lifestyle at age 40.
“We used to think that genetics determined our lifespan, but this research paper, among others, now tells us a different story,” Kaytee Hadley, a functional dietitian with a master’s degree in nutrition, health span, and longevity who was not involved in the study, told Medical News Today. “Over 60 percent of our fate is determined by the factors that we, in large part, can control: nutrition, movement, smoking, and sleep. Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn (director of the Heart Disease Reversal Program at the Cleveland Clinic) said it best: ‘Genetics load the gun, lifestyle pulls the trigger’.”
Sarah Louise Lilley, a stress-reduction practitioner who uses the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT or “Tapping”) who was not involved in the study, agreed.
“We know now we can affect whether [genes are] up-regulated or down-regulated,” Lilley told Medical News today. “My hope is that these new studies…
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