Nature against Nurture: Scientists collect more evidence on which an impact on human well-being in the middle of the aging process.
While environmental exhibitions and genetics are known to play an important role in the formation of human aging, living conditions and lifestyle choices have a much more impact on human health than genetics, according to a new study published Wednesday in Nature Medicine.
At the beginning of September 2020, Los Angeles was covered every day with smoke and ashes for nearby forest fires.
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Researchers from Oxford HEALTH Population used data from nearly 500,000 participants in the United Kingdom to assess the influence of 164 environmental factors and genetic risk scores for 22 age-related diseases and premature deaths, according to the document.
The data has shown that environmental factors represent 17% of the variation in the risk of death, compared to less than 2% explained by the genetic predisposition.
Smoking, socioeconomic status, physical activity and living conditions have had the most impact on mortality and organic aging, revealed the study.
Smoking was associated with 21 diseases; Socioeconomic factors – such as household income, property and employment status – were associated with 19 diseases; And physical activity was associated with 17 diseases.
Group of women who warm up and extend on the ground during yoga lessons.
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In addition, it has been shown that exhibitions at the start of life influence aging and the risk of decades of premature death later. Factors such as body weight at 10 years and maternal smoking around birth had an impact 30 to 80 years later.
Environmental exhibitions have also had a greater impact on chronic diseases of lungs, heart and liver, which are the main causes of disability and death on a global scale. The genetic risk had a greater impact on dementia and breast cancer, according to the researchers.
While many individual exhibitions have played a small role in premature death, the combined effect of multiple exhibitions on the life journey explained a large proportion of variation in premature mortality, the researchers said.
However, 23 of the factors were identified as modifiable.
“” Our research demonstrates the deep impact of the health of exhibitions that can be modified either by individuals or by policies aimed at improving socio-economic conditions, reducing smoking or promoting physical activity, “said Declared Cornelia Van Duijn, professor of epidemiology at Oxford Population Health and Senior and Senior Author of the study.
Close -up of the male hand with cigarettes.
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The document also detailed a new measurement method called “aging clock”, which monitors the speed with which people age according to blood protein levels. The new measure allowed researchers to link environmental exhibitions which predict early mortality with organic aging.
The approach has enabled “the most complete overview to date of environmental factors and lifestyle stimulating aging and premature death,” said Austin Argentieri, principal author of the researcher at the Massachusetts General Hospital .
Questions remain linked to diet, lifestyle, exposure to new pathogens – such as bird flu and covid -19 – chemicals such as pesticides and plastics and the impact of environmental factors And genetics of different populations remain, have said the researchers.
The study highlights the need for integral studies to improve the health of aging populations by identifying key combinations of environmental factors that simultaneously deal with the risk of premature death and many age -related current diseases said researchers .
“In an environment constantly evolving, it is essential that we combine these techniques with new advances in intelligent technology to monitor the lifestyle and the environment, as well as with biological data, to understand the impact of ‘Environment over time, “said Argerieri.
Jessica Yang, Do, a resident of family medicine at the main hospital in Bryn Mawr, and a member of the ABC News medical unit, contributed to this report.