Longevity: Lifestyle or Genetics

 The question of longevity has been studied by scientists and researchers for a long time. A recent article in The New York Times argues whether lifestyle choices or “good” genetics are what extend a person's life. Decades of lifestyle research show that ignoring conventional advice on exercise, lifestyle, and dieting negatively impacts a person's health and, therefore, longevity.  The question is how much of a person's lifespan is attributable to lifestyle choices and how much is left to genetics. The study reveals that some families have special gene variants that are advantageous in living a longer life by helping these individuals avoid disease. Some genes prevent people from developing certain diseases, such as the APOE gene for Alzheimer's. It was found that some of these special gene variants counteract the unhealthy lifestyle choices some indicators make. Generally, scientists believe that 25% of life span is attributed to genes, and 75% is due to lifestyle choices. Another article in the National Library of Medicine explores this problem; the result is that both lifestyle and genetics play a role in longevity. However, those who live 100 and beyond have rare genetic factors that are important for longevity. The chances of having these genetics are like winning the “lottery”. 

This research is important to both the medical community and society because it is important for people to understand how they can contribute to their overall well-being and life span. This research allows us to understand that lifestyle is important to overall longevity, while also factoring in the rare genetics that families may have. 

How Maria Branyas’s Youthful Cells Unveil Secrets to Longevity

    This study on Maria Branyas Morera, led by Manel Esteller, a genetics professor at the University of Barcelona, provided valuable insights into her longevity. Researchers found that Branyas's cells behaved as if they were 17 years younger than her actual age, and her microbiota resembled an infant’s. Maria lived to be 117 years old and attributed her longevity to genetics and lifestyle. These findings were significant in understanding the genetics behind longevity, as her lifestyle, which included a Mediterranean diet and regular physical activity, also contributed to her health. The detailed analysis of Branyas’s DNA and microbiome suggests a link between her genetic makeup and her minimal health issues despite her advanced age. The study aims to help develop treatments for age-related illnesses by providing a deeper understanding of how genetics can influence aging processes.

Posted by Bioethics Pundit

  

    Cells behave differently based on age due to various biological and molecular changes. Young cells have a higher capacity for division and repair, which diminishes with age as telomeres shorten, limiting cellular division. Younger cells also maintain more efficient protein production, crucial for cell maintenance and repair, whereas this process becomes less efficient in older cells, leading to damage accumulation. Mitochondrial function, key for cellular energy, declines with age, contributing to reduced energy production and increased oxidative stress. Older cells are more likely to become senescent, ceasing to divide but not dying, and can negatively impact surrounding cells by secreting inflammatory factors. Additionally, the ability to repair DNA damage effectively decreases with age, leading to mutations and cellular dysfunction. Autophagy, the process of removing damaged organelles and proteins, is more active in younger cells, helping them maintain functionality by clearing out damaged parts, a process that is less efficient in older cells. These age-related changes contribute to the overall aging process and influence the development of age-related diseases.

Links: 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/13/supercentenarian-aging-genes-study

https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2013/06/enumerating-the-differences-between-old-and-young-stem-cells/

A Healthy Lifestyle Will Only Get You So Far

A January 8th post from the New York Times indicates that typically genes only influence about 25% of our longevity, but once a certain age is reached genetics become much more important. Recent studies have shown that veterans strictly following eight beneficial behaviors could only expect to live to 87 years. Although that is almost a decade longer than the average lifespan, it is still not 100 years old. The research proposes that the longest-living individuals do not lead exceptionally healthy lives but rather have some of the same habits most average Americans do. In some of the families studied, the longer-living individuals had negative habits like smoking, but beneficial genes that reduced their risk of age-related disease. For example, the APOE2 gene which predicts a decreased chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease is more prominent in longer-living families than the general population which has a higher frequency of the APOE gene that indicates an increased risk for developing Alzheimer’s. The research concludes that only a small percentage of the population has the genetics to keep them alive for a century, aligning with the small number of individuals who celebrate their 100th birthday. So, the researchers warn not to take health advice from the oldest people alive because their habits are probably not the reason they have lived as long as they have. 

The idea that genes control how long we live is something that makes sense when you consider some of the crazy habits the world’s oldest people attribute their long lives to. Some of the foods that contribute to longevity according to these people are salmon, chocolate, and ice cream. Arguably, one bowl of ice cream will not kill you, but everything is better in moderation, so having a bowl of ice cream every day for 100 years is probably not the healthiest choice. Without knowing whether we as individuals carry genes that will decrease our risk of disease and help us live longer lives, I think it would be beneficial to live a healthy lifestyle that will help us live to the age when genes become more important to survival. After reading this article, I am intrigued to learn more about this topic as the research progresses.

Links

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/08/well/longevity-influences-genetics-lifestyle.html?searchResultPosition=1 

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/bizarre-secrets-worlds-oldest-people-32500327

Shockingly Low Rate of Cancers are Hereditary

Link to Original

As human beings on planet earth, we all understand the detrimental affects cancer has on the population as a whole. New research has been conducted concluding results that the highest percentage of cancer, 66%, is due to random mutations and mistakes. 29% of cancers are were due to environmental factors, and the lowest percentage happens to be 5% due to inherited mutations. Unfortunately, most people think they are at a high risk of the cancer because of their familial lineage but according to research that is an inaccurate statement. Based on the study and research conducted, the chart listed above shows the percentage values for specified cancers and their likelihood for cause. Everything in the charts is an indication of percentage ranges on the attributed mutations as white is the lowest percentage at 0, and red is the highest at 100%. Furthermore reduction of cancerous mutations can be prevented by simple changes in environmental factors, such as cigarette smoke or ultraviolet light. Simple things like this can also help reduce the mutations due to inherited genes such as a woman who knows she is a carrier for the breast cancer gene may decide to have a preventative mastectomy. It is important to understand the implications of lifestyle and the mutations that can cause cancer in order to strategically plan for an elongated life as best as you can. Link to

Cancer Prevention Tips!!

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Genetic Heart Disease Risk

It is commonly thought that heart disease is linked to genetics, but a new study of 55,000 participants shows that by not smoking, exercising moderately, and by eating a healthy diet with fruits, vegetables, and grains, people can decrease their risk of heart disease substantially even if they are genetically exposed. Dr. Sekar Kathiresan, the director of the Center for Human Genetic Research at Massachusetts General Hospital, says that according to the research he and his colleagues have done, the problem can be controlled even if you do not have the best genes. In the study they used large sets of data in order to set apart the effects of genes and lifestyle in hart disease. They found that genes can double the risk of heart disease, but a good life style cuts it in half, but by the same token an unhealthy lifestyle deletes all of the benefits of good genes.

The researchers made a genetic score based on fifty genes that are associated with heart disease. They developed a lifestyle score based on whether the individuals smoked, exercised at least once a week, whether they followed a healthy diet, and whether they were obese.. Having three or all four of the elements denoted an optimum score. One group in the study that was analyzed involved black and white Americans who were aged from 45-64; in this group, a good lifestyle cut the ten-year likelihood of heart disease from 10.7% to 5.1%. Another study involved 21,222 American women aged 45 and older who were health professionals; in this group their ten-year risk fell from 4.6% to 2%. In another group in the study, Swedish participants aged 44 to 73 had a ten-year risk reduction from 8.2% to 5.3%. In the last group, Americans aged from 55 to 80, the individuals with genetic risk but a healthy lifestyle had significantly less calcium, in their coronary arteries, which is a sign of heart disease. The last study showed that the hypothesis that they began with: a healthy lifestyle can cut the risk for heart disease even in people that are genetically exposed- was proving to be true.

This study was eye opening because I always thought that heart disease was genetic. I knew that a healthy lifestyle could help to lower risks though. I thought it was a good idea to assign all of the participants a score based on their daily exercise and their lifestyle choices in general; it made the data easier to understand because that was explained.

Genetic Risk of Heart Disease Reduced by Living a Healthy Lifestyle

     Four different studies were recently analyzed which contained around 55,000 participants about reducing the risk of heart disease by living a healthy lifestyle even when a person has a high genetic risk. The research was done by Dr. Sekar Kathiresan, the director of the Center for Human Genetic Research at Massachusetts General Hospital, and his colleagues. It was the first attempt to use large data to analyze the effects of genes and lifestyle in the risk for heart disease.

     It was found that genes can double a person's risk for heart disease, but living a healthy lifestyle can cut that risk in half. It was also found that living an unhealthy lifestyle gets rid of about half the benefits of good genetics. Dr. Michael Lauer, a cardiologist who is the deputy director for extramural research at the National Institutes of Health, said the study was impressive because the studies were large and the results were consistent and convincing even with varied populations. The results of the studies should appeal to those who emphasize genetics and to those who emphasize healthy lifestyles.

     The research started about a year and a half ago. A genetic score was developed based on 50 genes that are related to heart disease. A lifestyle score was also developed based on whether someone smoked, exercised at least once a week, whether they followed a healthy diet, and whether they were obese. An optimum lifestyle score was a person who had three or all four of the elements. The study showed very strong results because of the large sample size and showed that even though each of the 50 genes contributed a small amount, all of them together had a large significance.

Proving that You Are What You Eat

We often say, "you are what you eat," when it comes to a healthy diet. According to Samantha Heller, clinical nutritionist at NYU Medical Center, "everything you eat becomes a part of not only your inner being, but the outer fabric of your body as well." Healthier food promotes healthier skin and the opposite is true when you consume unhealthy foods. Eating junk food or unhealthy food can lead to sallow, dry and old skin overtime. In addition, other skin problems can occur such as acne, eczema, and psoriasis. However, scientists have found genetic evidence that proves "you are what you eat."

At the University of Oxford, researchers have proved that an organism's diet can affect the DNA sequences of their genes. By doing a study on two parasites, scientists have detected a difference in DNA sequences based on the organism's diet. Researchers hypothesized that the composition of an organism's diet can alter an organism's DNA.  The hypothesis was tested using two different groups of parasites: eukaryotic parasites (Kinetoplastida) and bacterial parasites (Mollicutes). According to Dr. Steven Kelly from Oxford's Department of Plant Sciences,  the parasites selected serves as an excellent model system because they share a common ancestor but have evolved to infect different hosts and eat very different foods.

Based on their results, researchers found that different levels of nitrogen in the parasites' diets contributed to the change in DNA sequences. Parasites that usually have a low nitrogen, high-sugar diet, had a different DNA comparison to parasites with nitrogen-rich, high-protein diets. Using mathematical models, researchers have been able to predict the diets of related organisms by analyzing the DNA sequence of the genes. 

While the hypothesis holds true for simple organisms, it is still unclear if the same will occur in complex organisms. While there are many factors that can affect the DNA structure of an organism, the study has proved that a high percentage of the differences in DNA sequences are due to diet composition. If results do end up proving to be true for complex organisms, it will be quite useful in encouraging public awareness for promoting a healthier lifestyle for everyone. It will serve essential in providing evidence how an individual's diet can certainly affect future generations and hopefully encourage everyone to maintain a healthy diet. 

Don't Always Blame it on your Genes

Heart disease is something that is very constantly and easily linked with genetics. Most people tend to blame their genes for it. But a recent study shows that it can't always be the answer. There are several factors that play a role on it including exercising, not smoking and eating a healthy diet. Dr. Sekar Kathiresan states, “DNA is not destiny; it is not deterministic for this disease”. Even if someone’s genetic destiny shows something, they always have some control over it. Dr. Kathiresan and his colleagues did an experiment to test whether an individuals lifestyle can largely effect ones chance of getting heart disease.

Coronary heart disease is one of the biggest killers in the world. It takes the lives of 365,000 people annually in the United States, and 17.3 million worldwide. Dr. Kathiresan’s team found that while genes can double the risk of heart disease, a good healthy lifestyle could cut it in half. In addition, they found that a lifestyle consisting of bad habits erases half of the benefits of good genetics.

Several studies show the positive effects of a healthy lifestyle and how it can significantly reduce the chances of getting heart disease.  In one study, a group of black and white Americans aged 45 to 64 cut their likelihood of getting heart disease from 5.7 percent to 10.7 percent. These individuals had the highest genetic risk to begin with and the study shows the very positive effects of a healthy lifestyle. In another study, 21,222 American women aged 45 and older cut their 10 year risk from 4.6 percent to 2 percent. These women were health professionals and had a healthy lifestyle.

I think this is very important study as it shines a light on factors other than genetic inheritance that can cause heart disease. Dr. Katherisan states, "A poor man's substitute is 'My dad died at 45 of a heart attack. I have a strong family history.'" This study shows that individuals who have a high genetic risk factor of getting heart disease have the power to reduce their chances of getting it with a simple change in lifestyle.