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

Successful Vegetarian Lifestyle Suspected to Be Linked to Genes

    In the article, 'This study finds vegetarianism may be in the genes". Dr. Nabeel Yaseen, of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and collaborators conducted a study by comparing data from the UK Biobank that included 30,000 individuals; where about 5,324 of the individuals were vegetarians who had not eaten any meat or products derived from animal flesh for a year plus. With this data, they found approximately thirty-four genes that may assist in an individual's ability to follow a strict [vegetarian] diet and three genes closely linked to this trait.

    This information is what led to Yaseen's hypothesis that vegetarians may have different variants of these genes when compared to an individual who follows an average non-vegetarian diet, this gene is what could allow vegetarians to sustain this diet. Yaseen and colleagues then ran a genome-wide association study to further their research. Since there are SNP's (single nucleotide polymorphs) associated with the trait, they observed the neighboring genes, which led to finding the three genes strongly associated with vegetarianism. Two of the three genes (NPC1 and RMC1) both play a role in lipid metabolism. This leaves readers to ponder Yaseen's final hypothesis regarding the association of these two genes with vegetarianism: meat may contain lipid nutrients that some individuals need and others can thrive without it [vegetarians being the ones who don't need it, thus allowing them to keep away from animal-based proteins for extended periods of time.]

I found this article interesting because I've been a vegetarian my whole life, I was raised as such. Throughout my life, people have always shown interest in my diet, so much so that they try to follow the diet. This effort typically lasts about a week, and then they return to their previous diets. This is why when the article discussed the possibility of genetics affecting the ability of an individual to adhere to a strict vegetarian diet over others, I was curious. However, the way the research was conducted and the data that came from it, may be flawed, i.e. the data was only pulled from Caucasian participants because they wanted the findings to be linked to the vegetarian diet not "ethnicity", etc. Furthermore, I find the premise strange-- simply because I find diets are typically more environmentally influenced, such as by one's culture, budget, immediate environmental conditions, preferences, health desires, ethical and religious beliefs, etc. As to whether I agree or disagree with this article, I believe more research needs to be done with a larger study group to refine these findings and then I will be more apt to decide.

A Vegetarian Diet May or May Not Prevent Strokes Study Finds

 

A vegetarian diet rich in soy, nuts, and vegetables may lower the risk of having a stroke researchers in Taiwan suggest.  A link between two different types of strokes were studied in relation to a vegetarian diet.  A hemorrhagic stroke, which blood bleeds into the brain from an artery, and an ischemic stroke, in which a blood vessel gets blocked and limits flow to the brain.  

Roughly 795,000 people in the United States suffer from a stroke and it is the second main cause of death globally with 4% being Americans.  While studies may suggest that vegetarians are more likely than non-vegetarians to have a stroke, an experiment was run in Taiwan to test this.

13,000 participants in Taiwan were studied and had an average age of 50 years old.  They were split into two groups and the first group was followed for 6 years, the second for 9, and none had a history of strokes.  30% of the participants were vegetarian and .25% were male.  

The vegetarians typically lead a healthier lifestyle overall, being nonsmokers and not drinking alcohol.  There was a 74% lower chance of them having an ischemic stroke compared to non-vegetarians.  In the second group specifically, there was a 60% lower chance of an ischemic stroke, 60% lower chance of a hemorrhagic stroke, and a 48% overall lower risk of a stroke.

With there being many factors at play, studied suggest an overall healthy lifestyle can limit any type of stroke in the human body.  

Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle Could Possible Reduce Genetic Risk of Cancer

    

    Dr. Guangfu Jin at Nanjing Medical University performed genetic research that determined that healthy lifestyle factors, including low body mass index, abstinence from smoking and drinking, and regular exercise correlated with a decrease in cancer, even in those with high genetic risk. Researchers are able to determine personalized estimates of an individual’s risk of developing cancer, which are known as polygenic risk scores (PRS), based on each unique combination of changes that influence cancer risk in areas of DNA. Jin and his colleagues calculated individual PRS for 16 cancers in men and 18 in women, and using statistical methods combined these scores into a single measure of cancer risk. 

    The results of this study show that patients with an unhealthy lifestyle and the highest quintile of genetic risk were 2.99 times more likely in men and 2.38 times more likely in women to develop cancer as opposed to those with a healthy lifestyle and the lowest quintile of genetic risk. Individuals at a high genetic risk of overall cancer can be identified by PRS, and this risk can be attenuated by adopting a favorable lifestyle. Jin stated that “these findings indicate that everyone should have a healthy lifestyle to decrease overall cancer risk”, which is particularly important to those with high genetic risk of cancer. Jin hopes that the CPRS were useful in improving one’s self-awareness of their inherited susceptibility to cancer and motivating them to maintain a favorable and healthy lifestyle.

Link to Study: https://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/early/2021/07/29/0008-5472.CAN-21-0836

Link to Article: https://scitechdaily.com/healthy-lifestyle-may-help-mitigate-high-genetic-risk-of-cancer/

Genetic Heart Disease Risk Eased by Healthy Habits, Study Finds

In the article "Genetic Heart Disease Risk Eased by Healthy Habits, Study Finds", they talk about how heart disease is not all about genetics. Heart disease is one of the top killers in the world, killing about 17.3 million worldwide and 365,000 in the united states. Researchers have found that with a little bit of exercising, having a healthy diet by eating a lot of fruits and vegetables, and by not smoking people who do have a history of heart disease in their family cut their chances of getting heart disease by half. Dr. Sekar Kathiresan, is the director of the Center for Human Genetic Research at Massachusetts General Hospital said "You do have control over the problem, even if you have been dealt a bad genetic hand.” It is not just Dr. Sekar Kathiresan but many doctors that say that "DNA is not density" it does not necessarily  mean if someone in your family has heart disease you will have it also. In the article there was many studies done on adults 45 years and older both men and women that had heart disease in their family history. Almost all of them cut their chances by 50% if they made little changes in their lifestyle.

I completely agree with this because two of my uncles in my family have heart disease and they are both unhealthy and the other two uncles that are healthy are fine and my grandfather passed away from heart disease. So it is true that people have the power to control heart disease by living a healthier life style.    

Genetic Heart Disease Risk Eased by Healthy Habits, Study Finds

A new study has found that by living right you can lower your risk of heart disease , no matter how high your genetic risk. Living right means not smoking, eating a healthy balanced diet, and exercising moderately. Dr. Sekar Kathiresan, the director of the Center for Human Genetic Research at Massachusetts General Hospital said, “DNA is not destiny; it is not deterministic for this disease. You do have control over the problem, even if you have been dealt a bad genetic hand.” The scientists found that genes can double the risk of heart disease, but with a healthy lifestyle you can split that. But in return, a horrible lifestyle can erase almost half of the benefits of good genetics. There were multiple groups with a high number of participants that were analyzed, which has never been done before to this degree. Overall, the experiment showed that it’s not a situation where it’s either nature or nurture, it is both. They developed a genetic score based on the 50 genes associated with heart disease. A lifestyle score was also developed based on if people smoked, ate well, exercised, or were obese. The ideal lifestyle score would have at least three or the four elements. The biggest change you could make is going from a terrible lifestyle to one that is moderately positive. Basically, its all up to you to have a healthy lifestyle so you can live a long life.

Genes Found That Detect Breast Cancer Risk

There are many genes that are involved in cancer. Researchers in a paper published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention argue, “Combining the known genetic players in breast cancer can predict with much higher accuracy a newborn girl’s theoretical risk of developing the disease.”

Alice Whittemore, a professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, and her colleagues found 86 genetic variants that have been linked to break cancer. These rare genetic variants include BRCA1 and BRCA2 are proved to be a very high risk of disease. The genetics variants were used to predict breast cancer based on womens’ genetic makeup. Researchers found that genetic variants could account for about 35 percent of future cancer cases.

Whittemore stated, “We took 86 known genetic variants associated with breast cancer, and took what was in the world’s literature about how common those variant are, and by how much a factor they increase risk.” Several new genetic variants have been contributing in developing breast cancer.

Women that have been born with a high genetic risk for breast cancer still can change their risk. It has shown that lifestyle factors are linked to lowering genetic risk. The higher genetic risk, the more it can be reduce with healthy lifestyle choices.

Article: http://time.com/3534200/heres-how-well-your-genes-can-predict-your-breast-cancer-risk/

The choice between coffee or beer could have an effect on genome

         A study from the Tel Aviv University’s Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology reveals that coffee and beer may affect our genomes differently. Alcohol was found to lengthen and caffeine was found to shorten telomeres in yeast that is genetically similar to humans. Telomeres are located at the ends of DNA strands and are crucial to the correct repairing and copying of DNA strands. The yeast cells were exposed to twelve environmental stressors that did not affect telomere length, except for the presence of ethanol and caffeine. In the presence of 5-7% ethanol solution, the telomeres grew in length. In the presence of a small concentration of caffeine, the telomeres decreased in length. Rap1 and Rif1 were the two genes identified that were identified to play a role in environmental factors and telomere length. There are about 400 genes that play a role in telomere length, most of which are in humans. More work must be done to reveal if these factors will have the same effects on humans. The identification of a relationship between these environmental stressors and telomere length could lead to dietary guidelines and treatments.

            Another study of the effects of coffee consumption showed differing results. A study of older adults found that those who drank coffee saw decreased risk of death from diabetes, accidents, and injuries, respiratory disease, stroke, infections, and heart disease. The risk of death was 10% lower in those who consumed three of more cups a day than non- coffee drinkers.

            Coffee or beer? I found that the fact that the choice could affect our genomes to be rather interesting. As the leader of the study stated, this is the first time environmental factors that affect telomere length have been found. I did not realize that the discovery of the relationship between coffee or beer consumption and telomere length could be significant. Yet, it was brought to light that the relationship could be used in medical treatment. I am curious to see if the relationship will exist when the study is conducted for humans.

Primary Article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131205142127.htm

Secondary Article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120519071454.htm

Possibly Reverse Cell Aging by Adopting a Healthy Lifestyle

        

     A study of 35 men with prostate cancer conducted by the University of California may support the fact that a strict diet, meditation, and exercise routine may reverse cell aging. The men who altered their lifestyles had much younger cells. Ten men adopted meditation, yoga, and a vegetarian diet. The telomeres of these men increased by an average of 10% over the five year study period, while the telomeres of the twenty-five men who did not change their lifestyle decreased by an average of 3%.  Telomeres are caps at the end of the chromosome that protest the chromosome end and protect against genetic information loss in cell division. Telomeres shorten as we age due to cell division and indicate when cell death should occur. Many have wondered if the shortening of telomeres can be stopped or reversed. The work done by Professor Dean Ornish suggests that telomere length can be increased.

     Several age-related diseases, such as many cancers and heart disease, are related to telomere length. A possible area of research may be the effect of altered lifestyles and increase in telomere length on cancer outcomes. Professor Ornish suggests that if the study is applied to controlled, randomized trials, lifestyle changes can be proven to decrease the risk of early mortality and many diseases. Yet, some, such as Dr. Lyn Cox and Dr. Tom Vulliamy, believe that the study is too small to draw significant conclusions. Decrease in telomere length is unlikely to be the only explanation for aging.

     Other work supports these findings by suggesting that sedentary lifestyles hasten cell aging. A twin study showed that those who engage in physical activity in their free time were “biologically younger” while those who were inactive had telomeres that shortened faster. The study was conducted at King’s College London using 2,401 white twins. The study focused on white blood cells in the immune system. Individuals who engaged in the least amount of exercise had telomeres 200 nucleotides shorter than those that engaged in the greatest amount of exercise. On average, those who engaged in the most physical activity had telomeres the length of inactive individuals ten years younger. Further, stress may impact telomere length.

     I believe that research on the effect of lifestyle on cell aging holds much significance. Heart disease, diabetes, and other diseases caused by unhealthy lifestyles are on the rise. Giving concrete evidence of the effects of lifestyle on our biology will be more effective in encouraging individuals to adopt healthy lifestyles. Studies should be conducted on individuals of varying races, genders, and ages to, as the studies discussed were conducted using only small or homogenous groups. I hope that further, more extensive studies are conducted to give concrete evidence that healthy lifestyles can help decrease cell aging. 

Sources: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-24111357
              http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7212698.stm