Environment and Lifestyle Outweigh Genetics in Impacting Human Health

A recent study published in Nature Medicine reveals that environmental factors and lifestyle choices have a significantly greater impact on human health and aging than genetics. Researchers from Oxford Population Health analyzed data from nearly 500,000 participants in the U.K., assessing the influence of 164 environmental factors and genetic risk scores for 22 age-related diseases and premature death.

The study found that environmental factors accounted for 17% of the variation in risk of death, compared to less than 2% explained by genetic predisposition. Key factors influencing mortality and biological aging included smoking, socioeconomic status, physical activity, and living conditions. Smoking was linked to 21 diseases, socioeconomic factors to 19, and physical activity to 17.

Early life exposures, such as body weight at age 10 and maternal smoking, also demonstrated long-term impacts on aging and premature death. The study highlighted that environmental exposures had a greater influence on chronic lung, heart, and liver diseases, while genetic risk had a stronger impact on dementia and breast cancer.

Researchers identified 23 modifiable factors, emphasizing the potential for interventions to improve health outcomes. Cornelia van Duijn, a professor of epidemiology at Oxford Population Health, stressed the importance of policies and individual choices to improve socioeconomic conditions, reduce smoking, and promote physical activity.

The study also introduced a new measure called the “aging clock,” which monitors the rate of aging based on blood protein levels, linking environmental exposures to biological aging. This approach provided a comprehensive overview of the factors driving aging and premature death, according to lead author Austin Argentieri from Massachusetts General Hospital.

While the study sheds light on key environmental and lifestyle factors, researchers noted remaining questions regarding diet, exposure to new pathogens, chemicals, and the impact of these factors in diverse populations. They emphasized the need for integral studies to improve the health of aging populations by identifying key combinations of environmental factors.

Argentieri highlighted the importance of combining these techniques with advancements in smart technology to monitor lifestyle, environment, and biological data over time, ultimately improving the health of aging populations.